Department Staff List

Miss G Lamont – Faculty Head of Creative Arts
Mrs L McLaren
Mr S Forsyth
Miss Montgomery

ART & DESIGN

BROAD GENERAL EDUCATION (S1, S2 & S3)

During S1-3, our aim is to provide students with a broad range of experiences, by introducing them to a variety of aspects of Art & Design. They are given opportunities to develop new skills and to experiment with a wide range of media. Our S1 – S3 course has been carefully designed to prepare students to continue Art & Design into the Senior Phase.

Students work on 3 elements:

• Design Activity.
• Expressive Activity.
• Learning about the work of inspiring artists and designers.

SENIOR PHASE (S4 – S6)

Senior Phase students can study National 3, National 4, National 5, Higher Art & Design or Higher Photography and Advanced Higher Art & Design, progressing through each level as appropriate. We also offer standalone Units as an alternative pathway. Students are encouraged to take a more independent approach and can select their own personal themes and areas of study within the Design and Expressive Activities. All courses involve students in Design Activity, Expressive Activity and Art & Design Studies. The courses develop independence, flexibility and decision-making skills, while encouraging resilience.

COURSE ASSESSMENT

National 3 and 4 Art & Design

The courses are unit based and internally assessed.

National 5 Art & Design

Students are required to submit a portfolio of practical design and expressive work (80%) for external assessment and also complete a written exam (20%)

Higher Art & Design

Students are required to submit a portfolio of practical design and expressive work (77%) for external assessment and also complete a written exam (23%)

Higher Photography

Higher Photography is a subject that is great for both creative and technically minded students. It uses the creative skills from Art & Design, while also giving students a chance to use new technologies and equipment. The skills learned are transferrable to a wide range of jobs and careers. The subject does not yet have a National 5 qualification.

Higher Photography allows students to be independent as they use their organisational skills to plan their own photoshoots in and outside of school. For anyone interested in Photography, Film & TV, Art & Design, Video Games or any Creative fields, Higher Photography is an excellent opportunity to get experience and widen your skills.

The Higher consists of a practical folio (77% of final grade) where students are given a chance to pick a theme and style of photography to base their final project on. The portfolio consists of 8 photoshoots and 8 final images.

Photography also has a final written exam (23% of final grade) where students are assessed on their knowledge of technical and creative factors related to the course.

Advanced Higher

This course provides opportunities for learners to further develop their creativity and carry out an in-depth exploration of a theme/context of their own choice, while developing a wide range of skills. Students will also study the work of other artists and designers, applying this knowledge and understanding to their own ideas and contexts.

This course is an ideal platform for students planning to progress to higher levels of study, beyond school, or careers in the creative industries, as the portfolio of work created will form the basis of entry portfolios required for a range of creative courses.

Students are required to present a portfolio, exploring either an Expressive or a Design Enquiry. The full portfolio is externally assessed but there is no written exam.

The portfolio has 3 sections:

• Practical art / design work (64%)
• Contextual Analysis (30%)
• Evaluation (6%)

Supported Study

The department offer Supported Study throughout the school session. Students should also make use of Microsoft Teams for further support from their class teacher.

EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITES

Art Club

We have an art club running on Tuesday lunchtimes from 12.45 – 1.15. All are welcome to attend.

Creative Arts Successes

In session 2021-22, we had the following student successes and opportunities:

• St. Stephen’s Young Artist/Young Musician of the Year 2022;
• Port Glasgow Community Council logo design competition – S1 winner
• Photography photoshoot in Glasgow;
• Christmas Card competition;
• Creative Arts advent calendar on Twitter;
• Mamma Mia Trip.

Follow us on Twitter @CAFSSHS