The Gregg School provides a wide range of Creative and Visual Arts subjects to our students. This is a successful and much enjoyed area of the curriculum and we are pleased to offer seven creative GCSE subjects for students to choose from. 

Our students have the chance to get involved with school plays, music ensembles, creative House competitions: music, drama, bake-off, photography, art and dance and to join our many lunchtime and afterschool creative co-curricular clubs.

Miss Gibbs, Head of Creative Arts, explains more about the Creative Arts department and how the children get involved:

 

Fine Art, Textiles and Photography

The Art Department aims to provide a varied and stimulating curriculum at Key Stage 3. Students have the opportunity to try out new media, refine their drawing skills and gain exposure to new techniques and processes.  In Art lessons, Year 7-9 students will cover drawing and painting, printmaking, mixed media and critical studies. Having explored these areas our students are equipped with the knowledge and flexibility at GCSE to work with their strengths and achieve their potential.

In Year 10 and 11 Students have the opportunity to study one or more of our Arts GCSEs: Art, Textiles or Photography. These are popular subject areas and our students at KS4 achieve high standards and excellent GCSE results. Students are encouraged to explore their own chosen themes and to develop highly personal responses in the coursework and exam projects.  Students from the school regularly win prizes at the ISA Schools National Art Competition. 

Please click on the below curriculum details to find out more:

GCSE ART Curriculum

GCSE Textiles Curriculum

GCSE Photography Curriculum

Take a look around our Art Room:

Have a browse through examples of the students artwork:

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3D Design

Three Dimensional Design is an integral part of the lower school curriculum, timetabled in our small teaching groups from Year 7. During Year 7 students learn basic presentation and construction techniques whilst being introduced to vital workshop safety requirements and the necessary strategies involved within the Design Process. They develop their own projects from initial ideas to final design, keeping record of the stages in their project booklets.

Year 8 students extend their creativity, presentation and developmental skills from the foundations built during Year 7. To complement this, new construction techniques, materials and practical skills are also added to achieve their creative project.

Year 9 students are encouraged to work more independently. By the end of this year, students should be able to use the Design Process almost unaided. This allows more time to explore and learn additional constructional techniques, the properties and limitation of materials, and the improvement of practical skills and workshop practice. An independence of thought, time management and work organisation is encouraged in order to equip students with the skills needed should they choose 3D Design at GCSE.

Click below to find out more about 3D Design GCSE:

GCSE Three Dimensional Design Curriculum

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Music

During Year 7 our students learn the fundamentals of reading, composing, playing and appreciating music. Students learn how to become confident performers on the keyboard and other classroom instruments.  Those who play their own instruments are encouraged to use them in the classroom.  Students are taught how to listen to and appreciate different styles of music as we explore elements of music, theory of music, orchestral music and music from China.

In Year 8 we follow the roots of African music to explore the development of Blues and Jazz in America within their social and cultural contexts.  Practical work is based around the twelve-bar-blues structure and students develop their improvisation and song-writing skills.  Students further improve their listening, composing and performing skills through studying other topics including the History of Western Classical Music (Baroque, Classical and Romantic periods).

In Year 9, Music further polishes the skills learned in Year 8 and is an excellent grounding for the GCSE course. Topics covered include Music for Film and Animated Film, Musicals, World Music, and Music Technology.

In Years 10 and 11, students can elect to take Music GCSE and the two-year course follows the Edexcel specification for GCSE Music. 

GCSE Music Curriculum

Students are able to join a wide range of groups and ensembles.

  • Orchestra
  • Choir
  • Flute Choir
  • String Ensemble
  • Guitar Ensemble
  • Jazz Band
  • Rock Band

The ensembles rehearse at lunchtimes throughout the year, in preparation for various concerts and events such as the Winter Concert, Carol Service, and Summer Concert. All groups are open to students of any ability.

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Drama

Creativity, imagination and experimentation are central to Drama at the Gregg. Creating an environment where students think outside the box, make mistakes, have a voice and feel valued is essential. We take pride in the fact that we have created an environment where students feel safe and inspired, and we have seen amazing results as a consequence.

The Gregg School is very proud of its long tradition of Drama and the Arts and has over many years produced successful stage productions, musicals, Christmas and end of year shows, as well as a myriad of classical and contemporary plays. 

We believe that at the very heart of any effective teaching is the ability to build strong relationships with our students, and very importantly, to have great fun while doing so. It is not enough to simply teach students... they need to be consistently inspired, encouraged and challenged. Every child is unique and should be proud of who they are and drama at The Gregg will help develop this through a topical, varied curriculum and an interpersonal approach that promotes individuality, self-belief, team work, experimentation, and of course a love of the Arts.

KS3 - GCSE Drama takes place in the Atrium of The HART building, a beautiful modern space, set within the stunning woodland that surrounds the school. It is a place that provides students with a safe, stimulating and creative environment where they can really begin to find out who they are.

GCSE Drama Curriculum

 

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Food and Nutrition

Students in Years 7, 8 and 9 enjoy their fortnightly double Food and Nutrition lessons. Students are encouraged to become confident working with food and learn basic food skills, processes and safety procedures whilst working with a range of ingredients and food preparation equipment. As a department, we encourage the use of fresh, seasonal and local produce and encourage students to be diverse in their cooking. Our cooking afterschool club is also extremely popular and students enjoy taking home their freshly made treats.

Our Food and Nutrition GCSE is a popular option for Years 10 and 11.

GCSE Food Preparation & Nutrition Curriculum

Take a look around our Food and Nutrition suite:

 

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