The intent of our Photography Curriculum is to enrich you as a person, build your confidence and help you view the world from a more considered perspective. At Victory we believe the arts are for everyone and through our challenging yet inclusive curriculum we want to provide a happy space for students to engage with creativity, problem solving and cultural thinking.
We recognise the value of creativity in students’ future work life and the joy and satisfaction it brings to students and their community. Photography embodies some of the highest forms of human creativity. A high-quality creative education should engage, inspire and challenge students, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to document a new way of thinking, experiment and share their own works of photography. Students follow the National Curriculum throughout their creative journey.
Skills and knowledge are taught through a broad range of exciting projects that are sequenced to develop a wide range of skills at KS3 and an opportunity to refine and personalise these into KS4 & KS5. Lessons are engaging and students develop a love of the arts throughout their learning. Students are empowered to develop their own creative journey and with the support of their teachers take ownership through independent, personal and exciting projects that demonstrate their skills and passions.
We encourage individual thinking, considered observation, creative making and experimental expression. We equip students with the practical skills and the creative thinking and questioning that allows them to apply their understanding of the world around them.
We believe the arts are critical to forming well rounded and cultured individuals. As pupils progress, they should be able to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of photography and how this reflects and shapes our history, and contributes to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation. Through our Art History programme and the space we provide for students to challenge, discuss and evaluate their culture and that of others we build confident students engaged with their world. We provide opportunities for students to visit galleries & museums, take part in group exhibitions and showcase their own work.
We have developed exciting links with local galleries and higher education institutions such as the Sainsbury Centre and Norwich University of the Art who support our students with many opportunities such as visits, workshops, portfolio preparation and talks.
In Key Stage 3 we follow the National Curriculum for Art and Design.
In Year 7, students will study Art and Textiles for two hours a fortnight across the year and will rotate between Catering, DT Product Design and DT Electronics on a half termly basis.
In Year 8, students will rotate between Art, Photography, Textiles, Catering and DT Product Design and DT Engineering.
In Year 9, students will rotate between Art, Photography, Textiles, Catering and DT Product Design and DT Engineering Manufacturing.
In Year 8, students will develop work based around an exploration of Portraiture. Students will be introduced to the key functions of a DSLR camera including manual focus. They will explore a range of compositional rules when taking their portraiture photographs. When photographing inside students will consider the effects of both natural and controlled lighting. Students learn how to use editing tools alongside more hands-on manipulation techniques. They will be exposed to a broader range of Artists, Designers, Photographers and Architects in their weekly Art History sessions.
In Year 9, students will develop work based around the exploration of the narrative of a Dystopian Future. Students will refine their compositional skills through photoshoots and photo collage techniques. They will develop their editing skills using Adobe photoshop. Pupils will explore paper manipulation techniques. They will be exposed to a broader range of Artists, Designers, Photographers and Architects in their weekly Art History sessions.
Course Introduction: Creative thinking and expression are incredibly important skills. Arts and culture now contribute £101.5 billion directly to the UK economy each year and experts believe that creativity will survive the automation revolution. Film, gaming and TV are just a handful of industries that rely on photography artistic talent. It is a subject that breeds independence, confidence, resilience and an appreciation that any question may have multiple solutions.
Course Outline: Photography GCSE (Art – endorsement) develops a focus on technical skills as well as students learning to express themselves creatively through the medium of photography. Photography is defined as the practice of producing images using light-sensitive materials or digital methods of development and the production of static or moving images. Over the three years the students will explore a wide range of photographic genres, techniques and processes, such as portraiture, location photography, documentary, moving image etc. Students will also explore a range of photo-editing techniques including the use of digital editing software and hands-on manipulation techniques. They will be introduced to contemporary and traditional photography artists and cultures. As the course progresses students will grow in confidence and become more independent and will begin to specialise in their chosen area.
Course Expectations: Students must be willing to work independently outside of school on projects. Students must set up photo-shoots in their own time out side of the school day. They need to be curious; collect interesting materials and visit interesting places to progress their ideas. There is an expectation that students can critically analyse work.
Progression and Careers: Students may go on to study A level Art or a similar appropriate qualification. Students could go into higher education or study a hands-on apprenticeship. A career in photography could take many different formats; artist, freelance photographer, stylist, journalism, forensics, moving image etc. The options available for students with a creative background is ever growing with the new technologies available. Go to the Student Art Guide website to view a list of over 150 careers, with 25 examples showcased in detail. https://www.studentartguide.com/articles/art-careers-list
Photography Progression Pathways