Art & Design

The Art & Design curriculum at Harris City Academy Crystal Palace is stimulating and vibrant, embracing both two and three dimensional work. We aim to encourage creativity and imagination. The creative process is a balance of thinking and acting creatively. It involves taking risks in order to progress and produce original outcomes.

The Art & Design Department celebrates the individuality of each student whilst taking their studies further into GCSE and A Level. Our curriculum has been designed to cater to all abilities and aptitudes for this subject and also to guide our students to out-perform their initial capacity.

A range of techniques, processes and methods, using traditional media and digital languages, will prepare our students to demonstrate creativity and confidently develop skill sets to create a body of work drawn from their experiences and surroundings.

Within the department we embed a basic skill set of formal elements: line, tone, shape and form, colour, texture and pattern. Students immerse themselves in the fundamental practical skills required to construct and deconstruct concepts and forms from KS3 to KS5. This is achieved through the understanding of the formal elements and applying them into a series of visual works.

Observational study is a core component of the basic skills and drawing from real things is a key starting point in many of the projects. Projects can vary from year to year but are linked to the basic skills.

We are committed to developing students’ knowledge of Art history including contemporary concepts and advances in art.

We nurture creativity by helping students to establish original purpose and intention in their work - stimulating and rewarding curiosity and exploration by encouraging confidence and the willingness to take risks, building on intrinsic motivation and facilitating opportunities for choice and discovery.

We ensure students discover social and cultural diversity through the study of the issues that shape our own lives, our communities, beliefs and the wider forces of globalisation.

We create opportunities for all students to access an inclusive and personally differentiated curriculum appropriate to their individual aspirations. We develop the individual through independent and collaborative work often seen in the Art & Design industry.

We ensure students recognise the importance of sustainability within the Art & Design world. Homework is an important part of the curriculum and the use of a sketchbook encourages independence, imagination and good practice.

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Full details of the Art & Design curriculum intent, along with the long term curriculum plans are available to download from the bottom of the page.