Art & Design
Art offers opportunities for children to individually imagine, create, feel and see, through different mediums.
Our curriculum for Art and Design is planned to support our children to acquire, improve and embed a range of artistic skills. It is carefully mapped out to ensure progression and consolidation using a small steps progression document and Chris Quigley milestones. Art lessons are planned and arranged by topic blocks which equip the children with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design. Across the units, the children build upon their understanding of colour, form, texture and pattern and develop an awareness of a broad range of artists and designers.
At the beginning of every new topic teachers assess children's understanding of the key skills for drawing, painting, printing, collage, textiles and sculpture. The skills and techniques are recorded in the children’s Topic books. This might be shown in a variety of different ways such as exploration, observational sketches annotated photographs to show physical models, activities and final pieces. We encourage verbal and written reflections from the pupils so they can understand how to improve their work .
The first lesson begins with a ‘cold task’ enabling recall of previous skills taught in a specific media. Then each lesson is identified with the subject heading of Art and an ‘I can’ statement sticker that is taken from each year groups small steps progression document. Each I can statement is a small step towards the children achieving the milestone for that subject. These ‘I can’ statements are then highlighted in the children’s books. The unit is completed with a ‘hot task’ which provides opportunity to apply and show understanding of new skills taught. The final artwork is assessed to be recorded on Sonar.
Our art and design curriculum is planned to support and establish a seamless progression through the school. When the children reach the end of their primary school journey, they will have acquired, improved and embedded a range of artist skills. They will be confident to explore and take risks, placing value on the journey they take rather than just on the finished product. Through pupil voice, the children have expressed how much they have enjoyed opportunities for self-expression and creativity.
Due to the practical nature of Art and Design, the monitoring of this subject takes various forms. A key component is pupil voice alongside their class Art Learning journey. School leaders use these to ensure children have the opportunity to develop their skills fully as well as determine their ability to express themselves through a range of different mediums. Through these discussions, children are able to demonstrate how they ‘know more and remember more’.
In addition, children’s art and design work is exhibited throughout the school both in classrooms and on communal displays around the school.
Take One Picture
Each year, the children take part in The National Gallery’s programme called ‘Take One Picture’. The National Gallery select one painting from their collection as a focus for a cross curricular project. Last year it was Surprise by Henri Rousseau. Our work was exhibited at Central Library during the summer of 2023 and the 3-D sculpture of a tiger created by Puffin class was chosen to be displayed at The National Gallery Take One Picture exhibition.
This year the painting is The Courtyard of a House in Delft by Pieter de Hooch. For our Take One Picture Week at school , we once again used this opportunity to learn about the artist, describe and appraise the painting as well as practice and refine the art skills we had already been taught. For example, in Zebra class, taking inspiration from the doors, doorways, windows and archways in the local environment the children design their own door. Using their previously tight skill of lino printing, the children created a lino block print.
In Tiger class, using their previously taught skills of cutting, carving, rolling, attaching and moulding, each child made a clay face.
Art and Design Long Term Plan
