Fearnhill School
Art & Design Faculty
Art
Year 7 Art – Building Confidence
Building knowledge of the formal elements and experimenting with diverse artistic media.
In Year 7, students start to build strong creative foundations through exploration and experimentation. They learn and practice essential skills such as shading, drawing, collage, printmaking, while developing an understanding of the Formal Elements Of Art — Line, colour, tone, texture, shape, form and composition.
Students are encouraged to take creative risks, record their ideas in a sketchbook, and discover how artists use these elements to create inspiring work. Throughout the year, they complete four exciting projects: The Formal Elements, Carolee Clark & Pete Cromer Inspired Artwork, Insects, and Under the Sea— combining knowledge and skill with imagination and creativity.
Year 8 Art – Developing Skills
Discovering the importance of Art Movements.
In Year 8, students build on the strong foundations of Year 7, taking their skills and creativity to the next level. They develop a deeper understanding of visual devices such as perspective, scale, proportion, depth, and image manipulation, while also beginning to think more critically about how artists use these tools.
A key focus is on exploring art movements in their historical context, helping students see how art reflects and influences society. They will dive into exciting styles such as Pop Art, Op Art, Cubism, Impressionism, Street Art and Graffiti, as well as exploring the powerful connections between art and music.
Throughout the year, students are encouraged to experiment with new media, bold styles, and fresh ideas, producing a wide range of outcomes that reflect different artistic approaches and viewpoints. By combining practical skills with research and reflection, they gain a richer, more confident understanding of art and its place in the world.
Year 9 Art – Shaping their own Artistic Journey
In Year 9, students take their artistic journey to a deeper level, building on the foundations developed in Years 7 and 8 while beginning to prepare for the step into GCSE Art. Throughout the year, students continue to strengthen their understanding of the formal elements and principles of design, while experimenting with a wider range of materials, techniques and artistic approaches.
The overarching theme for the year is Identity. Students explore the many different ways artists communicate identity, personality, emotions and experiences through their work. This allows students to investigate a broad range of ideas, including realistic portraiture, abstract and expressive portraiture, the human figure, figures within stories and narrative art, as well as more personal and imaginative approaches to representing themselves and others.
There is an increasing emphasis on independence, confidence and creative decision-making. Students learn how to investigate artists, develop ideas, experiment with materials and refine their work, beginning to understand the creative process they will use at GCSE.
By exploring Identity from a range of perspectives throughout the year, students are encouraged to discover their own interests and artistic strengths, helping them become more confident, thoughtful and independent young artists.
Year 10 & 11 Art – Getting Immersed
GCSE Art and Design is where creativity really takes off! Students are encouraged to take risks, push boundaries, and dive deeper into themes and ideas, working with greater complexity and confidence. They refine their skills while exploring drawing, painting, printing, and sculpture — experimenting with new media and techniques to create work that is more sophisticated and individual.
Alongside practical skills, students develop their ability to think like artists. They don’t just look at what artists create, but explore how and why they make their work — considering social context, comparing different approaches, and discovering how culture shapes creativity, whilst embracing their effective visual style.
At Fearnhill, our GCSE Art and Design course is designed to spark both imagination and expression, offering opportunities across a wide range of traditional and digital practices. Students also step beyond the classroom, visiting galleries and taking part in workshops to experience artwork first-hand, gaining inspiration and fresh perspectives for their own creative journeys.
YEAR 12 & 13 – Expressing Your Creative Voice
At A Level, students push their creativity further, working with greater independence, depth and confidence. The course encourages them to develop a personal artistic style, taking ideas from first spark through to final realisation.
Students experiment with a wide range of media – from painting, drawing and sculpture to photography, film, printmaking and installation – while exploring art and design across cultures and time. They also gain critical and contextual understanding, learning to discuss and analyse art with confidence.
A Level Fine Art is a chance to refine skills, expand imagination and grow as a practising artist. It offers both challenge and freedom, preparing students for creative opportunities wherever their future takes them.
EXAM BOARD LINKS
- GCSE Art and Design (Fine Art Endorsement) Exam Board: OCR
- A Level Art and Design (Fine Art Endorsement) Exam Board: AQA
CLUBS AND ACTIVITIES
- Student and teacher led lunch clubs – technique and the joy of making
- Gallery and museum visits
- Local artist workshops
- Exhibitions of work with opportunities for curation
- Alumni visits from ex Fearnhill art students who have built careers in the subject.
