Our pupils gain experience within Art and Design Technology in one of the best equipped departments in the country.
Art and Design brings together the Art and Design & Technology departments in a contemporary and creative hub, reflecting modern practice, allowing for new pathways and opportunities to explore beyond what you expect to see in schools.
With five distinctive areas within the faculty, pupils gain more experiences of the opportunities each area can offer. These are:
Fine Art provides an opportunity for pupils to express their creative ideas whilst developing work that is of a technically high standard.
This course encourages pupils to develop personal projects across a range of relevant media and processes. A series of workshops in areas such as painting, printmaking, sculpture and mixed media further strengthen the range of opportunities within projects. Pupils will research the work of Artists through visual analysis and reflective writing to help inform their ideas. They will visit to galleries and museums to inform and give context to their projects.
The course demands high standards and commitment to be successful. Pupils need to be open to exploring new ideas, have a willingness for hard work and a passion for Fine Art.
Areas of study include:
The course is assessed by means of a coursework portfolio comprising work produced throughout the two- year course; this accounts for 60% of the qualification.
An Externally Set Task component is completed in the second year of the course and consists of a preparatory period and 10-hour controlled test, comprising 40% of the GCSE.
Specification Details – Fine Art – OCR A&D GCSE (J171)
Standard & Higher Level
The aims of the Visual Arts courses at Standard Level and Higher Level are to enable students to:
They learn to:-
Visual Arts are an integral part of our daily lives. They have social, political, ritual, spiritual, decorative and functional values. They can be persuasive and are sometimes subversive; they are always enlightening or thought-provoking. The theories and practises of Visual Arts are dynamic and ever changing, connecting different areas of knowledge and human experience. Visual Arts enable us to make sense of the world, to explore our place within it and to transform our individual and collective ways of being in and with the world.
There are three core areas of study:
Create
Students learn how to generate ideas from investigation and observation, and engage with experimentation or in resolving artworks. They learn how to follow lines of inquiry from conception to realisation and to develop a visual language
Connect
Students consider the relationship between artwork, artist and audience. They learn how to situate their art making in relation to context and to consider cultural significance.
Communicate
Students learn how to curate, share and situate their artwork.
The integration of create, connect, communicate.
Students integrate these core areas of create, connect and communicate through the shoot of her personal lines of inquiry and while developing A coherent body of resolved artworks.
The content of this course is similar at both levels, However, at Higher Level specific requirements test the depth and maturity of work produced at this level. The amount of work produced will be proportionate to the level studied.
In this course, artistic understanding and expression may be taught through techniques such as:
Studio work will combine several of these techniques and any media may be used.
This is a record of the students’ studies which will include research, reflection, responses and creative ideas for exploration and development. This is the fundamental component that the assessment materials are selected from, to generate the digital portfolios.
External Assessment
Art-making inquiries portfolio (40%)
Connections Study (20%)
Internal Assessment
A coherent body of work- 5 resolved Artworks (40%)
External Assessment
Art-making inquiries portfolio (30%)
Artists project-Site-specific Exhibition (30%)
Internal Assessment
A coherent body of work- 5 selected Artworks from a minimum of 8 (40%)
The course aims to provide the ability and tools for a student to develop sophisticated conceptual ideas that are articulated through the artworks they produce. Students are taught how to navigate their own pathway through locating relevant research into artists, media and materials and thematic content, to establish their personal approach.
The initial stages of the course introduce the various approaches that an Artist can use to establish a way of working, that links to their conceptual ideas being explored. They start with experimentation with materials and techniques to lead the development process. The following stage is an introduction to Artist Research and the work they produce, to understand how this information can utilise to inform their own ideas. This leads into a thematic, concept driven exploration, to establish their visual language and begin to develop a portfolio of work.
The course allows students to build and develop a personal visual language. They gain an in-depth knowledge of materials and media to enable them to explore mark making to express creative ideas. Through on-going analysis and evaluation, students aim to generate sophisticated outcomes that reflect their own personal journey and conceptual thinking.
