A-level Visual Arts is a rich and exciting opportunity and provides students with the time to explore, experiment and enjoy the entire creative process.  We are a skilled team who support students to develop their advanced level work from inception of ideas right through to final products.

Our intent at Crossley Heath is to equip students with a repertoire of practical skills that can be applied to a wide range of art and design practices. We encourage experimentation and exploration of media, materials, techniques and processes and tell students not to be afraid of making mistakes; instead, embrace all of these experiences and learn to conquer them as this will make the discovery of art more fulfilling and meaningful, irrespective of the initial level of technical ability.

A-level lessons are designed to offer a mix of direct instructional teaching and personal investigation, so students can see how we model the tasks and techniques and then have the opportunity to explore them in their own individual way.  Students build on the fundamental key concepts of the visual language and master ways in which to apply these to different artistic situations. We develop skills and knowledge gradually and increase confidence so that following the component 1: personal investigation, students are equipped to tackle the examination unit independently.

Understanding the context of Art is also integral to our practice. Through the selection of artists, craftspeople and designers, students learn to “read” art through discussion as well as gaining the ability to analyse in detail and write fluently with genuine insight. Where applicable, visits to local, national and international galleries helps students to fully appreciate Art at first hand and we are passionate about instilling a culture of inquisitive learning into our practice.

We strongly believe that the development of art skills is a journey and not a destination and we encourage our students to be open-minded, to give everything a go and be persistent in their pursuit of personal exploration.