Intent:

Art is for everyone. There is a common misconception that being “good at art” is a gift certain people are born with; this is just not the case. 

At Exmouth Community College, we see Art and Design as an important tool for the communication of ideas and the expression of our individuality. As such, we provide every student with the opportunity to master their own set of unique skills to enable this communication and expression. 

Art and Design exists everywhere in our daily lives – our world is shaped by the imaginations of artists, designers, architects, film makers and more. To recognise how this influence can be seen every day in the world around us is to understand the value of the subject. Here at ECC, we enable our learners to appreciate the diversity of these influences by introducing them to a wealth of artists, movements, cultures and media across the Key Stages. As this understanding of contextual sources grows, students become more confident in discovering new inspiration from an ever-expanding pool of resources.  

What does Art look like at Exmouth Community College?

It is our aim to ensure that all students experience and experiment with a broad range of media, techniques and processes throughout all the key stages. These include painting and drawing, printmaking, ceramics and other 3D craft, photography and digital media. Familiarity with these skills enables students to make autonomous choices and develops independent creative learners. 
The recording process underpins all work throughout the key stages; observational drawing is a fundamental part of this and is developed throughout every project from year 7 through to year 13. 

As we are a large Community College with a number of feeder Primaries, students arrive at ECC with very different experiences of Art from Primary School. The Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent home learning served to exacerbate this.  
In Year 7, we address this and ensure that all students are given the fundamental knowledge and understanding required to access the full Art Curriculum by focusing on the Formal Visual Elements – the “building blocks” of all visual art.  Core knowledge, skills and concepts are developed from this and build through the subsequent topics of key stage 3 and beyond. 

Exmouth’s unique individuality is carefully considered when adapting our curriculum and learners are encouraged to respond to briefs by considering their local community, its architecture, public spaces and town planning developments along with their personal and cultural identities when planning responses. 

Key Stage 4 and 5 students who choose art are already equipped with an understanding of the independent working required to develop a Personal Investigation. Through a range of recordings of ideas – e.g. observational drawing, painting/drawing techniques and processes, mood boards, artist and cultural studies, media experiments etc. – students develop a project, making links to contextual sources and presenting a personal outcome. 
Our knowledgeable, skilled and experienced team of Art staff work individually with students to enable them to foster their visions and produce outcomes of which they can be proud. The department is a friendly, welcoming environment which operates an “open house” policy, allowing students to use the facilities outside of lesson times and receiving extra help and advice from staff to assist them in achieving their goals.