All work is initially developed to explore a theme agreed between teacher and student and is informed by a critical understanding of Art Practice, (studying the work of other artists and designers). The course demands high standards and to be successful students will need to be open to exploring new ideas, have a capacity for hard work and a growing passion for Art. Studying Art at this level is a life enhancing as well as an academically rewarding experience.
Students will be encouraged to work in the studios and in their Boarding House outside of lesson times. A number of visits to galleries and museums in the UK will inspire and inform students’ visual and written work.
The course comprises two components. Component 1 is studied during the Lower Sixth and is completed in the Upper Sixth. Component 2 is taken in the Upper Sixth
Component 1: Personal Investigation
(60% of the Qualification)
Through a project developed to suit the students’ own interests and skills, they will generate and develop visual ideas, research primary and contextual sources, record practical and written observations, experiment with media and processes, and refine ideas towards producing personal resolved outcomes. The unit comprises supporting studies and practical work that will take the form of a portfolio of work, and a written personal Related Study.
Component 2: Externally Set Assignment
(40% of the Qualification)
Through responding to an externally set starting point students will generate preparatory work and develop ideas, research primary and contextual sources, record practical and written observations, experiment with media and processes, and, refine ideas. Students will produce final outcomes during a fifteen-hour period of sustained focus under exam conditions.
OCR Art & Design: Fine Art (H601)
A Level Fine Art is particularly relevant if students wish to pursue a career in any visual or media discipline. This course can lead directly on to an Art Foundation Course and University Degree Courses in Art and Design. Fine Art is often required for related university studies, for example Architecture, Restoration, and History of Art.
This GCSE provides pupils with a wide range of creative, exciting and stimulating opportunities to explore their interests in Fashion Design through the exploration of constructed, dyed, printed, stitched and embellished textiles in ways that are both personally relevant and developmental in nature.
This two unit specification enables pupils to deepen their ability to actively engage in the processes of shaping a personal response and gain the visual language to build creative repertoire through learning and doing.
This grows their confidence to develop imaginative and intuitive ways of working, in addition to building upon knowledge and understanding of media, materials and technologies in historical and contemporary contexts, societies and cultures.
Assessment for Unit 1: A Portfolio of Work (Controlled Assessment 60 per cent) and for Unit 2: An Externally Set Task (40 per cent). The externally set task is completed during the Spring Term of the Hundred year (Year 11) and culminates in a 10-hour practical assessment during which a personal response is created.
In the first year of study there are a series of mini projects including mark-making, constructed textiles, fashion design and thematic studies. This affords the pupils the opportunity to practise working with the assessment criteria and to learn how to achieve the best grades.
The course aims to provide the ability and tools for a student to develop sophisticated conceptual ideas that are articulated through the textiles based work they produce. Students are taught how to navigate their own pathway through locating relevant research into textiles artists and designers, media and materials and thematic content, to establish their personal approach.
The initial stages of the course introduce the various approaches that a Textiles Artist/Designer can use to establish a way of working, that links to their conceptual ideas being explored. They start with experimentation with materials and techniques to lead the development process. The following stage is an introduction to Textiles Artist/ Designer Research and the work they produce, to understand how this information can utilise to inform their own ideas. This leads into a thematic, concept driven exploration, to establish their visual language and begin to develop a portfolio of work.
The course comprises two components. Component 1 is studied during the Lower Sixth and is completed in the Upper Sixth. Component 2 is taken in the Upper Sixth
Component 1: Personal Investigation
(60% of the Qualification)
Through a project developed to suit the students’ own interests and skills, they will generate and develop visual ideas, research primary and contextual sources, record practical and written observations, experiment with media and processes, and refine ideas towards producing personal resolved outcomes. The unit comprises supporting studies and practical work that will take the form of a portfolio of work, and a written personal Related Study.
Component 2: Externally Set Assignment
(40% of the Qualification)
Through responding to an externally set starting point students will generate preparatory work and develop ideas, research primary and contextual sources, record practical and written observations, experiment with media and processes, and, refine ideas. Students will produce final outcomes during a fifteen-hour period of sustained focus under exam conditions.
