At Safa British School, we believe that all students should be given a wealth of opportunities in all areas of the curriculum, inside and outside of the classroom.
The experiences in the creative arts encourage children to explore so much more than skills and knowledge; they develop confidence, self-reflection, problem solving, perseverance and empathy.
We owe our students the right to discover the endless possibilities of their imagination.
At Safa, we believe in introducing Drama at a young age. Our drama curriculum begins in FS1 and goes right through to secondary level drama.
Our Drama lessons vary from process drama (learning life skills and problem solving through role play and drama conventions) along with product drama (working towards an end product or performance).
Drama at Safa British teaches our students lifelong skills. With our primary Drama teacher being a trained actor, teacher and public speaking coach, we provide extracurricular activities for students who want to grow in confidence and flourish within the arts.
Each and every student at Safa British School performs within the arts, due to the practical nature of every drama lessons. Students have the choice to perform on stage at their end of term production as well as in the classroom in front of their peers.
Here at Safa British School, we understand performing is not for everyone. In our practical drama lessons, students are given the option to assistant direct, write and devise their own scenes with a group or working individually.
We pride ourselves on the fact that every student grows within our Drama curriculum as well as having fun. Most grow in confidence, creativity and teamwork, whilst others may grow in communicating, presentation skills and problem solving.
Drama has an important role to play in the personal development of our Key Stage 3 students here at Safa British School.
Our main objectives are to help students develop their creativity, communication skills, and self-confidence through the exploration of various drama techniques, including improvisation, role-play, script work, and physical theatre.
Our students are encouraged to develop their interest and enjoyment in drama and theatre, both as participants and as informed members of an audience, fostering an enthusiasm for and critical appreciation of the subject.
During lessons, students will have the opportunity to participate in a range of activities designed to develop their skills and understanding of the subject. These may include creating and performing short plays, exploring characters and themes, and analysing the work of professional playwrights and theatre practitioners.
Key Stage 3 drama also aims to expose students to a wide range of drama styles and traditions, including both classical and contemporary theatre, and to encourage them to consider the role of drama in society. In addition to developing their skills as performers, students will also learn about the technical aspects of theatre, such as lighting, sound, and set design.
All of these are designed to help promote self-esteem and to give students a sense of achievement.
In the Music Department we aim to deliver a dynamic curriculum that engages students through a wide variety of genres, styles, traditions and instruments. We teach students how to develop their creativity and think outside the box when composing, become critical thinkers through developing aural skills, and performers through developing instrumental skills and singing technique.
Students are introduced to a variety of percussion instruments for the first time. They are encouraged to explore, through play, how sounds can be made and perform rhythmical patterns together. They learn songs that are repetitive, rhythmical, that help with counting and of course, for performance, such as Carols by Candlelight. Students listen to disco, funk, classical and romantic music, and are encouraged to respond to this music through movement.
Students continue to learn how to use and play percussion instruments and they use this knowledge to create their own rhythmical compositions. They learn about rhythm and beat and follow and create ostinato rhythms. They sing chants and call and response songs, focusing on pitch, tempo and dynamics. Music appreciation includes Rock and Roll, Jazz, Pop, Samba and the Blues. The term culminates in a production, often related to the topic studied.
The students are introduced to the orchestra for the first time, meeting each section and hearing the sound of the different instruments within that section. Music appreciation follows on from this, as they listen to orchestral pieces, including music from popular films, to identify the different sections of the orchestra. They sing songs in unison and in rounds, developing harmonies towards the end of the unit. They begin to write their own compositions and develop their own style of notation.
Students explore a wide range of musical genres and styles, learning to listen to, compose and perform music from them. They continue to develop their aural skills by identifying musical elements such as rhythm, pitch and dynamics in different styles of music and different technologies, such as garage band. Students develop their coordination and rhythmic skills through body percussion. They become more familiar with reading music through performing on the xylophone and keyboard. Students learn to sing a broad range of songs, with opportunities to showcase this throughout the year, including performing in the Year group production.
