Art

Art at The Langton, with its purpose-built suite of rooms and exhibition area is a very popular subject.  Year on year, outstanding work fills the art room display boards, hangs from the ceilings and covers the walls around the school.

In years 7-9 all students study this creative subject, undertaking diverse units of work using a range of media and techniques, eg paint, sculpture and printmaking.  Students look at other artist’s and cultures to inspire them-from Cubist paintings that inform their own multi view point drawings, to Mexican “day of the dead” imagery that inspire their own masks.

At GCSE there are regularly in excess of 60  students, spread across four groups, undertaking diverse art work in all types of media and disciplines.  Some students begin to use more digital technology to further their ideas, whilst paintings, drawings and sculptures remain popular outcomes for many.  Art students at GCSE always get amazing grades. Last year over 70% achieved level 7,8 or 9, and nobody got below a level 6. Many use the GCSE Art as a springboard to A level Art.

A level Art at The Langton benefits from many new boys and girls from other schools joining Langton students in the busy, dynamic classes.  In fact this year, there are slightly more new students in yr12 as there are boys who moved up from our year 11. The designated sixth form art room is always a highly creative place in which to work, and the artwork produced reflects this.  Just like the GCSE, A level Art grades are always amazing. Last year students only achieved A and A*, with half of them getting that top grade. Sixth form artist’s work is regularly exhibited locally and nationally, picking up prizes along the way. Students have exhibited in the Royal Academy of Art A Level Summer Show and each year A level artists regularly go on to study the subject at the best Art Colleges and Universities around the country. Last year this included Central St Martins and The Ruskin School of Art, Oxford.

We are so proud of all our artists at The Langton and it is a pleasure to watch them be so creative in the brilliant purpose built Art block, next to the Drama studio. In fact, the talents of the students were recognised in 2020 when the Art department won ‘Best overall Art department in Kent’ in The John Downton Awards. In Year 7 students are introduced to a variety of new media and skills.  Our aim is to develop students’ confidence in Art and to show them new approaches to the creative process.  They will look at other artists’ work – in context with their own projects – and will be encouraged to express opinions using a wide critical vocabulary.  Sketchbooks are an essential component and will be used for homework and for development of ideas throughout all projects.

By the end of Key Stage 3, students will have used a wide range of 2D and 3D techniques and will have a sound understanding of the creative process and use of a sketchbook.  They will be familiar with many artists’ work and will be forming opinions with confidence and awareness.

Yr7-9 art lessons are a fantastic foundation for those students who choose to take the subject at GCSE and A level. Langton artist considerably out-perform the national average A level and GCSE examination grades at selective schools – something we are very proud of.

Most weeks Langton student’s artwork is put on the school’s Instagram site.

Art is a fantastic subject that students enjoy, and that complements other academic subject.

GCSE Art is intended to meet the needs of the following groups of candidates:

• those who enjoy Art and have shown a commitment to the subject in
• those who may wish to study subjects or take up careers for which an Art and Design background is relevant or helpful.

You will study a wide range of media and techniques in two and three dimensions. The work on the walls, and hanging from the ceilings in the art rooms, will give you an idea of the breadth of work that can be produced in the very creative GCSE. More and more students are also now working in digital media: using photography, making films and working with digital manipulation, such as Photoshop and exploring animation techniques. You will develop ideas, gaining knowledge and experience in order to develop your understanding of the creative process. This course allows maximum opportunity for individual exploration of a theme, encouraging personal creative directions and outcomes. Everyone will keep a sketchbook, which will include artwork, written pieces, annotations, scrapbook material and experiments with media and ideas.

You will also look at many different approaches and styles in Art, making critical judgements and relating connections with your own work.

The exam consists of two units:

• coursework (60%)
• examination (40%)

Examination papers are given to candidates twelve school weeks before the examination and students have this time to prepare their response prior to a 10 hour period in which to produce the piece. This is always good fun.

All work is marked internally and moderated externally.

Art at A level is a very popular subject at the Langton.

Any visitor to the school cannot help but be impressed by the quality of the A level work on display. Students undertake a quick four week introduction course at the beginning of Year 12, giving them an opportunity to get to know their way round the department and get to know each other. The purpose-built designated sixth form art room is always a lively place to be in and the students undoubtedly benefit from the creative atmosphere that they all help create. Whether it’s down to the finished work on the walls, or unfinished work on easels, students quickly find the sixth form room a very inspiring place to study. There is also a purpose built gallery within the Art Block, giving students the opportunity to see their work exhibited and also giving some the opportunity to curate their own show. Every year we take the sixth form artists to exhibitions in London, to see, and be inspired by works on show. We offer life drawing classes after school too.

The A level Edexcel A level course consists of two components:

Component 1 (60% of the A level): A personal investigation coursework. This is a personal journey exploring the student’s own ideas both in and beyond their sketchbook. Students in the past have worked in traditional media, such as painting, drawing and sculpture, although many have also explored video, textiles and installations as part of their coursework submission. Students also submit a piece of continuous prose of a minimum of 1000 words, on a theme connected with their own work. The coursework component runs throughout Year 12 and right up until February of Year 13.

Component 2 (40% of the A level): An externally set assignment. This is a much shorter unit, starting in February of Year 13. This culminates in a 15-hour controlled assessment in the art room in May, in which students create a final response to the set theme. The piece of work which is produced during this fifteen hours, along with all their preparatory work, is then submitted.

Students put on an exhibition of their work at the end of the two years.