The document provides feedback on the photography curriculum from a review. It summarizes that the foundation projects are effective for teaching basic skills but suggests allowing more student choice and independent outcomes for some projects. It also recommends incorporating current social issues into portraiture and considering cross-department collaborations. The feedback suggests being more explicit about assessment objectives and ensuring feedback is retained. It proposes charging studio fees and printing costs to better manage resources. Improving links between sections on the course website and using spaces like hallways more for exhibitions are also recommended.

1. PHOTOGRAPHY REVIEW
Below is a list of the projects we have done this year could you please mark the boxes in order
of merit
AS Photography 1 -
Excellen
t
2 –
Good
3 –
Okay
4 –
dislike
5 –
Change
Foundation x
Portraiture x
Landscape x
A2 Photography 1 -
Excellen
t
2 –
Good
3 –
Okay
4 –
dislike
5 –
Change
Curatorship leaflet
Practical response
In regards to the above projects could you write a brief summary on what you felt went well
Foundation works well as it teaches students basics and helps filter into their understanding
of formal elements and how to take a good picture.
I really thought how Shelby touched on ‘social issues in her exam added a lot of value to her work.
Perhaps we could have a project based around a current issue within the neighbourhood? Something
more documentary style in the portraiture project?

2. What needs to be changed improved
Perhaps changing the set tasks so there is more of an independent outcome (talking more about
exam and intro to landscape here, though they do teach them basic essential skills. Maybe we could
have more options and they could choose 2/3 tasks from a set of 6?
Do you have any other schemes or topic ideas that could be added? Are there any cross
departmental ideas / projects that could be put into the curriculum
More drawing onto and physically manipulating prints.
I really thought how Shelby touched on ‘social issues in her exam added a lot of value to her work.
Perhaps we could have a project based around a current issue within the neighbourhood? Something
more documentary style in the portraiture project?
Anythoughtsinregardstoformativeorsummativeassessment.Ourfeedback,markinghomework,markingprojects,
visual descriptors online and in the studio
Assessment objectives could be more explicit within our teaching and in the classroom. Teacher
feedback on weebly works well however ensure that students have something that they cant delete.
The studio
Do you feel the studio works well can you suggest any changes that need to be made this could
include any equipment / software that you feel should be ordered
Studio fee at start of autumn term, they burn through too much paper (RANT: no wonder we ran out of
money and have had no pritt stick or basic resources in department when we don’t charge students to
use expensive resources such as printing and paper, chemical etc.) perhaps they could be given a
pack of paper that they keep in the dark room with their name on so each student has an equal

3. amount, as we do in art.
I don’t think it is unreasonable to ask for a studio fee and printing fees!
Printing
Do you have any suggestion on how this process can be improved make reference to the outsourcing
of prints to photobox
Photobox is a really useful resource, again, charging students for prints as they need them.
Weebly / Flickr / Blog / Facebook / Twitter
Have these been successful are there improvements that we need to make.
Weebly works really well, great layout and good for organising projects. Need to have more of a link to
technical and contextual tabs, maybe we should have a tab within each unit.
Blog is good but not used as much as it should be. Perhaps we should make sure that every teacher
uploads a ‘work of the week’, to ensure that it is kept fresh and ‘interesting’
Facebook works for those students that are on it, useless if they are not. But excellent sharing site.
Twitter?
Stair exhibition are we making the best use of this space and other areas around the school
the corridor outside of photography is a good space that is used, maybe we just need to refresh
images. It would be great to hae some alrger images that are done on show in more public spaces
(halls etc.)
Below are a few other schools that offer photography at A level

4. http://highgate.digitalbrain.com/highgate/web/post16/sixth/photography.htm
http://www.eastbarnet.barnet.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Sixth-From-Prospectus-WEB1.pdf
http://finchley.fluencycms.co.uk/Photography