Course Content
This course allows students to investigate artists, techniques and creative processes across a broad range of art, craft and design based disciplines. Students are encouraged to trial both new and traditional media and experiment across different art specialisms before developing personalised outcomes.
Sketchbooks are used to capture and document this work, unique for each student.
Art, Craft and Design is inclusive of all art specialisms and allows students to explore fine art, graphic communication, textile design, 3D design, and photography.
Students will develop transferable and employable skills such as; critical thinking, problem solving and research based practice.
Year 12
Y12 Assessment
In Year 12 students will have starting points through a series of mini projects starting with skills based workshops before moving onto completing independent research on a chosen theme . These workshops will cover a variety of techniques such as print making, drawing and multimedia work. Students are expected to create resolved outcomes informed by their research and practical work.
Students will work in sketchbooks and participate in group critiques as well as 1:1 discussions. The ag6 art room is open to students throughout the day to support independent work. Students have the opportunity to work with practising artists and to go on trips and gallery visits many of which are cross-curricular in nature. Students also have access to engage in extracurricular events and opportunities as part of their wider ag6 experience.
Half Term 1 (Sept-Nov)
Half Term 2 (Nov – Dec)
Half Term 3 (Jan – Feb)
Half Term 4 (Feb – March)
Half Term 5 (April – May)
Half Term 6 (May – July)
Half Term 1 (Sept-Nov)
Focus and Topic
- Pencil, coloured pencil, ink, fluid ink, charcoal and pastel
- Techniques
- Artists:
- Da Vinci
- Rosemary Wise
- John Constable
- Dennis Bowden
Core Knowledge
- Tonal values and shading techniques
- Line quality, proportion, and perspective principles
- Graphite grades and their effects
- Colour theory (e.g. harmony, contrast, saturation)
- Layering and blending approaches Surface pressure and burnishing methods
- Mark-making vocabularies (e.g. stippling, hatching)
- Control vs. spontaneity in visual composition
- Use of negative space and contrast
- Wash techniques and dilution Managing absorption and flow Visual rhythm through gesture and movement
- Tonal control and dramatic contrast
- Blending and erasing as compositional tools
- Paper texture interaction and fixatives
- Colour layering and tonal transitions
- Surface texture awareness Composition through edge control and mark-making
Core Skills
- Control and Precision
- Accurate rendering across media—whether dry or fluid.
- Colour & Tone Handling
- Effective blending and layering of tone and hue.
- Understanding chromatic relationships and contrast.
- Expressive Mark-Making
- Mastery of line, proportion, and form.
- Varied gestures and textures through controlled and spontaneous application.
- Developing a personal visual language through media-specific marks.
- Surface & Material Awareness
- Interaction with the tooth, texture, and absorbency of paper or substrate.
- Manipulating surface qualities to enhance expression and clarity.
- Composition & Spatial Planning
- Balancing positive and negative space.
- Creating depth and focus through layout and contrast.
- Technique Adaptation & Integration
- Transferring and combining approaches across materials.
- Using fixatives, erasers, overlays, and mixed methods to refine outcomes.
Assessment
- Produce a final response or a series of related final responses, informed by preparatory work.
- This should be presented separate from sketchbooks.
Half Term 2 (Nov – Dec)
Focus and Topic
- Printing techniques
- Artist – Alan Birch
Core Knowledge
- Demonstrate different mark making techniques
- print using positive print
- print using negative print
- print using collage
- Print incorporating other media
- Print producing a range of different effects Print using different coloured inks and prepared backgrounds
- use different materials to print on and print with.
- work over prints to create different textures and effects.
- Combine these with skills form half term 1
Core Skills
- You produce a series of prints using any of the practiced techniques
- You experiment with all the techniques, producing at least one print for each
- technique.
- You use different colours.
- You use different materials to print on and print with.
- You work over selected prints to create different textures and effects.
Assessment
- Produce a final response or a series of related final responses, informed by preparatory work.
- This should be presented separate from sketchbooks.
Half Term 3 (Jan – Feb)
Focus and Topic
- Image transfer techniques
- Artist – Robert Rauschenberg
Core Knowledge
- Demonstrate different image transfer techniques
- Sellotape
- Masking tape
- Kitchen paint
- Acrylic paint
- Baking sheet
- Acetone
- Combine these with skills form half terms 1 & 2
Core Skills
- Create an image transfer working from one of your primary sources
- Experiment, transferring images on to different materials, using layers
- Add collage to your response to create different effects.
Assessment
- Produce a final response or a series of related final responses, informed by preparatory work.
- This should be presented separate from sketchbooks.
