Creative Arts

Creative Arts

Creative Arts Teachers

Mr Walker Head of Faculty Creative Arts/Head of Department Drama
Miss Argent Head of Department Art
Mrs Banks Head of Department Music
Mrs Gill Teacher of Drama/Head of Year
Miss Cowley Teacher of Music/Head of Year

Subject: Art

Head of Subject: Miss Argent

Art and design vision statement

As a department, the art team’s vision is to want to excite students to think, create, use their imagination and develop their individual skills. We want to inspire students to be creative and have confidence in their own ideas and artistic progress. We want students to believe in the imagination and where it can take us and that everyone has the potential to be creative. We expect students to participate to the best of their ability, but we understand that developing skills takes time and practice and that taking risks is challenging but we want students to be confident to take risks and experiment. The Art department strives to challenge all students individually and allow them to access a wider breadth of art history, cultures and genres than they would usually experience.

Statement of Intent

At Kirkby High school, we recognise the vital and integral role of art and design within the school curriculum. We provoke curiosity, creativity and self - expression to develop alongside resilience, confidence and critical thinking skills.

Students are taught to develop an understanding of the main art theories and learn how to make connections between art movements and historical, cultural events as well as exploring contemporary art. In addition, students develop skills in analysing and expressing opinions using artistic terminology and vocabulary.

Moreover, our curriculum enables students of all abilities to develop a natural sense of wonder and curiosity about the world around them. Our focus is in developing an ambitious curiosity in art, drawing, painting, digital art, and craft, that will inspire their visual awareness and thinking in future life.

We believe everyone has the potential to be creative and gain a love of learning through art and design. All students can succeed, and learning is ongoing with the foundations of this curiosity being nurtured at a young age.

KS3

Key stage 3 students receive a one hour art lesson per week and are taught in mixed ability classes. Assessment and feedback take part every half term highlighting students skills and areas for development.
Art homework is completed in a school sketchbook. There are two homework’s per half term with the option to work on one of them as an in-depth piece of work.

KS4

At Key Stage 4 Art is taught as a GCSE option. Students that opt to take Art in Key Stage 4 have 3 hours per week. Students are set in mixed ability classes.

Students follow the AQA art and design course 8201. For this qualification students will be awarded a grade 1-9 following their GCSE examination in the summer of Year 11. Assessments to track progress are set regularly throughout each half term. With feedback being related to GCSE criteria to highlight areas of strength and development throughout the course. Students are expected to spend at least one hour per week in their own time continuing with their assignments.

Throughout their time at Kirkby, students are taught the following key skills:

Develop ideas through investigations, demonstrating critical understanding of sources

Refine work by exploring ideas, selecting and experimenting with appropriate media, materials, techniques and processes

Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions as work progresses

Present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and demonstrates understanding of visual language.

Overview of the Art Curriculum

The topics students cover throughout Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 are outlined in the link below:

Art Curriculum Overview

Links to GCSE Exam Board Specifications

The specification code for GCSE Art is– 8202

GCSE Art Specification (2018 entries)

GCSE Art Specification (2017 entries)

Additional Information

Students are able to work in the art room in their own time. Equipment is available for students to complete work at home.

Subject: Drama

Head of Subject: Mr Walker

Vision of Subject

To create a safe and happy learning environment for students to develop confidence and skills – while providing top class extra-curricular opportunities.

Statement of Intent

The drama curriculum at Kirkby High School is designed to give students access to a broad range of theatrical experience.

Teaching, learning and assessment focusses on the creation of drama (MAKING), the practical sharing of devised and scripted work (PERFORMANCE), and the analysis and understanding of performed work (EVALUATING).

The drama curriculum at KHS focusses not only on theatrical skills and knowledge but has a strong spine running through both key stages which encourages students to develop as people. We explore life skills such as teamwork, creativity, resilience, independence, communication and learning to actively manage and drive independent learning and development. Students are encouraged to challenge and improve their oracy skills through discussion and performance, and leaders are encouraged and developed through subject ambassadors.

Students explore issues relevant to young people and society today, from bullying and gang culture to LGBT, protest and the Holocaust. Students learn to create theatre which can entertain, educate and challenge an audience.

When you visit any of the drama classrooms, you will see a vibrant learning environment, where students are challenged to create and work together with increasing levels of confidence. Schemes of work are carefully sequenced, looking at skills and assessments required for GCSE and then mapping this backwards to ensure enough time is given for these to embed and develop.

Students leave Kirkby High School with a strong grounding in theatre education. They are used to experiencing challenge and can operate confidently outside of their comfort zone.

