Shelley College Art Department
why do ART?
- To develop your creativity
- To learn new techniques
- No written examination
- No revision
- To work in an 'art college' environment with your own personal work station
- To produce exciting artwork
- To gain a qualification that is useful in lots of career pathways
Art Courses we offer
AS and A2 Art & Design &Applied GCE Art & Design
We offer a broad based AS and A level Art and Design course and Applied (double award) GCE Art & Design. Our examination board is AQA for the AS and A2 course and Edexcel for the Applied GCE course.
Students can pursue interests in painting, ceramics, photography, sculpture, printmaking and textiles. The emphasis of the courses is on developing your own ideas and creativity with constant reference to historical and contemporary art practice.
AS Art & Design - How is the course organised?
For the AS course you will study two units set by Shelley College and a third unit set by the examination board.
The AS Course
This is 50% of the total A-level course. If you and your teacher agree that it's best for you, you can take the AS-level on its own, or you can decide at the end of the AS course to continue to take the full A-level qualification.
Unit 1 & 2 - Art and Design Coursework (both units 60% of the AS or 30% of the full A-level)
These form the first two units of the AS course and are intended to introduce you to a range of different art processes and materials as well as giving you knowledge and skills that will allow you to develop your own individual creative working practices.
Working from a given theme you will develop your recording and research skills whilst being introduced to a wide range of historical and contemporary artists. Media experimentation across a range of specialist areas will allow you to identify and evaluate strengths in your own practical work. Towards the end of this first unit you will be given the opportunity to generate and develop your own ideas in response to the work of others and your understanding of the theme, before working towards a well considered final piece or pieces.>
Unit 3 - of the AS course.
The theme for this unit is set by the examination board. You will be given the examination paper at the beginning of February and with your teacher's support identify your own personal intentions in response to your interpretation of the theme. As in unit 1 and 2, you will use your understanding of the creative process to help you explore a range of ideas building on work produced earlier in the course. Looking at the work of others and taking influence from both the ideas behind their work as well as their use of materials should help you refine and evaluate your own ideas before developing your work towards the completion of a final piece or pieces produced under exam conditions. The exam will be taken at the end of the AS course over a period of 5 hours and should represent the culmination of your work so far.
The A2 Course
The emphasis of the A2 year is on independent study to enrich your own personal work, integrating contextual studies with your personal practice. The full A-level qualification is made up of the three AS units outlined above, plus three more units studied at a higher level.
You do not necessarily have to take the full A-level qualification: you can still get a certificate just for the AS, and your teacher will help you to decide what is best. If you do decide to take the second half of the course, it will cover the following three units
Unit 4 - Art and Design Coursework (15% of the A-level)
This unit of the second year aims to give you the opportunity to pursue your own creative ideas and personal interests in a chosen area of art and design, building on the work and skills developed throughout the first year. You will be very much encouraged to find an independent and relevant voice that allows you to express yourself fully and respond to a variety 
of sources that can further inform and influence your developing practical skills and knowledge. This unit allows you to develop preparatory work and then create a final piece or pieces.
Unit 5 - A Personal Study
At the end of the Summer term of the AS course you will be asked to identify a range of possible starting-points and ideas that you will use as a springboard for primary and secondary research. You will be asked to produce a written personal study on your chosen theme of 3000 words. You will be encouraged to explore both secondary and primary sources and take part in a visit to London art galleries
.Unit 7 - Art and Design Externally Set Assignment (20% of the A-level)
As in the first year of the course the theme for unit 7 is set by the examination board. By this stage in the course, you will have developed your own personal style. This is your chance to express it fully and show the extent to which you can use the language of the subject and your understanding of the formal elements, the processes and the practices of art, craft and design to communicate your own ideas, thoughts and feelings.
You will be given the examination paper at the start of February and then have a number of weeks to develop your own personal response to the theme working towards producing a final piece or pieces in 15 hours under exam conditions.
The A2 year is completed with an exhibition of students' work for assessment.
Applied Art & Design (Double Award)
This course has been designed to give students an understanding of the art and design sector. As a double award A Level it will suit students who wish to go onto study art and design at higher education or to go into art and design employment. Projects taught are more work related and therefore give the course a vocational emphasis.
A range of students have used their high double A level grade in Art to qualify for courses such as chemistry, archeology and landscape design.
Twelve units are completed throughout the course but these are covered holistically through a series of vocational projects. Students are given project briefs and asked to respond to a client's requests for such things as a series of greetings cards or a fine art piece of sculpture for an art exhibition.
The course aims to develop some of the skills needed in the workplace or higher education or training after A levels. The project briefs set encourage students to create art and design work of a professional standard, suitable for either exhibition purposes or responding to a client's requirements. Students are encouraged to work independently and as part of a team of artists/designers. No formal written examination is undertaken but students will respond to briefs set by the examination board as well as Shelley College.
At the end of the course students are required to produce an exhibition of their artwork.
About the department
We are a committed and enthusiastic department, which includes 4 full-time teachers and a technician from a wide variety of backgrounds including ceramics, embroidery, jewellery, graphics, fine art and printmaking.
We have facilities for painting, printmaking, black and white photography, digital imaging with Photoshop, a well equipped ceramics workshop, as well as textiles facilities including screen
printing, batik and sewing machines.
What do I need to know before taking this course?
The best foundation for success in AS, A level Art and Applied A Level Art is a good grade at GCSE. However, this isn't always a requirement. If you have an aptitude for the subject, if you are creative, you may have the basic skills to succeed. However, AS/A level art is not an easy option and you should be prepared to work hard at developing your work. Above all, you should have an interest in creating and understanding art and the determination to develop that interest.
What can I do with an Art A-level?
This course is essential for students who wish to undertake further studies in art, craft and design. Many students have traditionally progressed to a one-year art foundation course before going on to degree level study, however in recent years more students opted for direct entry onto degree courses. Art and design is also suitable for those who are intending to take up careers for which an art background is relevant, such as architecture, dentistry and teaching.
We also welcome students who have an interest in and an aptitude for the subject, but who do not intend to take the subject beyond AS or A level.
The opportunity for students to develop creative approaches, independent research skills and those of analysis and evaluation make this a suitable subject for a range of Higher Education courses.