Nowhere across Highcliffe School is this more clearly demonstrated than through the work explored and created within the Art Design Technology Faculty, housed in the Da Vinci building. The Senior Curriculum Leader for Art Design Technology, Mr Nicholls, passionately believes in the place that Art Design Technology occupies in the curriculum and believes that every child’s education is enriched by the experiences they gain within the Da Vinci building. The joining of Art and Technology within the curriculum diversifies the ranges of outcomes achievable by the students and allows them to solve problems in a greater variety of ways.
Within Art our students have the opportunity to explore a huge variety of artistic media through themed briefs from year 7. They are accommodated in purpose built Art studios and supported by extremely supportive and skilled artists who also exhibit work outside of school. The students are encouraged to reflect on their work regularly and to enhance and develop it as their thinking probes forward.
When GCSE’s and A-levels are reached the students produce work of huge variety and of technical excellence, regularly encouraging people to comment how the work meets the standard exhibited in Higher Education establishments during the end of year show. In February, students exhibit their work locally at Highcliffe Castle. The Castle greatly enjoy our exhibition as it regularly draws in one of the largest crowds they see during the year. This year will be the first year that integrates work from Design Technology too. Art Textiles is studied in Years 9 to 13 and allows students to explore compliant materials in ways that achieve practical garments or simply works of art in their own right. Textiles Technology is studied from Year 7 to Year 11. Smart Materials and artistic processes are combined with traditional techniques to produce fully useable, practical outcomes. Graphics is now following an Art syllabus and allows students to independently design items using industry standard software, such as Adobe Illustrator. They explore their thought processes in sketchbook form and work to live briefs, such as the School Christmas Card and exhibition invitations. In Catering students produce dishes of variety and balance. They enter the Christchurch Food Festival and also cater for other events within school. The experience offered in food is vital in helping students realise the ease with which healthy eating can be achieved at home and within a budget. Photography is offered for study to our Year 12 and 13 students and is hugely popular. The use of digital media and powerful editing tools makes the quality of outcomes limitless.
Electronics is delivered in Da Vinci where many schools have cut it from their curriculum. Highcliffe is fortunate to have a flourishing subject area where students produce products of real diversity and gain an understanding of systems and components above what is required for GCSE or A level. Examples of quality Electronic Products are evident throughout the building and interactive games are starting to appear in the entrance to the space. Product Design continues to develop high quality, challenging projects which allow students to take items home of real, practical use. This year sees the Lamp and Clock projects being enhanced again to encourage greater variety in outcome as well as the opportunity to experiment more widely with materials to achieve highly creative outcomes. A level students produce marketable products and go on to study a variety of design and Engineering degrees.
Within Art Design Technology creative problem solving is at the heart of the thought processes encouraged in ADT and will prove to be invaluable skills for Highcliffe students to have in the rapidly changing world that we now live. Highcliffe students benefit from friendly, approachable staff and develop excellent working relationships across the curriculum area. These relationships and the commitment exhibited by the staff make Da Vinci a vibrant and exciting learning space.
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