Discovering your passion

Art

Year 7 – 9

Art

Key Stage: KS3

At Hammersmith Academy, the Art Department is built on the ethos that every student should use their creative voice as a powerful means of expression. Through a broad and balanced spiral curriculum, students grow as individuals, developing confidence in their ideas, strengthening technical skills across a range of media, and engaging with artistic contexts from historical to contemporary practice. The curriculum encourages curiosity, values individuality and inspires thoughtful, purposeful making. It supports all students to make meaningful progress while developing the confidence to express their identity, ideas and perspectives through art.

Our Key Stage 3 Art curriculum equips students with proficiency in drawing, painting, sculpture and diverse craft and design techniques. Alongside practical exploration, students develop analytical skills essential for examining artists and artistic movements, building a secure understanding of the language of art, craft and design.

The curriculum is designed as a progressive journey. In Year 7, students explore formal visual elements such as line, tone, colour, texture, shape and form, building strong foundational skills and visual literacy. In Year 8, students focus on identity, exploring their own values, hobbies and cultural influences to gain a deeper understanding of themselves as individuals and artists. In Year 9, students develop imaginative thinking through the theme Weird and Wonderful, using symbolism, surrealism and mixed media to create ambitious, personal outcomes that prepare them for GCSE study.

As students move through Key Stage 3, expectations around independence, refinement and critical reflection increase, ensuring they are fully prepared for the demands of Key Stage 4 Art.

Year-by-Year Curriculum

Year 7

Students develop technical control and understanding of the formal elements of art through structured projects that strengthen observational drawing and creative experimentation.

Modules include:

Module 1: Line
Module 2: Colour
Module 3: Shape
Module 4: Pattern
Module 5: Form
Module 6: Texture

Year 8

Students focus on identity and personal expression, refining technique while exploring individual experience and influence through increasingly independent creative work.

Modules include:

Module 1: ‘Me’
Module 2: My Identity
Module 3: Values
Module 4: Heroes
Module 5: Hobbies
Module 6: Culture

Year 9

Students deepen imaginative and conceptual thinking through thematic projects, preparing them for the expectations and rigour of GCSE Art.

Modules include:

Module 1+2: Dreamscapes
Module 3+4: Natural Forms
Module 5+6: Creatures and Species

Skills Gained

Practical exploration of techniques – drawing, collage, ceramics, 3D modelling, glazing, colour mixing, painting (watercolour), clay work, paper cutting, mind mapping
Development of technical skills across a range of media
Creativity, design thinking and confidence in personal expression
Analysing and interpreting artwork

These skills support learning across all subjects and prepare students for the demands of modern careers and further study in digital disciplines.

Partnerships & Enrichment

Students benefit from rich external experiences and cultural opportunities through engagement with:

Design Museum
Wallace Collection
Hayward Gallery
Tate Modern
The Big Draw
Fourth Plinth School Awards (Mayor of London)
UCL Bartlett School of Architecture

These experiences broaden students’ understanding of art, craft and design, connecting classroom learning with real-world artistic practice and developing creative confidence and cultural awareness.