This Portrait Painting project is one I have sustained, developed and built upon ever since I started teaching. Initially a short scheme of work, I have refined it every year, building in new more ambitious ideas and artists to help keep it fresh and provide opportunities for personalised learning and outcomes.



Stanley Spencer's self portraits are studied in depth before students move on to select their own choice of second artist. This is what leads to more diverse outcomes.

Students respond well to the structured tasks which helps to tackle the difficult nature of the portrait with confidence. I use it as a key component in Year 10/ Grade 9 to teach students how to develop an investigation from initial concept through to final outcome. I systematically embed the assessment objectives into the tasks which are made explicit to the students.



Using the resources I provided, colleagues at UWC and ISZL have taught the project successfully and have since taken it with them to other schools. It has now been taught in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Australia, Germany and Qatar as well as the UK, Singapore and Switzerland. I am told it is still a very much anticipated unit for students, in schools that I left years ago. I believe this is because it provides a firm foundation upon which to build as students enter the more independent stages of their art education.