KS3 Overview
At KS3 pupils follow a ‘Universal Themes’ project framework that looks at Art, Craft and Design from Ancient times to the present day.
Building on KS2 and preparing for KS4…
Our aim in Year 7 is to ‘level the ground’, so to speak, as pupils will have come from a wide variety of primary school experiences and skill sets. We therefore start with the premise that pupils can learn to draw, paint and create in a wide variety of media. It is not only a subject that appeals to the ‘naturally gifted’ but, rather, is a subject that all can access and certainly improve in significantly. We wish to present art lessons as fun, interesting and achievable. KS3 is seen as both a self-contained programme of study, as the majority of pupils will not take the subject on to GCSE, but also as a steppingstone to the deeper levels of skills, media insight and art history appreciation needed to achieve highly at GCSE level.
KS3 Assessment
Pupils are given regular formative verbal feedback by teachers circulating around the room and assisting pupils and guiding them as needed. Additionally, pupils may receive brief written feedback through ‘post-its’ in their sketchbooks on the progress they are making through a project. More formally, each project will have an ‘Assessed Work’ sheet as its Summative Assessment. Here, pupils reflect upon their own learning through ‘What Went Well’ and ‘Even Better If’ and ‘Next Steps’ in reflecting upon their work and learning.
KS3 Content
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Y7 Content Autumn |
Human Figure |
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Y7 Content Spring |
Teacher Choice |
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Y7 Content Summer |
Abstract |
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Y8 Content Autumn |
Teacher Choice. |
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Y8 Content Spring |
Fantastic & Strange |
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Y8 Content Summer |
Environments |
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Y9 Content Autumn |
Flora & Fauna |
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Y9 Content Spring |
Events |
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Y9 Content Summer |
Teacher Choice |
The National Curriculum in Art, Craft and Design advocates the following:
Purpose of study
Art, craft and design embody some of the highest forms of human creativity. A high-quality art and design education should engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design. As pupils progress, they should be able to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of art and design. They should also know how art and design both reflect and shape our history, and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation.
Aims
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The national curriculum for art and design aims to ensure that all pupils:
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produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences
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become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques
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evaluate and analyse creative works using the language of art, craft and design
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know about great artists, craft makers and designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms.
Attainment targets
By the end of KS3, pupils are expected to know, apply and understand the matters, skills and processes specified in the programme of study.
Subject content
Key stage 3
Pupils should be taught to develop their creativity and ideas, and increase proficiency in their execution. They should develop a critical understanding of artists, architects and designers, expressing reasoned judgements that can inform their own work.
Pupils should be taught:
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to use a range of techniques to record their observations in sketchbooks, journals and other media as a basis for exploring their ideas
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to use a range of techniques and media, including painting
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to increase their proficiency in the handling of different materials
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to analyse and evaluate their own work, and that of others, in order to strengthen the visual impact or applications of their work
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about the history of art, craft, design and architecture, including periods, styles and major movements from ancient times up to the present day.
Drawing and painting, in all their diversity, will form the bulk of the work undertaken in KS3. However, there will also be investigations and projects that utilise other aesthetic and dexterous skills – such as 3D work, in a variety of possible forms, such as clay and card construction, to name but two, and printmaking in various forms.
The open-ended nature of Universal Themes allows each subject teacher to follow individualised projects but within a structured framework.
Each Universal Theme allows for an unlimited means of interpretation and, indeed, is exactly the manner in which the Externally Set Tasks in year 11 and year 13 are structured by the Examination Board. We currently use (OCR). This allows for freedom, creativity and imagination in providing pupils with a varied diet of aesthetic experiences throughout their art education at TGGS. Therefore, what is studied in each Universal Theme may vary by teachers across the Department in the same academic year, or year to year, by the same teacher, in order to keep their practice ‘fresh’.
A ‘Teacher Choice’ project has also been allocated into each year, to allow for individual teachers to try something new, innovative, exploratory, experimental or ‘off-grid’ – very much in-keeping with the ethos of the subject.
It is hoped, that in year 8, pupils will have the opportunity of a gallery or museum visit, and in year 9 pupils will visit the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth to take advantage of the learning that can take place outside of the classroom, by utilising and supporting local educational establishments.
Useful links & resources for KS3: