The Bunbury Senior High School Visual Arts Specialist Program (VASP) has been developed to help maximise the potential of talented students in the area of Visual Arts.

Students will have access to a unique, specialist program delivered by highly qualified staff throughout Years 7 - 12. In the Visual Arts Specialist Program students will learn through engagement in two-dimensional, three-dimensional and four-dimensional art and design practice, concept, theory, history and technique based on traditional, contemporary and commercial Visual Arts practice. To this end the program will facilitate four weekly contact hours. Two hours will be in Visual Arts, one hour in English and one hour in ICT throughout Year 7, expanding commitment and specialisation in Years 8, 9 and 10. Students will also be expected to attend Bunbury Regional Art Galleries for exhibitions and artist floor talks as well as other scheduled excursions.

LEARNING OUTCOMES
The Visual Arts have direct relationships with other subjects and these relationships are a key aspect of this program: Visual literacy and critical literacy skills will enable students to access knowledge, make meaning, express thoughts, emotions and ideas, interact with others and participate in a range of communication activities, using a range of printed, audio, visual and digital materials. Numeracy will be an implicit component of the program as students are asked to learn, design, make, create, evaluate and complete activities that require significant numeracy skills.
Throughout the program students will develop and use advanced information communication technology (ICT) skills through forming ideas, processes and solutions to challenges or tasks. In addition to this, students will:

• recognise the shaping role of arts in their immediate family and environment,
• understand how different cultures and groups use arts, and how arts reinforces social diversity,
• understand how arts confirm and change values,
• recognise the economic significance of arts, and the environmental impact that some arts forms can have,
• use the process of 'design, make, appraise' in the development of arts works and documentation of art making process,
• design web sites and art works using desktop publishing and computers,
• use language comprehensively to engage with arts experiences.

PATHWAYS
Bunbury Senior High School takes a long-term view of the involvement of students in The Arts.
In addition to any Arts-related outcomes, our students have the opportunity to participate in Senior School courses leading to University programs or to TAFE.

All students that participate in the specialist program will start their VET Certificate I in Visual Arts in Year 10 with the option of an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) pathway, continuing to Certificate ll and/or lll in Visual Arts in Years 11 and 12. Students will spend four hours per week of curriculum time in the program in Years 7-10.

TIME ALLOCATION
Students will spend four hours each week of curriculum time in the program in Years 7-10. In Years 11-12, the allocation will be a minimum 4 hours depending on student's course selections.

COST
There is a cost associated with participating in this program. In Year 10 VASP students will have the opportunity to participate in a week-long excursion to Melbourne designed to support learning and awareness of future educational and vocational arts-related activities. Participation is non-compulsory (but highly recommended). Please see current Contributions & Charges handbook for more information on costs for the VASP Program.

APPLICATION
Most students will enter the Program in Year 7. A small number of vacancies may occur in other year groups. A selection process will be used to identify suitable students. Consideration will be given to each student's focus on learning, perceived artistic ability and potential for role-modelling. The student’s current school may be asked to provide a reference. All students moving from primary school will be invited to a testing session held at Bunbury Senior High School.

FURTHER QUESTIONS
Please do not hesitate to contact the school to clarify any aspects of the program. Direct your enquiries to Melissa Spencer - Teacher in Charge - VASP on 9797 8900 or by email at: bunbury.shs@education.wa.edu.au

APPLICATIONS are now closed for 2021.

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