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Art & design

"The study of Art and Design enhances and celebrates student’s creative and artistic abilities. It stimulates and challenges students to realise their potential in a broad and ever changing medium."

Department Staff

 

Ms E. McKee (Head of Department)

Mrs N. O’Connor

Mrs E. Hughes

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Technician: Miss E. Quinn

The Art and Design Department has achieved excellent exam grades and has gained a well-deserved reputation for the quality of its work. We have featured in many competitions and have previously won The Ulster final in the Junk Kouture Competition. We are immensely proud of our students who have gone on to Art College or taken their creative ability to another level. 

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KS3 Curriculum (Years 8, 9 and 10)

Pupils benefit fully from the themes of study by covering the matters, skills and processes which are suited to his or her ability so that each pupil’s individual potential may be realised.

 

A wide variety of creative and expressive experiences available within Art and Design Department enables pupils to develop knowledge, skills and understanding which are central to the whole curriculum. These experiences provide pupils with unique opportunities for observing, recording, designing, crafting, imagining, communicating and appreciating.

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KS4 Curriculum (Years 11/12)

GCSE CCEA Art and Design

Students of our GCSE Art and Design course engage in a critical, practical and theoretical study of art and design. They develop an appreciation of the work of artists, designers and craft workers from a range of cultural backgrounds. They also develop their artistic practice.

Through studying this course, students have opportunities to:

· widen their personal experience.

· develop their creative, intellectual and artistic abilities.

· develop their personal knowledge and understanding.

· develop skills including investigating, realising, experimenting and problem-solving.

This course prepares students for the study of art and design and related courses at GCE Advanced Level, Advanced Subsidiary Level and the National Diploma. It also provides students who have an interest in developing a career in art and design with relevant, skills-based knowledge.

GCSE CCEA Moving Image Arts

This is an applied qualification. Students develop knowledge, understanding and skills through practical demonstration in a context related to employability.

Students work on a range of creative, critical and technical tasks. These include planning and creating moving image products. This qualification builds on students’ introduction to the moving image at Key Stage 3. It helps them to progress to further study and practice at GCE level.

Studying this specification, gives students opportunities to:

· develop a critical understanding of film language, narrative, representation and audience in both theory and practice.

· investigate and research others work and demonstrate the ability to analyse and evaluate creative purpose.

· acquire knowledge and understanding of moving image genres and contexts.

· develop ideas by investigating and experimenting with film-making techniques and processes.

· develop the ability to manage resources, processes and equipment at different stages of moving image production.

· create complete moving image products.

· develop technical competence in using film-making techniques.

· evaluate the effectiveness of their practice as filmmakers.

 

CCEA A Level Moving Image Arts

Moving Image Arts (MIA) offers students a unique opportunity to develop and refine their skills as film-makers. It enables students to broaden their experience of audio-visual culture to inform, inspire and contextualise their own creative ideas.

MIA is an ideal choice for students wishing to pursue a career in the creative industries, which value and promote independence, originality, creative enterprise and technical skill. The course develops creative and critical abilities in writing, directing, editing, producing and analysing films from a range of contexts and disciplines.

MIA is a challenging and rewarding course, offering a solid foundation for progression to higher and further education and the creative industries.

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GCSE CCEA Contemporary Crafts

Contemporary craft is about making things. Craft makers explore materials, techniques and processes as they combine intellectual activity and manual dexterity to create unique objects. The world of craft offers a huge variety of materials for the craft maker to choose from such as:

  • ceramics;

  • glass;

  • metal;

  • precious and semi-precious stones;

  • resins;

  • textiles;

  • wood.

From these materials makers create for example interior furnishing, tableware, furniture, fashion items and decorative and art pieces.

Contemporary craft work allows the maker to use materials in an innovative way. Ideally it should reflect how the maker uses their hands and their head as one. Those talented in crafts can find their niche in a wide variety of creative and unexpected ways such as:

  • basketry;

  • carpentry;

  • embroidery;

  • enamelling;

  • engraving;

  • goldsmithing;

  • marquetry;

  • pottery;

  • sculpture;

  • stonemasonry.

These crafts are all widely practised today, as they have been for centuries.

 

KS5 Curriculum (Years 13/14)

OCR Cambridge Technicals

This qualification provides an understanding of art, design and craft through engagement with the work of artists and designers. Students have the opportunity to gain practical and creative skills by working with the 2D and 3D materials, processes and techniques of their choice. Available options include photography, graphic design, 3D, fine art and fashion.

·         Cambridge Technicals are exam-free so suit all learning styles

·         Includes hands-on practical experience based upon real life scenarios

·         UCAS points available at Level 3 to support progression to higher education.

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Assessment overview

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Component         Marks 

Personal

investigation (01) 120 - 60%

Externally set task (02) 80 - 40%

 

Non-exam assessment (internally assessed and externally moderated). Students should produce a portfolio of practical work in response to a brief, scenario or stimulus provided by the student or centre, and a related written study of at least 1000 words.

15 hours non-exam assessment (internally assessed and externally moderated). Students produce a response to one of a number of provided themes, each of which will have a range of written and visual starting points, briefs and stimuli.

Content overview

Component 01: Personal investigation

There are two distinct elements:

· A practical portfolio with supporting contextual research in response to a set theme. The portfolio may be presented in a format appropriate to the specialism and area of study chosen.

· A related study using words and illustrations demonstrating the context in which their portfolio exists, exploring the relevant genre, subject matter, movement or historical framework of the selected theme.

 

Component 02: Externally set task

Students can choose a starting point from any of the seven given themes for which they will generate an appropriate personal response for assessment. They will carry out preparatory work to research, plan and develop their ideas, before engaging in 15 hours of supervised time to complete their work.

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