The summaries below set out the main areas of learning in each year, the knowledge and skills pupils will develop, and the intended curriculum end points. They also show how learning builds progressively across the Art curriculum and prepares pupils for the next stage of their education.
Year 7
Fragmented Faces: Portraiture in Clay, Print and Paint
What pupils will know and be able to do
- Understand how Cubism reinterprets the human form through abstraction and multiple perspectives.
- Develop design drawings that explore fragmentation and the stylisation of the human head.
- Apply sculptural techniques to construct a three-dimensional bust and create an expressive Cubist outcome.
- Produce detailed drawings using controlled line and mark-making suitable for printmaking.
- Understand and apply the collagraph process, including plate preparation, inking and printing.
- Apply knowledge of facial proportion, line, tone and colour theory to create an abstracted self-portrait.
- Experiment with different media and create a final outcome that communicates personal identity and demonstrates an understanding of Cubism.
How this builds on previous learning
This builds on the drawing and colour-mixing skills developed during primary education, alongside pupils’ initial understanding of facial features and proportions.
How this prepares pupils for future learning
This prepares pupils to develop their understanding of abstraction, composition, colour, mark-making, portraiture, observational drawing and media experimentation in later years.
Year 8
Viewpoints: Fragmented Still Life
What pupils will know and be able to do
- Identify and compare traditional, Cubist and Pop Art approaches to still life.
- Produce observational drawings that demonstrate an understanding of ellipses, perspective and proportion.
- Use compositional strategies, including the rule of thirds, diagonals and focal points.
- Apply colour theory to create harmony, contrast and visual impact.
- Create a final still-life artwork that brings together research, technical skill and a personal response.
How this builds on previous learning
This builds on pupils’ understanding of abstraction, composition and colour theory, alongside the painting techniques developed in Year 7.
How this prepares pupils for future learning
This prepares pupils for increasingly sophisticated mixed-media composition, observational drawing, conceptual development and the creation of more personal responses.
David Hockney: Painting the Local Landscape
What pupils will know and be able to do
- Analyse David Hockney’s use of expressive colour and stylised form.
- Apply colour theory to communicate mood and meaning.
- Develop accurate observational drawings and plan effective compositions using tone, proportion and the rule of thirds.
- Apply acrylic and oil-pastel techniques with control and intention.
- Create a landscape outcome that combines drawing, composition and media skills to express a personal connection to the local landscape.
How this builds on previous learning
This builds on pupils’ Year 7 knowledge of colour theory, stylisation and composition, alongside their developing control of different media.
How this prepares pupils for future learning
This prepares pupils to explore layering, pattern, natural forms and media manipulation, while developing their ability to communicate personal meaning through art.
Year 9
Luke Dixon: Pen Portraits
What pupils will know and be able to do
- Describe and analyse the work and style of Luke Dixon, including his use of line, tone and symbolism.
- Understand the role of iconography and symbolism within visual language.
- Use pen-and-ink techniques, including hatching, cross-hatching, stippling and line variation.
- Apply knowledge of facial features and proportion to create a stylised outcome.
- Create a personal composition that combines portraiture, symbolism, graphic techniques and pattern.
How this builds on previous learning
This builds on pupils’ developing knowledge of portraiture, abstraction, composition and colour, alongside the controlled mark-making developed in Years 7 and 8.
How this prepares pupils for future learning
This prepares pupils for increasingly independent composition, the use of personal symbolism, greater technical refinement and the demands of GCSE portfolio work.
Jennifer Judd-McGee: Layering with Mixed Media
What pupils will know and be able to do
- Understand mixed media and how different materials and techniques can be combined within a single artwork.
- Describe and analyse Jennifer Judd-McGee’s use of pattern, nature-inspired motifs and layering, linked to pupils’ knowledge of papercutting.
- Develop proficiency in monoprinting, polyprinting, papercutting, collage and observational drawing.
- Apply balance, repetition and compartmentalisation within a composition.
- Produce a concertina book that communicates a personal response to nature and pattern.
How this builds on previous learning
This builds on pupils’ previous experiences of collage, abstraction, expressive colour, pattern and stylisation.
How this prepares pupils for future learning
This prepares pupils for GCSE-level media experimentation, layering, refinement, personal symbolism and reflective creative practice.