In Year 7, students focus their musical development through performance. The introductory music fundamentals topic explores the basic concepts of music notation and rhythm, which they will build on throughout the year. Students further develop their sense of rhythm in our djembe drumming unit, learning to compose and perform cyclic polyrhythms. In our ukulele performance unit, students learn to perform a variety of popular two, three, and four chord songs, developing their ensemble skills in smaller groups. Our musical theatre unit challenges to recognise the key features of musical theatre, and put them into action, culminating in an ensemble performance of a song from a work of musical theatre.
In Year 8, students explore a wide variety of styles, from traditional Indian music to popular music and video game music. Exploring the musical traditions of India, students learn to aurally identify the key musical elements and instruments used in Indian music, and examine and perform examples of Indian Raga. Students further develop their ensemble skills in our Popular Band unit, learning to perform a piece of popular music in groups. Our units on Music for Media and Video Game music examine music as a more technological concept, introducing aspects of music technology to students, and examining the contexts for creating these types of music.
In Year 9, students continue to expand their knowledge of a variety of musical styles and traditions, encompassing traditional Arabic music, Rap and Film Music to name a few genres.
In exploring the musical traditions of Arabic music, students learn to aurally identify the key musical elements and instruments used in Arabic music, and examine and perform examples of Arabic Maqamat. Students explore the impact of the spoken word on music through our unit on Rap, learning about the origins of the genre, as well as composing and performing their own original raps. Our on four chord mashups further explore ensemble skills, whilst also continuing to develop student’s keyboard skills. Film Music focuses on the development of critical listening skills – being able to be able to comment on orchestral instruments and instrumental combinations, as well as exploring key features specific to Film Music. Student’s creativity is challenged through the creation of a storyboard and composing an original score to match the story or timeline they have created.
At Safa British School the Primary Art department is a vibrant and creative place where our goal is to engage and encourage students, creating an inclusive environment where diversity is celebrated. We aim to equip every student with the information and ability to work independently. In Primary Art at Safa students are introduced to a wide range of media including paint, clay and watercolor.
The Primary Art course is designed to set a strong foundation in the following areas, which we then build on in later years:
In Art and Design at Safa British School our mission has three parts:
Curriculum
As the school follows the British National Curriculum, throughout all year groups the aim of Art and Design is to prepare students to have the skills to be able to choose and successfully complete the GCSE Art course. This involves project based learning which although following the same format, increases in challenge as students progress through the school.
Fine Art Landscapes
Pop Art Portraits
Tote bag design for Museum of the Future
Sculpture; Critical thinking: masking tape shoe
Surrealist Bedroom Design
Sea-shore & Sea life
Pop Art: Fastenings
Sculpture: Mask Making
In year 10 and 11 the students follow the program of study as set out by Pearson Excel GCSE. In year 10 the students work on projects which will develop their skills in research, experimentation with materials, observational drawing, creativity and evaluation. As they work through the projects they are building up a portfolio of work. In the summer term of year 10 the students will complete a mock exam to help prepare them for the exam at the end of year 11.
In year 11 students work on projects which they will have autonomy of choice on the artists they choose to research and the skills they which to explore, obviously playing to their strengths that they have developed in year 10. In January the Exam information is released and the students then begin their preparation for their summer examination.
Safa British School have introduced food technology for the first time this academic year and our current Year 10s have been able to select this as a GCSE subject. We look forward to continuing to expand the access to this subject in the future.
As part of the GCSE course, students not only prepare food, but they also look at costings when buying food and preparing a meal. A vital part of the course is diet and nutrition, ensuring they are able to produce a balanced family meal.
Our aim in Design and Technology is to celebrate and hone the breadth of soft skills the subject has to offer and to develop open-minded future-ready learners. We believe creativity, communication and critical thinking will help students navigate and succeed in an ever-changing work landscape. With equal emphasis on hard and soft skills within the curriculum, we believe students can advance from Safa British School with a skillset that not only prepares them for success in the current workplace but also gives them the capacity to adapt to a future one.
We strive to deliver a curriculum that not only bridges the gap between secondary education and higher education, but ensures the tools, techniques and processes are of industry standard and practice too. We teach students how to think critically, conscientiously, and divergently when generating ideas, with the aim of manufacturing products with purpose and value.
