Art and Design (Photography)
Peter Symonds College - Hampshire
01962857500
Owens Road, Winchester, SO22 6RX
Course summary

Photography is a fine art course. It has a strong focus on discovery – using your camera to record the world around you in an exploratory and visual manner. We pride ourselves on the wide range and depth of the student outcomes produced here - students are encouraged to find their artistic voice and develop their own personal projects. The two-year course will allow you to develop and refine ideas. It is about looking at the world carefully, closely, with excitement and energy, but focus and commitment too. Students are required to present the journey their work has gone on, demonstrating the connections they have made along the way. Although there are whole class activities, especially early on, designed to help students get to know the possibilities and understand the potential of the subject, as time goes on classes become much more self-directed and informed by the individual student’s own area of interest. As a Photography student it is very useful to have access to a camera where you can control shutter speed and aperture – a DSLR or a Compact Camera with manual controls. Students present their work digitally to allow work to be modified and stored quickly and easily. This also allows students to include moving image or sound, hyperlinks and graphic elements to expand their work.

Entry requirements

5 GCSEs at grade 4 or above including Mathematics and English. If you have not studied Art at GCSE level, you will need to have enthusiasm and commitment for the subject.

How you'll be assessed

Year 1: • Component 1: Portfolio Students will produce one extended body of work (at least 12 weeks of work) that will form the basis of the Component 1, worth 100% of your marks and overall grade. Year 2: • Component 1: Personal investigation worth 60% of the A level This involves one, extended, in-depth practical project, as well as a (1000 - 3000 word) written compulsory component. • Component 2: Externally-Set Assignment worth 40% of the A level Here you are required to respond to (very open-ended) externally set questions or starting points. This involves a preparation period followed by 15 hours supervised time to conclude the project, over 3 days.

School Info

About Education Provider

RegionSouth East
Local AuthorityHampshire
Ofsted RatingOutstanding
Gender TypeCo-Educational
AddressOwens Road, Winchester, SO22 6RX