Art & Design

Intent

We aim to deliver our curriculum through 3 key drivers and our 6 school values which underpin our children’s learning.

Aspirations  - A high-quality Art and Design curriculum will engage, inspire and challenge pupils. We offer a range of artists and mediums to broaden the children’s horizons in order to open up their world of art. 

Citizenship - The teaching of art gives our children a sense of identity through a medium for which they can express themselves. We offer a range of artists who have had an impact on the wider community.

Equality - A range of artists from a variety of cultures are used to inspire and teach the curriculum. Opportunities to visit art in the community and to bring art into school are integral to our curriculum. The children will develop an understanding of equality and inequalities of life through history by using examples of artwork from across historical periods.

How Art and Design links to our values

Self-Belief - To know that Art and Design is a way of positive and constructive way of expressing their thoughts, feelings and ideas.

Community - To develop an understanding of how Art and Design has influenced their environment through learning about how art is used in the environment, how design has influenced our communities and how art has brought communities together.

Respect - To understand that art and design is interpreted differently by different people. That no one opinion is correct. That comments of art work are subjective and personal to the viewer and may be different to what the artist or designer intended.

Curiosity - To use art and design to raise questions and discussion points. How was this created? Why was it created? What message does it say to me? To spark ideas from original artworks and designs to enable children to explore and investigate techniques for themselves.

Kindness - To know that art is used to convey messages of empathy and compassion to others in our daily lives. To know that commenting on art and design is personal and respectful to the artist.

Implementation

Our Art Curriculum endeavours to have high standards of teaching and learning in art and design. We implement a curriculum that is progressive throughout the whole school.  Focusing on the skills and knowledge stated in the National Curriculum, EFYS framework and projects from the Curriculum Maestro scheme.

We focus on exploring and investigating art and design from various cultures, artists and designers. We aim to build children’s confidence and freedom to express themselves through the medium or art in a safe and secure environment.

To ensure high standards of teaching and learning in Art and Design we have a curriculum that progresses children’s skills over their whole school career.  Skills and knowledge are built upon from nursery through to Year 6. Teachers have access to knowledge organisers to inform the knowledge, skills and vocabulary the children will require for each project. These are shared with parents at the start of each project and displayed in Art books for children to refer to. Art projects are based upon the Curriculum Maestro Scheme.  The lessons are adapted to enhance and inform teaching and the children’s experience of Art and Design.

Lakey Lane has adopted the Curriculum Maestro scheme to ensure progression and a high standard of teaching and learning to ensure that all aspects of the National Curriculum for Art and Design are covered thoroughly. 

From year one children have a sketch book to investigate, explore and design using a range of mediums.  Knowledge of artists and designers are also recorded in sketchbooks.  Sketchbooks follow children throughout the school to enable children to reflect back on their development and use prior learning to inform new learning.  Only when sketchbooks are full will they make the journey home and a new school sketchbook is provided. 

Each project follows a loose structure of exploring and researching a technique, skill, artwork, artist or designer. Children bring together their explorations to design and produce a final piece. Children are then offered the opportunity to reflect and evaluate work. Children will also articulate where they would like their skills to progress next.

In Nursery and Reception art and design is part of the continuous provision and happens on a daily basis.

In Key Stages One and Two Art is taught on a fortnightly basis with either two, one-hour slots or one whole afternoon slot depending upon time required for the particular project. Unless the particular term does not have an art project to deliver.

We are working to include art experiences and bring artists into the school. Currently we have had a musician, urban artist and a real art exhibition that visit school. We are developing our Art Week provision alongside the Sky Arts week’s resources.

At the end of each project there is opportunity for self and peer-assessment alongside continuous reflection of skills learned throughout each session.

We are looking at building in time for children to reflect on their art learning journey by discussing work in sketchbooks from previous years and evaluating how their own skills have progressed.

The art and design projects are well sequenced to provide a coherent subject scheme that develops children’s skills and knowledge of visual elements, art forms, artists and art movements. Projects are placed alongside other subject projects where there are opportunities for making meaningful connections. For example, Beautiful Botanicals has been placed in the same teaching sequence as the science project Plant Nutrition and Reproduction. Seasons are also a consideration for the placement of art and design projects. For example, if children are required to work outdoors, these projects have been placed in either the latter part of the spring or summer term.

In Key Stage 1, each autumn term begins with the colour project Mix It. The teaching of this project in Years 1 and 2 enables children to be introduced to and then revisit colour theory and provides plentiful opportunities for children to explore primary and secondary colours.

Year 1 begins by exploring themes directly related to the children themselves, such as their facial features, the surrounding natural world and their local community. In Year 2, the projects expand children’s artistic horizons to study a more comprehensive range of artists, artistic movements and creative techniques.

In Lower Key Stage 2, each autumn term begins with the colour project Contrast and Complement. In Years 3 and 4, the teaching of this project enables children to build on their previous understanding of colour and further develop their expertise by studying theory.

In Year 3, children expand their experiences to study a broader range of art forms, artists and genres. They also begin to study art from specific and diverse periods of history, including prehistoric pottery and Roman mosaics. Other genres studied in Year 3 build on previous techniques learned in Key Stage 1 and include more complex techniques in printmaking, drawing, painting and textiles. In Year 4, children develop more specialised techniques in drawing, painting, printmaking and sculpture. They explore ways in which ancient cultures have influenced art and crafts by studying, for example, medieval weaving techniques and the religious significance of Islamic art.

In Upper Key Stage 2, each autumn term begins with the colour project Tints, Tones and Shades. Teaching these projects in Years 5 and 6 enables children to build on their previous understanding of colour theory and develop further expertise with colour by studying tonal variations and more complex colour charts. In Year 5, children develop and combine more complex artistic techniques in a range of genres, including drawing, painting, printmaking and sculpture. Children continue to build on their understanding of other historical periods and cultures by studying the ancient Chinese art form of taotie and the significance of the

Expressionist movement. In Year 6, children are encouraged to work more independently in projects like Environmental Artists and Distortion and Abstraction. Such projects require them to consider more conceptual representations of personal, environmental, social or political messaging. Children explore diversity in art by studying the projects Inuit and Trailblazers, Barrier Breakers.

Impact

Children are expected to make progress that is good or better. Through following our Art curriculum all pupils develop the key artistic aims, as set out by the national curriculum. These are as follows:

• produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences
• become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques
• evaluate and analyse creative works using the language of art, craft and design
• know about great artists, craft makers and designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms.

We measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:

• Work in Art books evidences clear progression from Early Years to Year Six rooted in a broad and engaging curriculum.
• Pupils’ reflections and verbal discussions about their learning; evaluations at the end of each unit to assess their own development as well as pupil interviews with school leaders.
• Pupils report that they enjoy Art lessons, they like learning new skills and developing techniques. They enjoy being creative.
• Work is displayed throughout the year to all members of the school community with positive feedback being given.
• Art clubs are well attended and art competitions have high numbers of entries.