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# all about the formal elements
Burnham Grammar School Art Department aims to enable students to develop a capacity to learn about and observe the world in which they live. In addition to developing students’ capacity for original thought and experimentation by becoming visually literate. It also aims to have confidence and competence in reading and evaluating images and artifacts.
Intent (what we aim to do)
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To become proficient in drawing, painting and other Art Craft and Design techniques.
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To encourage students to produce creative work which explores, records and reflects on ideas and experiences in their own and others’ lives.
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To know about a range of artists, craft makers and designers and understand historical and cultural development of their art forms.
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It provides visual, tactile and sensory experiences and a special way of understanding and responding to the world. It enables children of all abilities to communicate what they see, feel and think through the use of colour, texture, form, pattern and different materials and processes.
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To achieve well and to prepare students for future study.
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To realise the relevance of Art Craft and Design in our modern culture whilst raising awareness of career choices and engendering a love of the subject.
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To evaluate and analyse their own and others creative works using the language of Art Craft and Design.
Implementation (how we achieve our aims)
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Rigorous & thorough exploration of artists, ideas and skills.
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An understanding of an artist’s purpose and how they use the formal elements of art to communicate their ideas to the viewer.
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Through research, students should develop their ideas independently.
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Understanding of the formal elements through experience with artistic conventions and experimentation.
Impact (what we have achieved so far)
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To develop students’ capacity to learn about and observe the world in which they live.
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To use feedback and self-assessment to provide information in relation to attainment on a national scale and as a means for students to reflect on their own progress.
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To link aspects of the formal elements to student outcomes; formal elements are the vein that runs through the scheme of work.
Wider curriculum
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Visits from artists and trips to galleries which support the delivery of the curriculum in art.
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Links to ‘Made in BGS’ evenings, which allow individuals and small groups to show off their best work.
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English poetry project.
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Science plant cell project.
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Religious Studies project.
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An art club providing opportunities to make collaborative large-scale outcomes.
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Photography club.
Please see the KS3/KS4 and KS5 Curriculum Maps for Art & Design below :
KS3 Art & Design Curriculum Map
KS4 Art & Design Curriculum Map
KS5 Art & Design Curriculum Map
Please see further information about KS3, GCSE & A Level Art & Design below :
KS3 Art & Design
In KS3 students have one art lesson a week. Students are introduced to the formal elements of art (tone, line, shape, colour, form, texture). Practical work is skills focused.
Year 7
For Year 7 the focus is colour theory, gradients and the application of tone. They are introduced to a range of creative practitioners and work with a range of media to embed a developing knowledge and skill level that can form the basis of future creativity. Year 7 complete three projects:
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Unit 1 – Colour (flat colour)
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Unit 2 - Plant Cells (gradients)
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Unit 3 - Botanicals (tone)
Year 8
Students continue to embed their understanding of the formal elements and the world of art through three projects:
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Unit 4 - Religious Identity
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Unit 5 - Street art and Packaging
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Unit 6 - War Poetry
KS4 (GCSE) Art & Design
We follow the Edexcel art & design syllabus. It awards 60% of the overall mark for coursework and the remaining 40% for the examination.
Year 9
Students complete one A2 boards worth of work each half-term under the theme of Organic Forms. This work may be submitted for their personal portfolio which constitutes 60% of their GCSE grade. Each board enables students to interact with a variety of subject matter and consider a breadth of ideas while forming a sustained and focussed opportunity to develop concepts.
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Term 1-Karl Blossfeldt
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Term 2 – Shells
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Term 3- Fruit (students choose between two artists)
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Term 4- Georgia O’Keeffe
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Term 5- Developing Ideas and Making Outcomes
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Term 6- Introduction to Decomposition
Year 10
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Term 1- Introduction to Decomposition
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Term 2-Artist One (students choose from three artists)
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Term 3-Artist Two (students choose from three artists)
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Term 4-Artist Three (students choose from 15 artists)
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Term 5-Planning for Outcomes
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Term 6-Making Outcomes
Students will continue with their personal portfolio, under the guidance of their art teacher. This constitutes 60% of their GCSE grade. Students should aim to interact with a variety of subject matter and consider a breadth of ideas; they are encouraged to experiment with media and develop their ideas with a growing level of independence in preparation for their Externally Set Assignment.
Year 11
Students complete their Personal Portfolio by the end of the Christmas term in year 11, in readiness for the release of the ESA exam title in January.
The ESA constitutes a theme set by the Examination Board; students will carry out preliminary studies which will conclude with a 10-hour practical examination. Students will work on their ESA from January until their examination in the summer term. This will gain 40% of the final mark.
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Term 1 - Making Outcomes
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Term 2 - Review, Refining and Editing Personal Portfolio
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Term 3 - Externally Set Assignment (two A2 boards)
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Term 4 - Externally Set Assignment (three A2 boards)
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Term 5 - Externally Set Assignment (10 hr Practical Examination)
KS5 (A Level) Art & Design
We follow the Edexcel fine art syllabus at A level. The course enables students to produce practical and contextual work in one or more areas including painting, drawing, mixed media, sculpture installation, printmaking, film, textiles and photography.
Students will have the opportunity to build upon any previous experiences and interests and are encouraged to be independent in their learning, choosing their own direction and focus. Work produced will demonstrate the use of formal elements and creative skills and give visual form to individual thought, feelings, observations and ideas while referencing relevant contextual information.
Year 12
Term 1-Students begin their A level by analysing and responding to a series of artists and designers. Allowing them to think critically about the work of others not only fuels their own ideas but empowers students to reflect on how well they are communicating with others through their use of visual language.
Term 2 to 6- In conversation with a subject specialist students choose a theme to base their coursework on. The coursework will form 60% of their final grade and is mostly practical work with the addition of an essay (contributing approximately 12% of their final grade.)
Every three weeks students are set a brief to complete one A1 board’s worth of work under their chosen theme. In YR12 they are set 8 briefs:
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Brief 1 -Introduction of a theme and Idea
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Brief 2 -Primary Imagery
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Brief 3 -How to analyse your own work and artists work
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Brief 4 -Contextual Study
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Brief 5 -Experimenting with materials
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Brief 6 -Developing and idea
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Brief 7 -Contextual Study
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Brief 8 -Developing an idea
Time is also provided for students to act on teacher feedback.
Year 13
Students continue with the series of briefs set for completing their personal portfolio:
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Brief 9 - planning a final outcome
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Brief 10 - making a final piece
Students complete their Personal Portfolio by the end of January in year 13, in readiness for the release of the ESA exam title in February. Students also finish writing an essay on their chosen direction/topic in year 13 (approximately 3000 words in length.)
The ESA starts with a theme set by the Examination Board and, in negotiation with the teacher, students will choose a direction under the theme. They will carry out preliminary studies presented in a digital portfolio and will conclude with a 15-hour practical examination. Students will work on their ESA from February until their examination in the summer term. This represents 40% of the final mark.