Art

When studying art at Boulton, we hope to inspire pupils to pursue a life enriched by art making, at the same time as giving them the knowledge and skills to successfully continue the study of art at KS4 and beyond. Our curriculum meets the needs and breadth of all our learners who will come from a variety of cultures and backgrounds with different levels of  

experience and interests. Our curriculum builds on the National Curriculum for Art and Design, specifically aims to equip pupils with the knowledge and skills that will enable them to: 

• Discover and develop their drawing and painting skills to a level of mastery 

• Use improvisation to unlock creative potential, identity/individuality 

• Gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the art they engage with through systematic analysis and reflection 

Our high -quality Art and design education at Ark Boulton engages and inspires pupils to develop a love of art. We nurture and increase their self-confidence, creativity, and sense of achievement. As pupils progress, they will develop a critical engagement with art, allowing them to draw, design, paint and use a number of other materials with a critical eye. To be successful we teach students how to become critical analysts, self-reviewing their own and others work.  

Apart from disciplinary skills, our curriculum aims for students to know the purpose of studying art education (e.g., building confidence, expressing emotion, creativity, independence, discipline, respect for others, and self-esteem through personal accomplishment) and the purpose of the arts within the wider world (e.g., cultural awareness, film & TV, therapy, galleries).  

By the time students leave Ark Boulton, students will have developed an understanding and involvement in art happening around them in both their local community and the wider world. Students will have been given opportunities both in and outside of the classroom to experience working alongside professional artists working in collaboration with real life artists and within their own community. For example, we run an annual artist in residence who works with students to create a mural for the school site during the summer. We have also worked with art projects during the Common Wealth Games and run art workshops with International artists such as Ian Murphy and local Birmingham based artists such as Lucy McLauchlan. Students also have opportunities to create props and set designs for our annual production and get involved in our annual summer Arts Festival where we raise money for local charities by auctioning our students art work.

In KS3 Year 7 students look at the academy narrative of ‘My Identity and my place in the Ark Boulton family’, where the following themes are explored - Music: Using your body as an instrument, working within a band. Drama: Vocal and physical skills. Art: Identity through drawings. 

Year 8 students begin to explore ‘My place my local and virtual community’. In music: Students explore music from Europe, America and Africa. In drama: Students look at topics such as 'gangs' and 'The Curious Incident'. In Art students begin to explore surrealism and local artists. 

Year 9 students  explore the narrative of ‘Awe and Wonder: my place in our global community’. Musical themes explored include: Global community via a virtual interface and protest songs from around the world. Drama themes explored include practitioners from around the world, including plays such as 'Cookies'. Art begins to explore a range of artists from around the world. 

In KS4 art, students study the OCR Fine art specification. 

All Year 7 subjects Next Year 7 Subject - Citizenship

All Year 8 subjects Next Year 8 Subject - Citizenship

All Year 9 subjects Next Year 9 Subject - Citizenship

All Year 10 subjects Next Year 10 Subject - Citizenship

All Year 11 subjects Next Year 11 Subject - Citizenship