Art & Design
“Art, craft and design embody some of the highest forms of human creativity. A high quality art and design education should engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment invent and create their own works of art, craft and design. As pupils progress they should be able to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of art and design. They should also know how art and design both reflect and shape our history, and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation.”
National Curriculum for Art, 2014.
Art Curriculum Subject Progression Framework
Rationale
Art and Design provide a fundamental experience in both exciting children’s imaginations and helping them record the world around them creatively. It enables children to communicate their ideas and give meaning expressively through the exploration of pattern, colour, texture and materials. The study of various artists, craft makers and designers encourages children to develop new perspectives and helps them make informed decisions in their own designs. Through learning about the roles and functions of art, they can explore the impact it has had on modern life and that of different periods and cultures.
Subject Content Implementation
Children in Early years have a wide range of creative experiences that enable them to meet the Early Learning Goals set out within the creative development section of the Foundation Stage Guidance.
Key Stage 1 Pupils should be taught:
- To use a range of materials creatively to design and make products.
- To use drawing, painting and sculpture to develop and share their ideas, experience and imagination.
- To develop a wide a range of art and design techniques in using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space.
- About the range of artists, craft makers and designers, describing the differences and similarities between different practices and disciplines and making links to their own work.
Key Stage 2 Pupils should be taught
- To create to develop their techniques, including their control and use of materials with creativity, experimentation and an increased awareness of different kinds of art, craft and design. Pupils should be taught:
- To create sketch books to record their observations and use them to review and revisit ideas
- To improve their mastery of art and design techniques, including drawing, painting and sculpture with a range of materials (for example, pencil, charcoal, paint, clay)
- About great artists, architects and designers in history.
Art & Design Curriculum Planning
Art and Design is integrated into our whole school overview and half termly Learning Journeys. We use a creative approach towards our curriculum planning in art and design and link our schemes of work to our theme of study and subsequent project launch.
Our Learning Journeys ensure an appropriate balance and distribution of work across each half- term. We plan the activities in art and design so that they build on the children’s prior learning. While we give children of all abilities the opportunity to develop their skills, knowledge and understanding, we also plan for so that there is an increasing challenge for the children as they move up through the school.
Teaching & Learning
Our school uses a variety of teaching and learning styles in art and design lessons. Our main aim is to develop the children’s knowledge, skills and understanding. We ensure that the act of investigating and making something includes exploring and developing ideas, and evaluating and developing work.
Teachers encourage children to evaluate their own ideas and methods, and the work of others, and to say what they think and feel about them. We give children the opportunity to work by themselves and collaboratively.
Children also have the opportunity to use a wide range of materials and resources, including ICT. We encourage children to develop artistic awareness and acquire skills, knowledge and understanding to express their ideas.
Sketchbooks
Since the introduction of the use of sketchbooks in the National Curriculum, we have incorporated them into our curriculum design. Children use sketchbooks to record their observations, ideas and plans. We encourage children to refer to their sketchbooks as a way of evaluating, improving and developing their work freely. Children’s sketchbooks showcase both their final pieces of artwork and the sequence leading to it.