Visual Arts
The underlying ethos of the Visual Arts curriculum at Eastbrook School is to inspire within each student a passion for art as a visual language, enabling them to successfully work as independent artistic practitioners.
A student of visual arts at Eastbrook School develops knowledge, understanding and skills through integrated practical, academic, critical and contextual study. They gain a broad range of practical experience in the visual arts and demonstrate critical appreciation of sources, which inform their creative intentions. These intentions are realised through purposeful engagement with visual language, visual concepts, media, materials and the application of appropriate techniques and working methods. Students develop and apply relevant subject-specific skills to visually communicate personal ideas, meanings and responses. Students, over time, reflect critically upon their creative journey and its effectiveness in relation to their personal body of work.
The visual arts embody some of the highest forms of human creativity. We engage, inspire and challenge our students not only to become creative learners but to become PROUD: Principled, Resilient, Open, Understanding and Disciplined individuals. We equip them with the knowledge skills and understanding to experiment, invent and create their own thoughtful work in response to a theme. As students progress through the key stages, they are able to respond critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of the visual arts in a wider context. They gain an insight into how art both reflects and shapes our history, and contributes to culture, creativity and wealth. We believe that studying the visual arts provides students with technical skills and cultural capital, which in turn increases employability and social mobility.
Studying the visual arts can also help with understanding, interpreting and negotiating the complexities and diversity of society. We give the next generation of artists, designers, engineers, creators and leaders the opportunity to develop the imagination and skills that are vital to our future. Arts and cultural learning encourage diversity, awareness, empathy and appreciation of differences.
