Shirebrook Academy

Welcome to the Arts Department

Department statement
The creative and expressive arts department is organised into the three disciplines of art, drama and music.
We are proud of the work that we do with students, offering a broad curriculum and many extra curricular opportunities. The department has achieved Artsmark status, and over the past years has continued to develop and modify the work that we do within the school.

Course(s) over view
Art:
At KS3 we offer a wide range of materials and approaches to the world of art and design, with a sound base of drawing skills.
Our Key Stage 3 course feeds into key stage four, where we offer BTEC courses from Certificate to Diploma. These are vocational practical based courses where work is continually assessed.

Music:
At KS3 we offer a wide range of musical experiences covering popular, ethnic and classical music with an emphasis on practical performance on a number of instruments.
The KS3 course feeds into KS4, where we offer BTEC courses from Certificate to Diploma. These are vocational practical courses which allow students to gain insight into the music industry and take part in performances both in and out of school.

Drama:
At KS3 we offer …
The KS3 course feeds into KS4, where we offer BTEC courses in Drama and Performing Arts, from Certificate to Diploma. These are vocational practical based courses where work is continually assessed.

How will I be assessed?
Art, Music and Drama:
At KS3 students are encouraged to reflect and evaluate their work at the end of each project. As part of this process the student and teacher put a level to their work and this is matched against their target level.

KS4 assessment is continually assessed and feedback is given at the end of each project. Students are then able to upgrade work throughout the course.

Where next?
Art:Progression routes include A level, BTEC National Diploma or NVQ in many disciplines of art and design. This could lead to careers in textiles, graphic design, architecture, jewellery design, theatre set design, photography and film.

Music:
Progression routes include A level and BTEC National Diploma which cover a wide range of areas in music. This could lead to careers in music, theatre and film.

Drama:
Progression routes include A level and BTEC National Diploma in drama and performing arts. This could lead to careers in theatre, film, television, set design and costume design.

Extracurricular opportunities
We offer a range of extra curricular activities in art, music and drama throughout the year to KS3 and KS4 students.
The art and music rooms are open most lunchtimes to allow students to upgrade and catch up on coursework.
Music hold choir and windband practices once a week. Practice rooms are open for individual / small group practice on a daily basis.
Students are also offered the opportunity to take part in extra curricular ethnic music workshops e.g Samba and steel drums, ukulele band at various points in the academic year.

Yorkshire coast visit
Art and drama students of Shirebrook Academy visited the Yorkshire ‘Jurassic’ coast for three days on Thursday 21 October to Saturday 23 October 2010. They stayed in the refurbished Youth Hostel at the top of the 199 steps from Whitby’s streets, next door to the ruined Whitby abbey and St Mary’s church, which provided some of the inspiration for Bram Stokers ‘Dracula’.
The aim of this visit was to provide an inspiring residential experience. Students had opportunities to produce artwork around the seaside town. They visited the local art gallery and maritime museum, and experienced the general ambience of this historic town with its seaside pier and fishing boats, with its stories of haunting and Bram Stokers’ Dracula. The biting cold wind made drawing difficult, however students were not deterred, happily using their cameras instead! An exhibition of these will be on display later this term, along with a showcase video diary made by the drama department.
Other activities included a theatre visit to Scarborough to watch John Godbers’ production of ‘Teechers’; a comic depiction and comparison of a comprehensive school’s teachers and students. Another bracing mornings visit to the picturesque Robin Hoods Bay where students made further sketch studies and photographs, followed by an afternoon in Whitby’s Pannett gallery and maritime museum. Whitbys well known attraction ‘Dracula Experience’ caused quite a scare to some individuals, when a live actor appeared from under some stairs and grabbed some students legs!
Students were captivated one night when a local fisherman, 80 year old Bob Marsden, born in the terraced cottage next door to the famous Fortunes Kipper smokehouse, spoke to the group of his (tough) life when he left school at the age of twelve, carrying baskets of cockles for 2 miles over the cliff tops and fishing on trawlers, leaving them with the message ‘always be positive, even when life gets tough’!
Students then walked the ghost tour with the well known Harry Collett, with his local tales of spooky happenings throughout the town, putting the hairs up on the backs of necks as we crept back into the dark, creaky youth hostel.
Students made the following comments ‘’I ate my first oyster!’ Shannon Crew (14). ‘I loved every part of the trip except the Dracula Experience as it scared me really, but apart from that everything else was perfect, 10/10’ Connor Wales (14). ‘I have been looking forward to this weekend all month! It has gone too fast, I have enjoyed every minute, what a way to end our first term!’ Daniel Salmon (15) ‘’I really enjoyed the Whitby trip. It was brilliant learning about the culture and life there. There are some beautiful views and sites.’ Darien Stelling (15).
It was a valuable and popular experience for the thirty four students, maybe to be repeated in the future, but hopefully with warmer weather!