Endpiece

It has been an interesting year, although I suspect the next academic year is going to be even more 'interesting'. In our NAO team (Northern Area Office) we have been wrestling with the LA's programme to revolutionise the ways we work. No more offices but large open plan floors with hot desks. But our team remains cheerful and good natured in the face of change as the video demonstrates. I have been celebrating the work of art teachers recently, perhaps now is a good time to celebrate the work of all my adviser/consultant colleagues they continue to amaze me with their deep understanding of teaching and leadership and their dedication to learning. It is good to be part of this team and I am grateful to them for putting up with my constant droning on about blogs and twitter all term.

New Assessment Guidance for KS3 Art- APP probably

QCDA has just published the online exemplification of standards materials. These provide much more than just examples of levels. They provide an illustration of good assessment practice and embrace the principles of good assessment which is at the heart of APP. These materials were prepared quite explicitly to develop assessment practice in line with APP. It is not yet clear whether the government will actually take the next step and make the links explicit in the website. However, this is not particularly relevant because the materials themselves do the work anyway. They refer to the three key areas for assessment which have informed all iterations of assessment criteria for the last 25 years. These are 'Understanding Art, Craft and Design', 'Creating Art Craft and Design' and 'Exploring and Investigating'. The materials illustrate how these can be evaluated and what might constitute evidence. For instance, in what students make, what they do and what they say or write).

What the materials emphatically do NOT do is constantly seek to label students with a level every three days. They unpack how assessment can draw attention to strengths and weaknesses and what students need to do to improve. I have written elsewhere about assessment issues and produced some working papers which can be found on the art pages in Bucks Grid for Learning. I think these QCDA materials are important and they do challenge the practice of constantly 'leveling' students which is too often an exercise in meaningless labeling rather than informed assessment.

For Hannah

This was the third event of the day, and its late, but I promised Hannah I would write it up. It was at Pinewood Studios and was the launch of a Create, Compete, Collaborate programme which presented live brief challenges to young people to develop international links and to share, collaborate and embrace the values of the Olympics. It was also an opportunity to see how the new Diplomas can succesfully engage with professional practices and creative professionals, in this case Games Designers from across the world. It was good to join the students who spoke to the large gathering with easy confidence and gracious humour.

Talking later to a games designer/programmer who supported the course I was reminded of a common feature of so many cases where we, in education, have been succesful in drawing down professional practice into classrooms. It is the partnerships between the teacher, the professional and the students which is key. There are always direct and distinct channels of communication between each of the three parties. I have seen it work in the field of graphics, music technology, theatre studies. The key seems to be that the teacher does not try to be the expert and conduit for all expertise, but manages the relationship between the professional and students so that expertise is brought to bear directly where, and when, it is needed.

I have written elsewhere about this games course with an international cast of teachers and designers so won't repeat it here. Indeed although, I would like to write much more about what, I think, are genuinely significant pedagogical breakthroughs in this Diploma course, I am relived to note that I don't have to: because, I will be able to read it in Hannah's MA thesis which she will be writing this summer.

On a final note, one part of the evening was spent in Pinewood's state of the art super-sensory-surroundorama-viewing cinema. I don't really like the cinema these days - its always full of youff eating popcorn loudly and talking. But with the sound vibrating through the seat I have to admit it actually was ...LIKE... OH WOW! AWESOME!

Royal Grammar School - maturity, conviction and contemporary fossils

This is the second show today and both are marked by excellent life drawing. Perhaps it is not a coincidence that both schools (Sir William Ramsay and Royal Grammar School) use the Royal Academy 'Life' class. This has been going for many years and never fails to produce superb results. It adds imeasurably to portfolios and self confidence. I don't know if many schools club together to share this resource, but it would certainly be worth it. I understand it is still relatively cheap and the class can accommodate up to 30 students.

This exhibition showed work from all year groups and it was fascinating to see the rigorous consistent thinking and values that have built this course and which ensure that first hand experience, rigorous self reflective enquiry and serious study of serious artists are hard wired into the experience for Yr 7 onwards . Rob (HoD) has been there for many years (I think we shared our first inspection - he as inspected and me as inspector) and there is a deep integrity to the work throughout the school which is a real strength. There is also a very clear commitment to sculpture throughout the programme. This gives rise to Yr 13 istallations and mixed media pieces in which ideas are easily and naturally shaped and presented in 3 dimensions with mature understanding and an ability to resolve technical issues with intelligence and imagination.

The GCSE work shows an emerging individuality and I loved the piece which explored contemporary fossils and a delightful small piece making a space from a book (see video). These are multilayered as well as multimedia pieces.

However, the Yr 13 work is superb. Again experience is tracked back to KS 4 where the process of deep, personal enquiry is first established. This is rooted in direct experience, reinforced through the annual field course where students are imersed in beaches and fields, rocks and trees. It seems that often this expereince leads to a recognition of art as a means to record real first hand experience, feeling and responses. There is a piece which explores ideas of sculpture as small disgarded fragments, each of which has marked key moments and turning points. This is a piece of genuine conviction and is, as a consequence, genuinely moving - it was good to see it and I won't forget it. There are many other extra-ordinary pieces all marked by deep, extended personal enquiry and a fascination with materials. I think this is what makes them really sucessful there is a successful balance, or fusion really, between the idea and the material. It could not be other than it is. Often the journey is intriguing and extensive, for instance, from first hand experience of landscape to a technical piece in which boxes in boxes on gimballs (3 way hinges) respond to air movment (or fans in this case). By way of Fibonacci.

