ART
Art is a leveller for many students. It allows them a platform from which to voice their opinions and express their concerns on important subjects. At LSA it is our intention to foster our students’ inquisitiveness of the world around them, to challenge them to consider other people’s point of view and to support them in expressing themselves through visual means.
We have created a curriculum that allows for a gradual progression from years 7-13. The MYP curriculum, whilst developing students practical skills across a wide range of materials and processes, also allows them to see the importance of Art within society and the wider world. We want students to share our respect and passion for what art stands for and the important contribution that it makes to so many people’s lives. We have incorporated problem solving activities to develop self confidence and a sense of perseverance. Our projects use recall and retrieval to firmly establish knowledge and understanding and to prepare the students to continue to follow the subject for GCSE and A Level.
The beauty of Art as a subject is that there is no definite right and wrong and this provides students with a sense of freedom to explore various subjects that are relevant in today’s society. Art has healing properties; it is therapy to some and can help us to overcome or deal with difficult situations.
At LSA we feel passionately about Art’s place on the curriculum to help to provide a full and balanced learning experience for the student. We support and encourage the students cultural awareness and their ability to communicate their ideas and feelings around given themes. We offer opportunities for students to enter competitions and positively promote the future career possibilities associated with studying Art. The aim of the Art department at LSA is to help to create inquisitive,independent learners with an empathy towards others and the world in which they live.
DRAMA
“Theatre is a form of knowledge; it should and can also be a means of transforming society. Theatre can help us build our future, rather than just waiting for it.” – Augusto Boal
Drama is a popular subject at the academy that students enjoy (Drama survey November 2022) and hosts many events during the year for students at LSA to partake in. Drama and Theatre Studies is taught by specialist teachers that are passionate about their subject and aim to teach in innovative ways. They aim to encourage students to work imaginatively and creatively in a collaborative context.
Resources:
- 2 fully equipped large black box studios with sound and lighting
- Traditional theatre space with full lighting and sound set-up
- Two large Ipads
- A variety of stage blocks and staging
- A range of costumes and props
- Multiple sets of Trestle masks
Workshops and Shows:
Throughout the year, the Drama Department organises a range of trips and workshops, such as trips to the West End and vitiging companies such as Splendid, Punchdrunk and Up Front Theatre. Through these events, students learn about the world, and social issues from the past and present, ensuring our students have every opportunity to improve their cultural capital.
Drama Challenge: Try to find a job or career that does not heavily rely on the skills developed in Drama. You will be surprised to see that there are not many: which is why we strongly believe in the importance and power of Drama and Theatre!
PHOTOGRAPHY
We want our work to cause intrigue, spark questions, show beauty, initiate debate, trigger memories and be remembered.
Our core mission is to be a department that gives students the tools to become creative independent thinkers that take pride in their individual work. We want students to value the importance of photography and how it has helped and continues to help the world. It is there to inform, to document, to show truth, to be expressive, to be questioning, to be debated. We want our students to be a part of all it has to offer.
TEXTILES
“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street. Fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” – Coco Chanel
In Textile lessons we will be learning about various textiles, decorative techniques and practical constructional processes. This will be achieved through a series of focussed practical tasks with write ups of our experiments.
We will build a portfolio of work samples for future reference in their own design projects by exploring textile design techniques and processes. These include: felting, stitching, appliqué, construction methods & printing. Encourage the use of media and materials, as appropriate to students’ personal intentions, for example: inks, yarns, threads, fibres, fabrics, textile materials & digital imagery. We will practise formal and objective writing to enable us to report on our processes in a professional way.
DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY
Our Design and Technology students will be equipped with a range of skills, techniques and processes to solve real world problems and make a positive contribution to society.
Through our lessons and projects we aim to:
- move with the times so the DT curriculum must be flexible; responding to real world design problems and encouraging students to identify solutions.
- use real life contexts that will allow students to develop skills to make positive contributions throughout their life.
- encourage students to explore different areas of technology, giving opportunities to develop their skills and a chance to express their individuality through multiple mediums.
- inspire, engage and challenge students, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to design, make, test and evaluate their own design work.
CREATIVE DIGITAL MEDIA
In Creative Digital Media Production we make films, podcasts, posters… In order to make successful media products students need an awareness of how the media communicates ideas to its audience.
Media production is centred around around the key concepts: Media language, Media representation, Media industries and Media audiences
This has to be backed up by contextual knowledge and we aim to offer a curriculum that promotes a critical awareness of the messages that we are bombarded with on a daily basis.
Learners will gain the opportunity to develop analytical skills, enabling them to debate and question the media they consume, as well as enhance their technical ability to create digital media products.
FILM STUDIES
Our aim in GCSE and GCE Film Studies is to broaden knowledge and understanding of the film industry in the hope of young people using films as a way to stimulate reflection on their own lives and place in the world as global citizens. Film education allows young people to experience a range of political, social, cultural and historical contexts. We explore how film can present a certain ideology, why spectators may respond emotionally to film and how films are constructed. Additionally, film can offer openings for learners to express their own practical interests as potential film-makers with the vision of them going into the film industry at some level after completing a film based course at University. But overall, to have a life-long love and understanding and appreciation of film.
MUSIC
In music, we learn three important skills: how to perform (play an instrument), compose (create our own music), and how to listen analytically.
In doing this we learn a lot more, and these are just a few skills we develop:
- How to work together with other people
- How to multitask
- A high level of focus
- To take risks and develop confidence