Photography teaches pupils how to look at the world in a new and creative way. This creativity will stimulate personal ideas and enable them to apply these using analytical and critical thinking and problem solving to produce visual responses through Photography. Pupils will follow the OCR Examination Board specification.
Students will critically analyse artists’ work, to broaden their understanding of ways of working and help to develop their own ideas through research, reaction, reflection, and personal response.
Component 1
A coursework project where pupils will be developing skills in creative and practical problem-solving, advancing ideas through research, practical application, analysis and critique. Work is recorded in a sketchbook, and earns marks over the entire course, resulting in a final grade.
Component 2 – Externally Set Assignment
A choice of five projects are set by the OCR Examination Board. There will be a preparatory period, leading to a 10 hour supervised practical to produce final, realised outcomes.
Students will be required to work in one or more areas of Photography, such as:
Skills and Techniques Students will be taught:
The Lower Sixth
Students will be introduced to a variety of experiences exploring a range of photographic media, techniques and processes. Students will learn about both traditional and new techniques.
By the end of the Lower Sixth, students will be confident and competent photographers. Students will have an excellent working knowledge of their cameras, both digital and film.
Students will begin their coursework project (a subject of their own choice), and produce a substantial sketchbook/digital sketchbook. This will include research, reflection, exploration, self-evaluation, response etc. This is vitally important, and will stand students in good stead for Year 2.
Besides the 6 teaching hours per week, students are required to work an additional 5 hours a week outside of the classroom, which can include shoots/research etc.
Students are expected to produce a ‘glossary of terms’, i.e. a book dedicated to photographic terms and their meanings.
We will also go on numerous ‘shoots’, and wherever possible students will accompany their teacher on professional shoots. The teacher will give students insights into the Photographic industry, and what life is like as a Photographer.
The Upper Sixth
During the Upper Sixth, students will continue with their coursework projects, and also produce a Related Study Essay, of 1000 to 3000 words, on a subject which is related to their area of study. Their coursework projects are substantial pieces of work, which are to be backed up by a sizeable sketchbook/digital sketchbook/website. This will address the Assessment Criteria of research, exploration, reflection, recording and final presentation of photographs/films. This project is worth 60% of the total marks for A Level.
Students will also receive an Externally Set Task question from the Examining Board at the beginning of February and their response will follow the same process as their coursework project. This project is worth 40% of the total marks for A Level.
Photography A Level is an immensely rewarding and enjoyable area of study. Students will gain an amazing skill to enjoy for the rest of their lives, and which will impact on whichever course of study they choose to follow.
Component 1
120 marks (60% of total marks)
Component 2
80 marks (40% of total marks)
This IGCSE covers a wide range of activities based on designing and making products that are manufactured using materials such as wood, metal and plastics in many forms. As well as learning hand skills, students
will use a range of industrials processes to shape and form materials into functioning products with a particular focus on furniture design. Over the course of two years, students will develop a whole range of creative designing and making skills, technical knowledge and understanding relating to Resistant Materials and invaluable transferable skills such as problem solving and time management.
Assessment for this course is through three components. The first component is examination-based focusing on design skills and worth 25%. The second component is theory-based and is also worth 25%. The final component is coursework and worth 50% of the final award.
This IGCSE covers a wide range of products with a focus on architectural design and 3D Concept design. Over the course of two years, students will develop a whole range of creative designing and making skills, technical knowledge and understanding relating to Architectural Spatial Design and Conceptual Product Design. As well as developing hand-modelling skills, students will use a range of industrials processes to shape and form materials into architectural models or prototypes.
Assessment for this course is through three components.
The first component is examination-based focusing on design skills and worth 25%.
The second component is a theory-based examination and is also worth 25%.
The final component is coursework and worth 50% of the final award.
The course aims to provide the ability and tools for a student to develop sophisticated conceptual ideas that are articulated through the three-dimensional works they produce. Students are taught how to navigate their own pathway through locating relevant research into Designers, techniques and materials and thematic content, to establish their personal approach to being and Artist Craftsperson or Designer Maker.