As I said to Rob, the work reminded me of why I wanted to be a teacher, and what I valued when I was a teacher. I recall residential trips always fuelled that year's work and relationships - getting up at 4am to get to the beach - just in time to see the sun rise, brilliant.

This is the last of this year's shows. I really enjoyed all of them. It was good to meet so many colleagues and friends and to share and celebrate their work and success.

New 'Life' at Sir William Ramsay

The first screen as you enter the show at Sir William Ramsay (Specialist Art College) displays some of the best student life drawing I think I have ever seen. It was fortunate that I saw show with Richard (HoD) who confirmedthat it was drawn from first hand experience or I would have assumed it was a studious copy of professional drawing.

It was, as always, a large, high quality and interesting show and this year there are signs of new directions for the school. There was some really strong, simple, culpture which got to the heart of the materials being used - the dense heaviness of cement and the light natural rythmn of withies.

Some strong photographs once again confirm the general very noticeable increase in the role of photography. Here it is a mixture of wet and digital photography (tip 1. Good SLR film cameras are very cheap on e-bay)

 Textiles work is strong with intriguing stitched drawings and whimsical costumes. It was also good to read extended essays which were simply well written rather than just well decorated. (tip 2 for rusted fabrics wrap material soaked in vinegar in cling film with iron wool and heat. result is fast)

It was interesting to see year 9 students entered for the new short course. As the school entered students for the new specifications it was possible to get a sense of how things may be changing. It was felt that the new time limitations (45 hours) of the externally assessed test together with the new marking scheme does make it more difficult to achieve the higher grades. There may be some issues here for next year. I understand that SWR was one of only 15 schools that entered and assessed the short course using these specifications this year. It may be that this could suggest a change in pedagogy and preparation. Perhaps this is a discussion that should happen next term.

Corridors of Art - Wycombe High School

Really glad I came to this show as I haven't been for a couple of years and Mark (Coombe) is moving on this year so it is his last exhibition. It is really impressive, with some brilliant large, loose, figurative painting and drawing. A good mix of styles from still life and portraits to strong issue based pieces exploring identity. This is the first time it has been held in the 6th form studios and the walk from reception to the studio is through corridors full of paintings. These are GCSE works and because the school always displays lots of painting it is a straight forward job to open the school as part of Bucks Open Studios. The stairwell to the studio is full of really big drawing and painting and the scale and quality is hugely impressive (see video).

The actual studio opens out onto the roof and has views over the valley. Highlights of this show, for me, are some of the big paintings especially the portraits there is a loose confidence about these works which is a delight. But I did enjoy a very intense enclosed installation stained with angst and conviction. Some students had developed images and ideas digitally and these were simply displayed on laptops alongside the larger work which was simple and effective. The open laptops fitting in seemlessly with the open sketchbooks in a way which seemed perfectly natural and unassuming.

Once again I find a new AS course in photography presenting some excellent photographs - intelligent, reflective and perceptive. The school has just acquired an A1 colour printer which provides high quality A1 prints. This does make a difference but Mark told me that some large branches of Tesco provide A1 digital prints for about £2.40 (less for bulk orders). In this girls' grammar school this course was done as part of the 'enrichment programme' so the students had fewer taught lessons than a standard AS course.

Mark does a lot of examining and it was interesting to discuss the implications of the changes that are coming down the line. We talked of the fact that, these days, as most students use canvas and oil or acrylic, the quality of painting is infinitely better than it was only a few years ago when canvas was uncommon and redimix and paper was the norm.  We also noted the possibility that with the development of a new reduced curriculum, the possible loss of QCDA, BECTA, Levels, SIPs, TAs, Advisers, CPD and Uncle Tom Cobbly, it will be exams and examiners that will have to guard the flame and preserve what is important. Well that may not be such a bad thing - its where I came in.

It was good to meet the new Head of Art and I will look forward to next year's show at Wycombe High School with interest.

Just Playing

We all talk about creativity and how important it is. But, how often do we really, actively, promote, model and provoke it? How often do we, or students, take risks? How often do we just play? This is just to note one such occassion where a group of creative practitioners and some KS3 students spent a day in a blacked out drama studio to find out what they could do with the space using objects, light, sound, film, animation and whatever came to mind. The video just captures a few moments towards the end of the day but it gives a flavour of the piece - reminded me of a Soft Machine gig of the 1960s, but no one else was old enough to know what I was talking about.
Chalfonts Community College are funded through Creative Partnerships as a 'Change School'. They have found space in their timetable each term for all KS3 students to spend two days working with creative partners to develop familiarity and skills using new technologies - sound, animation, film, photography and collage. This event brought all the creative partners back into school for a final day in which they and the children were given the opportunity to make/do something using the space. It was in effect simply giving permission to play. I guess one interesting question might be, who, was giving, who, permission to play - teachers, students or practitioners?