Art, Design & Technology

Our Aim 

 We believe our Art, Design & Technology and Cooking Curriculum should build confident & capable makers, pupils that enjoy exploring the world around them, their own culture and the cultures of others.  Creative subjects are uniquely placed to bring joy and enrichment to pupil’s lives, breaking down cultural barriers and creating adults who have habits and hobbies that will help them weather the ups and downs of modern life.

It is our intent that our pupils will be able to;

• Talk with confidence about art, and passionately about what they like, exploring their own artistic styles.
• Experience different cultures, helping them understand their place in their world, developing their cultural capital.
• Become excellent problem solvers, being valued for their practical skills.
• Be enthusiastic cooks that understand how cooking skills can improve our lives in many ways.
• Be confident performers that are able to explore relationships through role play and literature.

At Downland, our pupils often come to us without a range of creative abilities and experiences, we are constantly considering how we meet the individual needs and bridge any gaps in previous education.  We encourage fun and experimentation, regularly updating our projects and adapting them for all learners.  As teachers, we turn our own creativity to how we can adopt the latest SEND strategies so that all students can achieve.  In particular, practices like visual prompts, chunking, routines and adapted tools/materials are used to create a feeling of equity for students.

In Art, Design and Technology we work hard to support all areas of the pupils learning, providing opportunities for reading, practicing their literacy targets and reinforcing numeracy.  Our approach allows us make strong cross-curricular links and explore the current events that impact our pupil’s lives.  As a Thrive school we understand that emotional development happens all day, every day and creativity is a vital tool to help our pupils communicate social, emotional or mental health issues through creativity and play.

Key Stage 3

Pupils study Art, Design & Technology and Cooking in years 7-9, working through thematic projects that follow the national curriculum, ensuring a balanced experience that builds on skills previously learnt and mindful to cover the required skills and knowledge to be successful at Key Stage 4 in our subject area.

Cooking

Our curriculum is born out of desire to educate our pupils to be inventive and competent cooks who have the skills and knowledge to plan, budget and cook nutritious family meals.  Lessons are a mixture of theory and practical activities, exploring healthy lifestyles, seasonality, food commodities, nutrients, agriculture and recipes from different cultures.  All practical ingredients are provided and recipes are chosen to provide the pupils with a variety of cooking skills, focusing primarily on savory meals and healthy snacks.

Design and Technology

Design and Technology is made up of Textiles, Resistant Materials and Electronics, pupils learn to design and make in a variety of materials including textiles, wood, acrylic, cardboard and metal.  Units are designed around a ‘real-life’ brief where pupils research the problem, generate ideas, produce design drawings and create prototypes.  While health and safety is paramount in Resistant Materials, we are also ambitious for our pupils giving them opportunities to work on industry standard machinery so they are well prepared for a range of KS4 qualifications.

Art & Design

In Art and Design pupils experience a wide range of materials and techniques allowing them to become skillful artists that are prepared for GCSE Art and Design.  Topics are designed to be engaging and diverse, exploring current issues and art from a range of cultures.  In art we are proud of our ability to increase the cultural capital of our students.

Performing Arts

Performing arts at Downland School helps pupils to develop communication skills, teamwork, dialogue, collaboration and socialisation. It helps stimulate the imagination of our pupils, developing empathy with situations that might seem distant. It allows the development of critical thinking through the decisions we make in-group work, and creativity in trying to create meaning for an audience. Through our lessons, we experiment with new ways of communicating and understanding different emotions.

Within performing arts lessons, pupils are encouraged to develop knowledge of the three disciplines (acting, singing, dancing) through practical and theoretical exploration, to understand the impact all three have on the world around them. Our curriculum is designed to support pupils' creativity, development of performance skills, confidence and emotional understanding.

Key Stage 4

 Edexcel Home Cooking Skills (BTEC L2)

Home cooking skills is a My-Skills BTEC qualification, original designed by Jamie Oliver to improve the cooking skills of all children not only those wanting to work in the food industry.  It works through a range of meals before the pupils decide, plan, budget and cook a 2 course meal showing a range of cooking skills.  Assessment of this qualification is based on assessment points throughout the year and has no formal examination.

More information can be found on the following website About Home Cooking Skills | Pearson qualifications.

AQA Art and Design: Art, Craft and Design/Photography/3d Design

Depending on the talents and interests of our cohort we offer a range of AQA Art and Design GCSE’s, including Art, Craft and Design, Photography and 3d Design.   In Year 10 our students explore materials and techniques in the form of thematic projects.  These allow them to develop research skills, refine and improve their techniques, discover their preferences, reflect on their progress and produce final pieces that are personal responses to what they have learnt and practiced.

In Yr 11 they complete a piece of coursework on a theme of their choice and a further assessment that ends in a practical examination.

More information can be found on the following website AQA | Art and Design | GCSE | Art and Design

Level 1 Introductory Award in Performing Arts (BTEC)

The Introductory award in Performing Arts gives our pupils the opportunity to discover what aspects of the Performing Arts Industry they might be interested in studying at college or in careers. The Level 1 programe offers pupils the chance to develop the skills introduced in KS3 as well as explore different parts of the performing arts industry such as acting, stage management, costume and make up

More information can be found on the following website : https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/btec-entry-level-level-1-and-level-1-introductory/performing-arts-l1-introductory.html