Students will be able to use a wide range of materials and equipment found within the Art & Design workshops. These include the traditional wood, metal, ceramics and plastics as well as new technology such as CAD and 3D Printing. The outcomes produced will vary dependant of the development of the ideas, which will be informed by research of primary and contextual sources.
The course comprises two components. Component 1 is studied during the Lower Sixth and is completed in the Upper Sixth. Component 2 is taken in the Upper Sixth
Component 1: Personal Investigation
(60% of the Qualification)
Through a project developed to suit the students’ own interests and skills, they will generate and develop visual ideas, research primary and contextual sources, record practical and written observations, experiment with media and processes, and refine ideas towards producing personal resolved outcomes. The unit comprises supporting studies and practical work that will take the form of a portfolio of work, and a written personal Related Study.
Component 2: Externally Set Assignment
(40% of the Qualification)
Through responding to an externally set starting point students will generate preparatory work and develop ideas, research primary and contextual sources, record practical and written observations, experiment with media and processes, and, refine ideas. Students will produce final outcomes during a fifteen-hour period of sustained focus under exam conditions.
This course will be of interest to those students who have enjoyed the practical and creative approaches within Graphic Products and Resistant Materials IGCSE but do not want to continue with the Mathematical requirements embedded within the A Level in Design & Technology.
The Design Technology Course requires the use of the design cycle as a tool, which provides the basis for structured inquiry and analysis of problems, the development of feasible solutions, and the testing and evaluation of the solutions;
Design is the process of linking innovative thinking and creativity with inquiry and problem solving at its heart. Design requires an individual to be imaginative, creative and motivated to learn more about the world they live within. They will want to learn how design has given rise to new technologies and the profound changes in society that they have made. Everyone has the capacity to design. Through practise and implementing the design cycle model, students will follow a methodology to structure their own analysis, design development, synthesis and evaluation processes. The experiences of practical activities are core to evolving an individual’s perception of how things work. They provide opportunities to investigate and manipulate through direct interaction with natural and manmade materials. This increases inquiry skills and the ability to construct and build artefacts based on personally developed ideas. It also offers the potential for the unexpected to occur that can lead to a better solution than had been predicted or anticipated. This is where ‘creativity’ exists.
Students wishing to study Standard Level do not need any background in, or previous knowledge of this subject. However, students wishing to study Higher Level, some previous exposure to design would be beneficial.
Course Content
The course runs over five terms. During this time students studying Standard Level and Higher will study three core topics covering the following areas:
Practical, investigative work is carried out throughout the course. These projects centre on the properties of materials, mechanisms and production techniques as they apply to constructing an artefact or developing skills and ideas useful in carrying out the Design project.
The Design Project
The Design project is the only piece of coursework required for this course. It unifies all aspects of the course and is based on all the topics. For Standard Level and Higher Level 50 hours are given to this design and make project and culminates in a 35 page A4 document with a 3500-word limit. The Design project provides the student with an opportunity to develop an idea from conception to realisation, using the well-equipped workshop in the Technology Department. During the course, we hope to take students to visit local places of interest that can provide a useful insight into various aspects of the subject. The Design Technology Diploma Programme is suited to students who have an interest in the Arts as well as those with a more Science-oriented background. There is scope to explore aspects of design and innovation, while building knowledge and understanding of materials and manufacturing techniques within the more theoretical aspects of the subject. Increasingly, universities see this as a key subject for students interested in studying Engineering.
External assessment details-
Paper 1
Paper 2
Internal Assessment details- The Design project
External assessment details-
Paper 1
Paper 2
Internal Assessment details- The Design project
The course aims to provide the ability and tools for a student to develop sophisticated conceptual ideas that are articulated through the artworks they produce. Students are taught how to navigate their own pathway through locating relevant research into artists, media and materials and thematic content, to establish their personal approach.