Year 10
Organic Structures: Pattern, Form and Texture
What pupils will know and be able to do
- Understand how Karl Blossfeldt, Peter Randall-Page and Heather Knight use natural forms to explore structure, pattern and abstraction.
- Understand how materials and creative processes contribute to the meaning and impact of artwork.
- Record observations through drawing, photography and sculpture.
- Investigate the work of relevant artists and explain how their ideas and techniques inform pupils’ own work.
- Experiment with and refine printmaking, painting and ceramic processes.
- Plan, develop and present an outcome using tone, texture, balance and focal points.
- Understand how art develops through sustained investigation, experimentation, reflection and refinement.
How this builds on previous learning
This builds on the observational drawing, composition, mixed-media and experimentation skills developed throughout Key Stage 3.
How this prepares pupils for future learning
This supports the development of pupils’ GCSE portfolios and prepares them for the sustained and increasingly independent work required in the Identity project.
Years 10 and 11
Personal Project: Identity
What pupils will know and be able to do
- Produce a fully documented creative journey from initial ideas to a resolved final outcome.
- Investigate relevant artists and explore a range of cultural, personal and artistic influences.
- Demonstrate technical proficiency through observational drawing, photography and carefully selected media.
- Experiment, take purposeful creative risks, reflect and refine ideas as the project develops.
- Create a coherent and personal final piece that brings together research, experimentation and contextual understanding.
- Present work imaginatively, with clear visual and conceptual connections across the project.
How this builds on previous learning
This builds on the technical, contextual and creative foundations developed throughout Key Stage 3 and during the Organic Structures project.
How this prepares pupils for future learning
This prepares pupils for the GCSE externally set assignment and, where chosen, further study in Art.
Year 11
GCSE Art: Externally Set Assignment
What pupils will know and be able to do
- Select and respond to one starting point provided by AQA.
- Develop preparatory work that demonstrates investigation, experimentation, recording and a personal response.
- Use drawing and annotation to develop, refine and communicate ideas.
- Realise their intentions during the 10-hour supervised period.
- Present preparatory and supervised work as a coherent response assessed across all four assessment objectives.
How this builds on previous learning
This builds on the sustained investigation, experimentation, refinement and personal response developed through the GCSE portfolio.
How this prepares pupils for future learning
This enables pupils to demonstrate their readiness for post-16 study and increasingly independent creative practice.
Year 12
A-Level Foundation
What pupils will know and be able to do
- Develop technical and conceptual confidence through a flexible foundation programme.
- Explore the four AQA assessment objectives through a series of connected projects and activities.
- Extend their knowledge of visual language, creative thinking and contextual understanding.
- Develop ideas through sketchbooks, photography, mixed media, practical workshops, critiques and tutorials.
- Take increasing ownership of their creative work and develop a substantial portfolio with a clear sense of direction.
How this builds on previous learning
This builds on pupils’ previous Art experience while responding to the starting points, creative interests and technical needs of the group.
How this prepares pupils for future learning
This provides the technical and conceptual foundation for the A-Level Personal Investigation and increasingly independent creative practice.
Years 12 and 13
A-Level Personal Investigation
What pupils will know and be able to do
- Develop a self-directed investigation into a personally meaningful theme or idea.
- Select appropriate materials and approaches, including painting, digital media, sculpture and mixed media.
- Produce a practical portfolio supported by a written study of between 1,000 and 3,000 words.
- Connect practical work to wider artistic, cultural and contextual influences.
- Refine ideas through tutorials, peer feedback and targeted practical workshops.
- Produce a cohesive and ambitious body of work that demonstrates an individual artistic voice.
How this builds on previous learning
This builds on the Year 12 foundation programme and pupils’ developing technical, contextual and conceptual strengths.
How this prepares pupils for future learning
This prepares pupils for the final externally set assignment, further study and future pathways within the creative industries.
Year 13
A-Level Externally Set Assignment
What pupils will know and be able to do
- Select a starting point from the themes released by AQA.
- Develop focused and purposeful preparatory work over the set period.
- Respond creatively and independently to a new brief.
- Bring together the knowledge, skills and independence developed throughout the course.
- Produce a resolved final outcome during the 15-hour supervised period.
How this builds on previous learning
This builds on the Personal Investigation and the full range of technical, contextual and independent learning developed throughout the course.
How this prepares pupils for future learning
This provides pupils with a final opportunity to demonstrate their readiness for higher education, employment and independent creative practice.
