The Art and Design Department at Sion is vibrant and diverse. Students are encouraged to explore ideas, experiment and take risks. Many transferable skills are built upon such as how to undertake research, team work and how to effectively develop and refine an idea. A diverse curriculum aims to appeal to all students’ talents and interests.
Students are introduced to a wide range of key techniques and skills in Years 7, 8 and 9. Projects incorporate drawing, painting, print making, sculpting, photography and mixed media. Students are introduced to a wide range of contemporary and traditional artists in order to inspire their own work.
In Year 7 students study the ‘Elements of Art’ project which builds the foundation of skills and understanding that they need to support them in going forward. The second project is ‘Cakes and Sweet Things’ where students study artists such as Wayne Thiebaud to inspire their own paintings, drawings and clay sculptures.
In Year 8 students begin with a Pop Art project which allows them to develop their drawing and painting skills further and finish by making a shoe sculpture. The second project in Year 8 is ‘All About Me’ which teaches key skills in how to create portraiture using different media.
In Year 9 students study short, 7 week projects throughout the year including: ‘Multiple View-Points’, ‘Landscapes and Mark Making’ and ‘Decorative Buildings’. These short projects allow students to embed skills and prepare them for GCSE Art.
Students work is regularly assessed throughout the projects.
At GCSE we offer a popular Art, Craft and Design GCSE course. Coursework forms 60% of the GCSE and the exam in Year 11 makes up the remaining 40%.
A wide range of skills and techniques are developed across the GCSE course where students work in a range of both 2D and 3D media. This scope of study helps prepare them for the exam set in Year 11 and A-Level Fine Art.
Natural Forms: Students respond to natural forms using a wide range of media and techniques from drawing with coffee and ink to layering collage and prints. These studies inform the designs and final construction of a final piece sculpted from chicken wire. Artist inspiration comes from various artists including: Peter Randall-Page and Antonio Gaudi.
Portraiture: Students are introduced to a wide range of artists and are able to work more independently as they follow their chosen preferred style. Students produce a final portraits in response to the research undertaken during the project. Trips to The National Portrait Gallery, The Saatchi and The National Gallery offer a great source of inspiration.
Students are assessed at regular intervals during each coursework project and again at the end. All GCSE work undertakes a thorough moderation process including other Art departments and AQA moderators.
The annual summer exhibition is a wonderful event held in the School’s Chapel to celebrate the work produced by GCSE and A-Level Art students. Teachers, parents, students, friends are invited to the event.
A popular Art club is open to all students each week for all Year 7, 8 and 9 students where we undertake a range of projects from making Abstract sculptures to painting murals in the corridors.
‘The Art House’ is a weekly club that allows all GCSE Art students to come into the artroom to work on their Art with their peers.
The Art Department regularly enters local and national competitions. Two of our current students recently won a national ISA competition to design a sports cover. Their artwork will be printed onto 1000’s of programmes for prestigious sporting events event. Another student won the BBFC Black Card Competition which was co judged by representatives from Disney. Her artwork was proudly shown on the big screen before each and every screening of the film ‘Maleficent: Mistress of Evil’. We also run cross-curricular workshops and competitions. Selected students have recently been invited along to after school workshops to support them in entering the Extraordinary Portrait Competition that asks students to produce a portrait of someone has survived genocide.
A co-educational, independent school with a strong ethos, successfully providing education to children and young people from ages 3 – 18