Half Term 4 (Feb – March)
Focus and Topic
- Sculpture – specifically using cardboard and recycled materials
- Understand the ways a sculpture interacts with its surroundings
- Artist –
- James Grashow
- The Cardboard Bernini
Core Knowledge
- Demonstrate different sculpting techniques:
- create through a range of materials
- exploration of form, texture, and volume.
- show how your work is inspired by personal experiences, emotions, or social commentary.
- Combine these with skills form half terms 1, 2 & 3
Core Skills
- You produce a sculpture (series of sculptures) using any of the practiced techniques
- You experiment with all the techniques, producing at least one maquette for each
- technique.
- You use different materials.
- You work over selected sculptures/faces to create different textures and effects
Assessment
- Produce a final response or a series of related final responses, informed by preparatory work.
- This should be presented separate from sketchbooks.
Half Term 5 (April – May)
Focus and Topic
- Painting – Develop an understanding of the different types of paint and how to work with each
- Artist – John Piper
Core Knowledge
- Demonstrate different painting techniques:
- Create through a range of media and processes
- Line quality, proportion, and perspective principle.
- Control vs. spontaneity in visual composition
- Use of negative space and contrast
- Wash techniques and dilution Managing absorption and flow Visual rhythm through gesture and movement
- Combine these with skills form half terms 1, 2, 3 & 4
Core Skills
- Control and Precision
- Accurate rendering across media—whether acrylic, gouache or watercolour
- Colour & Tone Handling
- Effective blending and layering of tone and hue.
- Understanding chromatic relationships and contrast.
- Expressive Mark-Making
- Mastery of line, proportion, and form.
- Varied gestures and textures through controlled and spontaneous application.
- Developing a personal visual language through media-specific marks.
- Surface & Material Awareness
- Interaction with the tooth, texture, and absorbency of paper or substrate.
- Manipulating surface qualities to enhance expression and clarity.
- Composition & Spatial Planning
- Balancing positive and negative space.
- Creating depth and focus through layout and contrast.
- Technique Adaptation & Integration
- Transferring and combining approaches across materials.
- Using mixed methods to refine outcomes
Assessment
- Produce a final response or a series of related final responses, informed by preparatory work.
- This should be presented separate from sketchbooks.
Half Term 6 (May – July)
Focus and Topic
- Preparation for Component 1 – personal investigation
Core Knowledge
- Use previous work or previous externally set assignments as a starting point
Core Skills
- Developing work based on your response to a personal issue, interest or concern and/or
- Developing ideas explored in previous study.
- You work with increasing independence as you work on an extended project supported by written material.
- You generate a theme independently Externally set assignments..
- Independently research potential critical sources
- A range of skills should be demonstrated from, but not limited to, those listed in ½ terms 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5
Assessment
- Produce preparatory work in sketchbooks.
Year 13
Y13 Assessment
Component 1: Personal Investigation (60% of final mark)
Students choose an area to explore based around a central theme of their choosing. This involves research into practitioners they find inspiring, and experimentation leading to the refining of work through numerous developmental pieces. This will be resolved through a series of final outcomes, supported by a coherent and logically structured extended response of between 1000 and 3000 words of continuous prose.
Students respond to a stimulus, provided by AQA, and produce work which provides evidence of their ability to work independently within specified time constraints, developing a personal and meaningful response which addresses all the assessment objectives and leads to a finished outcome or a series of related finished outcomes.
Component 2: Externally set task (40% of final mark)
| Component | Assessment | Duration | Weighting |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1: Personal Investigation | Practical and supporting written material | No time limit, but usually completed by Feb of Y13 | 60% |
| 2: Externally set assignment | Practical | Preparatory period + 15 hours supervised time | 40% |
Half Term 1 (Sept-Nov)
Half Term 2 (Nov – Dec)
Half Term 3 (Jan – Feb)
Half Term 4 (Feb – March)
Half Term 5 (April – May)
Half Term 6 (May – July)
Half Term 1 (Sept-Nov)
Focus and Topic
- Component 1 – personal investigation
Core Knowledge
- Developing work based on your response to a personal issue, interest or concern and/or
- Developing ideas explored in previous study.
- You work with increasing independence as you work on an extended project supported by written material.
- You generate a theme independently Externally set assignments..
