Art
“Children are naturally creative. It is our job to give them the freedom, materials and space to let their creatively blossom to its full potential.” Jean Vant Hul
INTENT
At St Peter and St Paul Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery we believe that art is a vital part of children’s education and has a significant and valuable role in the taught curriculum, as well as the enrichment opportunities we offer our pupils. The art curriculum will develop children’s critical abilities and understanding of their own and others’ cultural heritages through studying a diverse range of male and female artists.
Children will develop their understanding of the visual language of art with effective teaching and considered sequences of lessons and experiences. Understanding of the visual elements of art and design (line, tone, texture, colour, pattern, shape, 3D form) will be developed by providing a curriculum which will enable children to reach their full potential.
We aim to do this by providing the children with enriching memorable opportunities which will expose them to the broad arts culture. By the time our students leave us, they will be equipped with the skills, concepts, knowledge and confidence to invent and create their own works of art.
IMPLEMENTATION
The skills and knowledge that children will develop throughout each art topic are mapped across each year group and throughout the school to ensure progression. The emphasis on knowledge ensures that children understand the context of the artwork, as well as the artists that they are learning about and being inspired by. Children learn about different artists each half term as part of a whole school art day, cumulating in a whole school Art exhibition in which parents are invited to. This enables links to other curriculum areas, including humanities, with children developing a considerable knowledge of individual artists as well as individual works and art movements. A similar focus on skills means that children are given opportunities to express their creative imagination, as well as practise and develop mastery in the key processes of art: drawing, painting, printing, textiles and sculpture.
Our art curriculum follows the national curriculum and provides a clear and comprehensive scheme of work that shows progression of skills across all key stages within the strands of Art. The children are given opportunities to develop not only their skills, knowledge and language but their experiences too. These experiences include trips to museums, involvement in local community events and regular opportunities with arts educators. Sketchbooks were introduced last year to allow the children to work on their techniques.
IMPACT
Classroom displays reflect the children’s sense of pride in their artwork and this is also demonstrated by creative outcomes across the wider curriculum. The school environment also celebrates children’s achievements in art, enhancing the outdoor as well as indoor environment.
The Art curriculum at St Peter and St Paul Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery contributes to children’s personal development in creativity, independence, judgement and self-reflection.
In art, we use a range of strategies to assess what skills and knowledge the children have attained each term including the following:
Book looks
Pupil voice
Regular feedback each lesson