Art, Design and Technology BGE

In the Broad General Education (S1-S3) pupils study a broad range of subjects in the Arts and Technologies.

In S1-S2 pupils follow a broad Design and Technology curriculum covering areas of design, manufacture, engineering, and graphics in both a classroom and practical workshop setting where traditional craft skills blend with creativity and design, and emerging technologies such as CAD/CAM.

The Art and Design department at Mackie Academy aim to give pupils in S1-S3 an opportunity to build on a variety of practical and problem solving skills while developing their knowledge and understanding of the visual elements. The projects’ undertaken between S1 –S3 are designed to give pupils some experience in working with a range of materials, through both taught instruction and experimentation.

In Art and Design, pupils will undertake 3D work, where they will use materials such as clay, mod-roc, wire and paper-mache depending on the project set. They will also get a chance to develop their drawing and observation skills when working in a 2D format, where they work with traditional drawing and painting materials, such as drawing pencils, ink, chalk and oil pastel.

By the end of S3, it is our intention that pupils at Mackie Academy have a firm understanding of what the visual elements are, and can apply their knowledge to improve the quality of their work. Pupils’ will also develop their visual vocabulary, learning about other artists’ and designers’, participating in classroom discussions and evaluating their own work using key terms in art and design.

Through personalisation and choice pupils can continue their studies in the Art’s and Technologies through the courses offered in S3 – Design; Practical Wood and Metal; Engineering and Graphics; and Art and Design which equip pupils well for the vast range of National Qualifications offered in the senior phase.

Furthermore, we wish to give our pupils opportunities to be able to express their personal opinions, thoughts and feelings with confidence, as they develop into young adults. We also wish to equip pupils with the ability to give and accept constructive comments about their work and others.