KS3

Mixed ability classes receive 1 hour per week at KS3. Homework is issued twice per half term.

KS4

AQA 8261 GCSE drama

Mixed ability classes receive 3 hours of lessons per week. Homework is set 4 times per half term and may include extra-curricular rehearsal.

Key Skills and Knowledge

Making

Performing

Evaluating

The topics students cover throughout Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 are outlined in the link below:

Curriculum Overview Drama

Links to GCSE Exam Board Specifications

The specification code for GCSE Drama Year 10 is 8261

Link to Spec  – http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/drama/gcse/drama-8261

Additional Information

Interventions – Daily rehearsals lunch and after school.

Revision sessions – Targeted at key point in the year.

Trips – Theatre trips and visits.

Clubs – Annual School Production – Ks3 Drama Club – Musical Theatre Tuesdays.

Subject: Music

Head of Subject: Mrs Banks

Vision of Subject

As a department, the Music team’s vision is to provide every child with the skills to understand on some level how the music that they listen to has been created and be able to appreciate this even more.  During their time at school, students should develop skills in performing, composing and appraising music, and be able to justify their opinions with a thoughtful reason.  We aim to show our passion for Music, supporting students to embrace their individuality and build in confidence.  The Music department strives to challenge all students individually and allow them to access a wider breadth of music than they would usually experience.

Statement of Intent

In the Music department, we aim for our ambitious curriculum to give students access to a wide range of genres of music, both from a variety of times and locations.  We strive for our students to have an understanding of the contextual background behind musical genres, as well as being able to identify key features of these. This will contribute to the cultural capital they need to succeed in life.  Students are encouraged to develop life skills such as leadership and resilience.

Our curriculum is carefully built upon the three main areas of music - performing, composing and appraising.  Each year group will extensively cover these areas through different styles of music.  Schemes of work are carefully sequenced, looking at skills and assessments required for GCSE and then mapping this backwards to ensure enough time is given for these to embed and develop. Students will be encouraged to strive for the highest grade possible for them to achieve.

We aim to give students basic performance skills on a range of instruments and offer opportunities to expand upon these in peripatetic lessons for those that wish to do so.  Students not only develop their literacy skills and vocabulary, but also develop in confidence whilst reading music and rhythmic notation. Adaptations are made to meet the needs of all learners, regardless of SEND, gender or identity.

KS3

In Year 7, 8 and 9 students are taught Music for one hour per week in mixed ability classes.  Two assessments, one written and one practical, are completed every half term to track and monitor the progress of students in each topic. Feedback is provided to students in terms of the skills they are working towards or have mastered. Targets for further improvement are then shared with students, and they will strive to improve upon this.

Students in KS3 are given two homework tasks per half term.  One of these will be spellings on key words related to the topic, and one will be a written task, linked to what has been studied in lessons.

KS4

At Key Stage 4, Music is a subject that is taught as a GCSE option for 3 hours a week. They follow the AQA Specification (8271). They will be awarded a grade 1-9 following their GCSE examinations in the summer of Year 11. Assessments to track progress are set regularly throughout each half term. Feedback has the GCSE criteria as focus for discussion, to highlight areas of strength and development throughout the course.  GCSE classes are taught in mixed ability groups, regardless of how many classes there are in a year group.  In KS4, students are set homework every week, whether this be to rehearse for their instrumental lessons, complete a written task, etc.  Students use Focus on Sound as a revision tool and are regularly set tests on this.
Throughout their time at Kirkby, students are taught the following key skills:
Perform with technical control, expression and interpretation
Compose and develop musical ideas with technical control and coherence
Demonstrate and apply musical knowledge
Use appraising skills to make evaluative and critical judgments about music

Overview of the Music Curriculum

The topics students cover throughout Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 are outlined in the link below:

Music Curriculum Overview 

Additional Information

Interventions
GCSE Music Interventions work on an ‘open-door’ policy – pupils can come at any time after school most days to catch up on coursework, have 1-1 tuition on a topic or to record their performances.  This should be arranged with the class teacher beforehand.
Revision sessions
GCSE Music revision session occur during the Easter holidays and every night after school (after Coursework submissions), leading up to Unit 1 written exam.  Students will also have a weekly Friday revision session after-school and lunch time session, decided upon with their class teacher.

Homework support

Homework support is available for all pupils every lunch time or after school. Pupils will need a pass to see the teachers for help.

Links to GCSE Exam Board Specifications

The specification code for GCSE Music is 8271

 

Performance (One solo – 15%, one ensemble – 15%)

Composition (One free – 15%, one to a brief – 15%)
Exam (90 minutes – 40%)

 

Vocabulary List