The initial stages of the course introduce the various approaches that an Artist can use to establish a way of working, that links to their conceptual ideas being explored. They start with experimentation with materials and techniques to lead the development process. The following stage is an introduction to Artist Research and the work they produce, to understand how this information can utilise to inform their own ideas. This leads into a thematic, concept driven exploration, to establish their visual language and begin to develop a portfolio of work.
The course allows students to build and develop a personal visual language. They gain an in-depth knowledge of materials and media to enable them to explore mark making to express creative ideas. Through on-going analysis and evaluation, students aim to generate sophisticated outcomes that reflect their own personal journey and conceptual thinking.
All work is initially developed to explore a theme agreed between teacher and student and is informed by a critical understanding of Art Practice, (studying the work of other artists and designers). The course demands high standards and to be successful students will need to be open to exploring new ideas, have a capacity for hard work and a growing passion for Art. Studying Art at this level is a life enhancing as well as an academically rewarding experience.
Students will be encouraged to work in the studios and in their Boarding House outside of lesson times. A number of visits to galleries and museums in the UK will inspire and inform students’ visual and written work.
The course comprises two components. Component 1 is studied during the Lower Sixth and is completed in the Upper Sixth. Component 2 is taken in the Upper Sixth
Component 1: Personal Investigation
(60% of the Qualification)
Through a project developed to suit the students’ own interests and skills, they will generate and develop visual ideas, research primary and contextual sources, record practical and written observations, experiment with media and processes, and refine ideas towards producing personal resolved outcomes. The unit comprises supporting studies and practical work that will take the form of a portfolio of work, and a written personal Related Study.
Component 2: Externally Set Assignment
(40% of the Qualification)
Through responding to an externally set starting point students will generate preparatory work and develop ideas, research primary and contextual sources, record practical and written observations, experiment with media and processes, and, refine ideas. Students will produce final outcomes during a fifteen-hour period of sustained focus under exam conditions.
OCR Art & Design: Fine Art (H601)
A Level Fine Art is particularly relevant if students wish to pursue a career in any visual or media discipline. This course can lead directly on to an Art Foundation Course and University Degree Courses in Art and Design. Fine Art is often required for related university studies, for example Architecture, Restoration, and History of Art.
The Lindsay Arts Centre is a purpose-built space with extensive, dedicated studio spaces, and outstanding workshops. Pupils are able to try traditional manufacturing skills, such as woodwork and screen-printing, and use technology with Computer Aided Design, laser cutting and 3D printing.
Scholarships are awarded every year. Natural ability is obviously important but so equally is real enthusiasm.
Find out more about our Scholarship programme and how to apply >
Pupils have gone onto great success in the Arts after having their passion for creativity being ignited and nurtured here at Malvern. Occupying some of the most incredible positions in their chosen career; we have Old Malvernians working in industry as Creative Director for Meta, Head Designer for Nike, Project and Solutions Manager for Primark and a Designer for Dior Haute Couture.
Our recent Scholar, Mwangi, was recently awarded the prestigious ‘Best Artwork Project Award’ by the BSA Excellence Awards.
One of the key areas that enables our pupils to excel is the opportunities they can access beyond the lesson time. We remain committed to an open-door policy, to allow any individual to explore their passions and broaden their experiences. Co-curricular activities include Printmaking, Photography, Fashion Club, Jewellery Club, QinetiQ Engineering Scheme as well as dedicated times for scholars. Pupils studying any of the subject areas can access our facilities throughout the week until 6pm, Wednesday evenings and Sunday afternoons.
In the Foundation Year (Year 9), Art and Design is a compulsory component of their timetable and all pupils will gain experience of all aspects within the faculty, through short practical based projects. At the end of the year, they can choose from GCSEs in Fine Art, Graphic Products, Photography, Resistant Materials and Textiles Design.
In the Sixth Form, pupils may choose from A levels in Fine Art, Photography, Product Design, Three-Dimensional Design and Textiles. For those choosing the International Baccalaureate (IB) pathway, we offer Design Technology and Visual Arts at both Standard and Higher Level.