USEFUL WEBSITES
The National Gallery
The Tate
BBC Bitesize
www.theartstory.org
www.studentguide.com
www.art2day.co.uk
Design & Nutrition
YEAR 7
In Year 7 students will gain experience of investigating materials across food ingredients, fabrics and fibres, electronics and all form of resistant materials, ie card, boards, plastics, woods and metals. Students learn to draw accurately to communication design, focusing on measurement and creating unique nets of their own creation in the shape of an animal.
YEAR 8
In Year 8 students will build on their prior knowledge and undertake more challenging tasks across fundamental 3d design skills incorporating challenge and accuracy. Students take on the design and production of a 3 dimensional speaker.
In Food Studies, students will work in the kitchen to gain confidence in their core cooking and baking skills whilst gaining knowledge of balanced diets and health and safety issues.
YEAR 9
In Year 9 students will hone their modelling and design skills, ready for their 3d Design GCSE option. Focusing on a clear theme, students will investigate related artists and create a bespoke 3d piece, in line with their findings and interests. Exploration of materials and experimentation with equipment is the foundation of Year 9.
In Food Studies, students will continue to develop high level practical skills whilst looking in more detail at the hospitality industry as a whole. They will be encouraged to consider a client when creating dishes and discussing accommodation and catering outlets.
YEAR 10 & 11
Level 1/2 Award in Hospitality and Catering
The Eduqas Level 1/2 Award in Hospitality and Catering is a brilliant look into an industry that at some point will employ many young people. The course has two units. Unit 1 is Catering based looking at nutrition, cooking methods and practical skills and makes the basis of the controlled assessment element. Unit 2 looks at the structure, job roles and working responsibilities of people in the hospitality industry and is tested through the end of Year 11 summer exam.
What you will study?
· All elements of food hygiene and safety.
· The factors effecting food choice.
· Environmental issues surrounding the catering industry.
· Balancing food consumption and a healthy lifestyle for individual groups of people.
· Planning and preparing a two course meal in response to a given brief.
· The types of accommodation and facilities within hospitality providers.
· Rating systems and types of contracts.
· Job roles in both front and back of house hospitality teams.
Unit 1: Catering (controlled assessment)
In Unit 1 we look at how we respond to a brief and entwine excellent hygiene and practical skills into this. We learn how to construct and execute a two course menu from scratch in a given time slot and how to adapt recipes to make the outcomes more supportive of a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Topics such as environmental issues, client food choice and the effects of cooking on nutrients is all tested in this section.
Unit 2: Hospitality (external exam)
In Unit 2 we look more at the hospitality industry as a whole: job roles, types of establishments and working contracts. Within this we will explore what makes a 5* hotel superior to others, what responsibilities fall under what job description and how customers select different accommodations and locations to suit their exact needs. We will continue some practical elements looking more at suitability for different types of service styles and customer dynamic.
Child Development: (OCR, J818)
This specification helps students develop their knowledge and understanding of child development issues in a diverse society and enables them to work in a variety of contexts. The two tasks for the controlled assessment provide a choice of a wide variety of topics and account for 50% of the overall marks. There is also a written exam which makes up the other 50%.
Whilst this course is intended to introduce students to the overall needs and development of young children, it includes related aspects of home, food, family, health and other socially appropriate issues.
What will you study?
Students will study, research and evaluate topics such as family, birth and care of the baby, children’s developmental stages, plus types and benefits of play.
Whilst a large percentage of the syllabus requires factual knowledge, research and application, it is essential that all students following this course have regular contact with a child who is under five years of age in order to complete the child study task.
For the Child Study, students will be required to plan two activities to carry out with the child and observe that young child in the child’s home environment.
ASSESSMENT
More details can be found below.
EXAM BOARD LINKS
- www.edexcel.com
- www.aqa.org
- http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/vocational-education-and-skills/cambridge-nationals-child-development-level-1-2-j818/
- http://www.wjec.co.uk/qualifications/creative-and-media/creative-and-media-level-1-2-certificate/
USEFUL WEBSITES