The department boasts two Fabrication Labs, each dedicated to creative exploration using various equipment and technologies. FABLAB1 consists of a range of technological equipment including 3D printers, laser engravers, CNC (computer numerical controlled) routers and vinyl cutters. FABLAB2 consists of traditional equipment including hand tools, power tools, cutting tools, measuring tools, marking tools; as well as, sanders, drill presses, table routers, scrollsaws, bandsaws and morticers. FABLAB2 also includes vacuum formers, strip heaters, hotwire cutters, and profile cutters for plastic forming and plastic shaping.
Design Communication
Students learn a range of design communication techniques that enable them to communicate their ideas visually and effectively, including oblique and perspective projection, depth enhancement techniques, and creative ways for generating ideas.
3DCADCAM-STEAM
Core Content Focus: Sustainability
Students are challenged to create the most optimum wind turbine, considering balance between aerodynamics and air resistance. Students learn three-dimensional Computer-aided Design (CAD) skills using Autodesk TinkerCAD, while testing the efficiency of their 3D-printed designs.
2DCADCAM
Core Content Focus: Cultural Design
Students learn to apply two-dimensional CAD skills to develop design proposals for a laser-cut Expo souvenir. Students investigate their chosen country’s culture and traditions and how best to celebrate them within their product. Students learn about the advantages and disadvantages of computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacture (CAM), as well as learning how to realise their ideas with both. Students deploy Adobe Illustrator to produce the CAD drawings, and a laser machine to fabricate the parts for the prototype. Students apply knowledge and understanding of a range of prototyping materials, including corrugated cardboards and manufactured timbers, and learn to discriminate between them and select appropriately when modelling and prototyping.
Specialist Techniques, Tools, Equipment & Processes
Core Content Focus: Materials Selection
Students learn to use a variety of hand tools and machinery safely and effectively as well as multiple woodworking and plastic forming processes to manufacture a functional passive amplifier product.
2D/3DCADCAM–Desk Organizer
Core Content Focus: Design Ethics & the Environment
Students learn to manufacture products using rapid prototyping techniques and processes. Students learn to generate three-dimensional models in a virtual environment, deploying CAD tools within one of the world’s leading software, Autodesk Fusion360. Within the software they will generate a three-part organizer: part one will be manufactured via 3D printing; part two will be manufactured via laser cutting, later formed on the strip heater; and, part three will be manufactured by hand using appropriate tools and machinery to shape (i.e. cutting, abrading, chiseling) and to fabricate (i.e. use of adhesives, jointing (lap joints, mitre joints)). Students also learn to apply knowledge and understanding of different materials, such as natural and manufactured timbers, as well as biodegradable materials, and thermoforming polymers.
3DCADCAM–Minimalist Lamp
Core Content Focus: Orthographics | Design for Manufacture
Students learn to design a minimalistic table lamp inspired by Scandinavian design principles and contrast to modern high-tech lights. The cost and impact of making any new product is affected by many different elements, and students learn to consider each of these throughout the design process i.e. labour, manufacturing processes, materials, and environmental e.g. how much can be recycled and reused at the end of production and at the end of itsuse. Studentsassesstheenvironmentalimpactassociatedwithaproduct(LifeCycleAnalysis)andlearnthe importance of circular life cycles, which ensures products, materials and components are used repeatedly. Students will further develop their three-dimensional CAD skills by assembling each part of their lamp on Fusion360; student will then prepare their design for manufacture by producing CAD generated orthographic drawings to assist in the making of the lamp in the following module.
Specialist Techniques, Tools, Equipment & Processes–Minimalist Lamp
Core Content Focus: Electronics
Students learn to use a variety of hand tools and machinery safely and effectively as well as multiple woodworking processes to manufacture a functional table lamp. Students will use appropriate tools and machinery to shape (i.e. cutting, abrading, chiseling) and to fabricate (i.e. use of adhesives, jointing (lap joints, mitre joints, housing joints)).
2DCADCAM
Core Content Focus: Sustainable Design
Students further their learning about CADCAM and sustainable design. Students learn to design and prototype a flat-pack product that not only minimizes transportation costs, pollution, and demand on natural resources, but is user-centric and easy to assemble. Students investigate and analyse the work of past and present professionals,
one being Zaha Hadid, to inform their own designs and generate more creative concepts. Students learn to use anthropometric data to improve product ergonomics and usability, as well as iterative and developmental techniques to reach the best possible outcome.
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