- Independently research potential critical sources
- Produce written material of between 1000-3000 words. The written material must support the practical studies
- Utilise a number of Art, craft and design techniques relevant to your intentions
- A range of skills should be demonstrated from, but not limited to, those listed in ½ terms 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5
Core Skills
- Include relevant contextual sources that are clearly utilised and responded to within your practical work
- Include annotation or visual evidence of review and refinement as the project progresses. This could include storyboards, models, colour studies, observational sketches etc
- Include and respond to relevant primary/secondary sources or other stimuli such as poetry, music, architecture etc
- Explore ideas, concepts and processes to refine and develop their ideas. Activities could include working with different combinations of materials, experimenting with the application of techniques, exploring alternative compositions or applying different colour schemes
- Ensure your work is well organised, clear and easy to follow
- Include clear evidence of intentions to the final outcome which is informed by an aspect of contemporary or past practice of artists.
- You need to evidence your engagement with a purposeful and meaningful project and this needs to be reflected in how you select and present your work. This could be done in sketchbooks, boards, digitally or using a combination of approaches; whichever best suits your intentions.
- Presentation is important; present work in a variety of formats to provide more opportunities; for example producing work on a larger scale than would be possible if solely working in a sketchbook.
- At the end of Component 1 you must resolve your journey with the production of a final outcome or series of outcomes. You must also ensure that you have produced the supporting written element of 1000-3000 words and include a bibliography or list of sources used.
Assessment
- Produce a final response or a series of related final responses, informed by preparatory work.
- This should be presented separate from sketchbooks.
Half Term 2 (Nov – Dec)
Focus and Topic
- Component 1 – personal investigation
Core Knowledge
- Developing work based on your response to a personal issue, interest or concern and/or
- Developing ideas explored in previous study.
- You work with increasing independence as you work on an extended project supported by written material.
- You generate a theme independently Externally set assignments..
- Independently research potential critical sources
- Produce written material of between 1000-3000 words. The written material must support the practical studies
- Utilise a number of Art, craft and design techniques relevant to your intentions
- A range of skills should be demonstrated from, but not limited to, those listed in ½ terms 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5
Core Skills
- Include relevant contextual sources that are clearly utilised and responded to within your practical work
- Include annotation or visual evidence of review and refinement as the project progresses. This could include storyboards, models, colour studies, observational sketches etc
- Include and respond to relevant primary/secondary sources or other stimuli such as poetry, music, architecture etc
- Explore ideas, concepts and processes to refine and develop their ideas. Activities could include working with different combinations of materials, experimenting with the application of techniques, exploring alternative compositions or applying different colour schemes
- Ensure your work is well organised, clear and easy to follow
- Include clear evidence of intentions to the final outcome which is informed by an aspect of contemporary or past practice of artists.
- You need to evidence your engagement with a purposeful and meaningful project and this needs to be reflected in how you select and present your work. This could be done in sketchbooks, boards, digitally or using a combination of approaches; whichever best suits your intentions.
- Presentation is important; present work in a variety of formats to provide more opportunities; for example producing work on a larger scale than would be possible if solely working in a sketchbook.
- At the end of Component 1 you must resolve your journey with the production of a final outcome or series of outcomes. You must also ensure that you have produced the supporting written element of 1000-3000 words and include a bibliography or list of sources used.
Assessment
- Produce a final response or a series of related final responses, informed by preparatory work.
- This should be presented separate from sketchbooks.
Half Term 3 (Jan – Feb)
Focus and Topic
- Component 2 – externally set assignment
Core Knowledge
- Developing work based on your response to a personal issue, interest or concern and/or
- Developing ideas explored in previous study.
- You work with increasing independence as you work on an extended project supported by written material.
- You generate a theme independently Externally set assignments..
- Independently research potential critical sources
- Produce written material of between 1000-3000 words. The written material must support the practical studies
- Utilise a number of Art, craft and design techniques relevant to your intentions
- A range of skills should be demonstrated from, but not limited to, those listed in ½ terms 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5
Core Skills
- Include relevant contextual sources that are clearly utilised and responded to within your practical work
- Include annotation or visual evidence of review and refinement as the project progresses. This could include storyboards, models, colour studies, observational sketches etc
- Include and respond to relevant primary/secondary sources or other stimuli such as poetry, music, architecture etc
- Explore ideas, concepts and processes to refine and develop their ideas. Activities could include working with different combinations of materials, experimenting with the application of techniques, exploring alternative compositions or applying different colour schemes
- Ensure your work is well organised, clear and easy to follow
- Include clear evidence of intentions to the final outcome which is informed by an aspect of contemporary or past practice of artists.
- You need to evidence your engagement with a purposeful and meaningful project and this needs to be reflected in how you select and present your work. This could be done in sketchbooks, boards, digitally or using a combination of approaches; whichever best suits your intentions.
- Presentation is important; present work in a variety of formats to provide more opportunities; for example producing work on a larger scale than would be possible if solely working in a sketchbook.
