Creative Arts
There are two main core strands to our programme of study: Art and Design, Music & Computing. These strands interweave with each other to offer our students the most appropriate and relevant breadth of learning.
Within this curriculum students study threads of Music and Computing, Cooking & Nutrition, Art & Design, Graphics and Textiles. These areas cross reference each other, allowing students to combine skills and see how these can be applied to real life outcomes and future job applications.
Art and Design
The Art and Design department at Eden School strives to build and centre our curriculum around developing curiosity, independence, creativity, respect, self-expression and determination and is developed to aim for individual excellence for all our students.
Resilience is an essential aspect of this and is taught to encourage confidence when applying the practical and critical thinking elements of Art.
This is nurtured to form the foundation of how our young people become unique and exciting artists.
In developing a wide range of skills and types of artwork, the aim is then to transfer these to other areas of the curriculum.
Creative thinking skills are highly sought after for jobs in many leading industries as well as holding relevance for both further study and creative industry jobs.
Practical skills sit at the heart of our curriculum, where core component knowledge in the mediums of drawing, painting, 3D, printing, photography and textiles is sequentially built upon.
When pupils progress onto KS4, they will have mastered a range of tools, techniques and processes, motivating them to continue their journey as young artists.
Opportunities to discover the work of contemporary and historical artists are offered with trips to galleries such as The City Art Gallery, The Whitworth, HOME in the heart of the city of Manchester and The Lowry in Salford. These enrichment opportunities not only broaden an understanding of Art and the world we live in but also how Art can bring communities together, offer different perspectives and cement cultural and spiritual understanding.
Each key stage provides a range of materials, artists, and techniques to broaden every child’s knowledge of the subject and widen the cultural landscape.
“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” – Maya Angelou
Art & Design at KS4
At KS4 pupils have the option to study AQA GCSE Art, Craft and Design which will allow them to further build upon their knowledge, skills and understanding of the creative curriculum explored at KS3.
They will put into practice project ideas and develop artwork which is multidisciplinary under Art, Craft or Design.
This title has been chosen to reflect the personal direction some of our students prefer take, allowing them to create work in Fine Art, Textiles, 3D, Craft, and Graphics. This broad approach further supports our young people in attaining their chosen path towards further education, apprenticeships or employment.
Graphics
Our graphics lessons focus on how design and branding is developed, advertising, building consumer profiles and confidence, market trends and innovation. Students will tap into colour theory and understand design elements to create lettering and packaging ideas. They will sketch by hand and through the use of digital applications to bring their design ideas to life.
Textiles
Using carefully honed research skills, students will sketch and design based on artist and designer influences. These ideas will be developed with soft furnishings and fashion in mind and be explored and tested against consumers preferences. Understanding both digital and hand created ideas, repeat patterns and prints, will allow our students to evaluate and select the most appropriate design and make outcomes.
Cooking and Nutrition
The Cooking and Nutrition curriculum instils a love of cooking in all pupils and explores healthy eating, nutrition and Food Science. Learning how to cook is a crucial life skill for pupils now and in later life. We suitably challenge them by offering a range of recipes from the UK and around the world, through exploring a range of cooking techniques and experimenting with unfamiliar ingredients. Throughout their time at Eden, we aim to encourage independent learning through practical participation. The department ensures that our pupils have a wider understanding of environmental impacts of our choice of foods to prevent food waste. Our pupils learn about multicultural foods and experience how different cultural foods influence our everyday food choices. This equips our pupils with the knowledge and cultural capital to succeed in life.
Hospitality & Catering at KS4
Hospitality and Catering is one of the UK’s largest and most exciting industries, and this course gives you a hands-on insight into how it works. You’ll learn practical cooking skills, understand how professional kitchens operate, and explore the wide range of career paths in restaurants, hotels, events, and food service.
Across the course you will:
- Develop confident, high-level practical cooking skills.
- Learn about nutrition, menu planning, food safety, and customer needs.
- Understand how different hospitality businesses are run.
- Complete a practical exam as part of the coursework and a written exam to show what you can do.
If you enjoy cooking, being creative, working with people, and want a subject with real-world skills and career opportunities, Hospitality & Catering is a great choice.
Music
At Eden School our aim is to provide a broad, balanced, creative and enjoyable music curriculum which will bring out the musician in all of our pupils regardless of their musical starting point or ability level. Students will learn how to listen and appraise different genres and cultures of music; these skills are then transferred into practical and composition.
Our key stage 2 and 3 curriculum follows guidance from the national curriculum of music, it develops the skills, knowledge and understanding in order for our pupils to become great performers, listeners and composers. Throughout our curriculum, pupils are able to learn about a variety of different aspects of music including: Brazilian Samba, Jazz and blues, Popular music, African music, Reggae and film music. The foundation of our curriculum is based on the elements of music and keyboard skills, pupils will continue to develop these skills throughout KS2 and KS3.
Within the classroom pupils are encouraged to use their practical skills to perform as an individual and as an ensemble. Pupils will learn how to use their voices expressively to compose their own songs and all pupils from KS2 onwards will have an opportunity to learn a musical instrument.
As pupils progress, they will be able to engage more passionately with music and build up their self-confidence and creatively.
Computing
At Eden School we aim to challenge and inspire pupils to develop an understanding of the technological world around us. Our curriculum has been developed following guidance from The Computing National Curriculum and ‘teach computing’. We recognise that technology is ever evolving and it is important for pupils to express themselves and engage in more positive experiences.
Online safety covers the first term of each curriculum and is a high priority at Eden school, pupils will be taught how to stay safe online when at home and in school. Online platforms and social media are becoming increasingly popular, posing both positive opportunities but also risks and challenges. Our curriculum is designed to ensure each pupil has the knowledge to stay safe online and use the internet/ online technology with courtesy and respect.
Throughout our curriculum, units are revisited to embed previous learning and successfully develop skills. Each pupil will gain skills through using different software and programs, which will improve their problem solving and analytical thinking. We aim to deliver a creative and accessible curriculum that will support pupils in understanding the three main strands of computing:
Computer science– Programming, understanding algorithms through coding and knowing how a computer works.
Information technology– How to use search engines and office software (Designing, creating, presenting, collecting and evaluating information) effectively.
Digital literacy– How to use a computer and the internet safely and effectively.
By the end of KS3 pupils will have gained key knowledge and skills in the mains areas of the computing curriculum: Computer science, information technology, digital literacy and online safety. They will also be able to use computational thinking and creatively to understand and change the world.
Curriculum Maps
