At the end of year 9 Students opt to study Art and Design at GCSE level. It is preferable for students to have studied art in year 9 but is not a requirement of the course. The GCSE is a two-year course and the syllabus prepares students for the AQA Art and Design GCSE and for further study at A level and beyond. Students are timetabled for 5 hours of Art and Design a fortnight and their work is judged against four assessment objectives:  

• AO1 - Develop ideas through investigations, demonstrating critical understanding of sources. 
• AO2 - Refine work by exploring ideas, selecting and experimenting with appropriate media, materials, techniques and processes.  
• AO3 - Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions as work progresses. 
• AO4 - Present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and demonstrates understanding of visual language. 

Students will work on two internally set practical projects. One in Fine Art, the other in Ceramics. Studying two distinct areas within Art and Design is a strength of the school. Within these projects, students are specifically taught a range of key skills and techniques that look to expand and sharpen the subject knowledge gained at KS3. Students are expected to consolidate this knowledge at home with 2-3 hours of independent study a week. 

Both projects require students to make use of both primary and secondary research, to investigate and evaluate the work of other artists and craftsmen through the study of artists’ specialist techniques and processes.  

The course culminates in an externally set project (exam unit) and exhibition of all coursework. This is marked internally and moderated by an external moderator. Coursework constitutes 60% of the final grade. Practical Exam constitutes 40% of the final grade.