- At the end of Component 1 you must resolve your journey with the production of a final outcome or series of outcomes. You must also ensure that you have produced the supporting written element of 1000-3000 words and include a bibliography or list of sources used.
Assessment
- Produce preparatory work in sketchbooks.
Half Term 4 (Feb – March)
Focus and Topic
- Component 2 – externally set assignment
Core Knowledge
- Developing work based on your response to a personal issue, interest or concern and/or
- Developing ideas explored in previous study.
- You work with increasing independence as you work on an extended project supported by written material.
- You generate a theme independently Externally set assignments..
- Independently research potential critical sources
- Produce written material of between 1000-3000 words. The written material must support the practical studies
- Utilise a number of Art, craft and design techniques relevant to your intentions
- A range of skills should be demonstrated from, but not limited to, those listed in ½ terms 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5
Core Skills
- Include relevant contextual sources that are clearly utilised and responded to within your practical work
- Include annotation or visual evidence of review and refinement as the project progresses. This could include storyboards, models, colour studies, observational sketches etc
- Include and respond to relevant primary/secondary sources or other stimuli such as poetry, music, architecture etc
- Explore ideas, concepts and processes to refine and develop their ideas. Activities could include working with different combinations of materials, experimenting with the application of techniques, exploring alternative compositions or applying different colour schemes
- Ensure your work is well organised, clear and easy to follow
- Include clear evidence of intentions to the final outcome which is informed by an aspect of contemporary or past practice of artists.
- You need to evidence your engagement with a purposeful and meaningful project and this needs to be reflected in how you select and present your work. This could be done in sketchbooks, boards, digitally or using a combination of approaches; whichever best suits your intentions.
- Presentation is important; present work in a variety of formats to provide more opportunities; for example producing work on a larger scale than would be possible if solely working in a sketchbook.
- At the end of Component 1 you must resolve your journey with the production of a final outcome or series of outcomes. You must also ensure that you have produced the supporting written element of 1000-3000 words and include a bibliography or list of sources used.
Assessment
- Produce preparatory work in sketchbooks.
Half Term 5 (April – May)
Focus and Topic
- Component 2 – externally set assignment
Core Knowledge
- Developing work based on your response to a personal issue, interest or concern and/or
- Developing ideas explored in previous study.
- You work with increasing independence as you work on an extended project supported by written material.
- You generate a theme independently Externally set assignments..
- Independently research potential critical sources
- Produce written material of between 1000-3000 words. The written material must support the practical studies
- Utilise a number of Art, craft and design techniques relevant to your intentions
- A range of skills should be demonstrated from, but not limited to, those listed in ½ terms 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5
Core Skills
- Include relevant contextual sources that are clearly utilised and responded to within your practical work
- Include annotation or visual evidence of review and refinement as the project progresses. This could include storyboards, models, colour studies, observational sketches etc
- Include and respond to relevant primary/secondary sources or other stimuli such as poetry, music, architecture etc
- Explore ideas, concepts and processes to refine and develop their ideas. Activities could include working with different combinations of materials, experimenting with the application of techniques, exploring alternative compositions or applying different colour schemes
- Ensure your work is well organised, clear and easy to follow
- Include clear evidence of intentions to the final outcome which is informed by an aspect of contemporary or past practice of artists.
- You need to evidence your engagement with a purposeful and meaningful project and this needs to be reflected in how you select and present your work. This could be done in sketchbooks, boards, digitally or using a combination of approaches; whichever best suits your intentions.
- Presentation is important; present work in a variety of formats to provide more opportunities; for example producing work on a larger scale than would be possible if solely working in a sketchbook.
- At the end of Component 1 you must resolve your journey with the production of a final outcome or series of outcomes. You must also ensure that you have produced the supporting written element of 1000-3000 words and include a bibliography or list of sources used.
Assessment
- Produce a final response or a series of related final responses, informed by preparatory work.
- This should be presented separate from sketchbooks.
Half Term 6 (May – July)
Focus and Topic
- N/A
Core Knowledge
- N/A
Core Skills
- N/A
Assessment
- N/A
Key Info
- Start Date: September 2026
- Awarding Body: AQA
- Study Mode: Full Time
- Course Length: 2 Years
Entry Requirements
TBC
Complementary Subjects
Other subjects that combine well with Art, Craft and Design include:
- 3D Design
- Graphics Communication
- Media Studies
- English Literature
- History
- Classical Civilisations
Career Opportunities
Many students go on to study degree courses in Architecture, Illustration, Animation, Set Design, and Costume Design