INTENT

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.

At Trottiscliffe C of E Primary School we want our children to have a curriculum that is:

Knowledge rich - Our children have the opportunities to learn and know about different artists, designers, architects and architecture, artistic concepts as well as different types and styles of art and how these relate to a historical context, and understand how all of these contribute to their own ideas and creativity.

Skills based – Our children are able to experience the different techniques, processes and mediums that artists, designers and architects work with and are supported to explore, practise and consolidate their application of these skills through their own work.

Critical in its thinking – Our children are supported to observe, explore, analyse and evaluate their own artwork and the work of other artists, designers and architects.

Process focussed – Our children are encouraged to see the value of the creative process that artists, designers and architects experience and how rich the learning opportunities are within these experiences, rather than solely focussing on the final product.

IMPLEMENTATION

The overall planning is organised to provide progression and opportunities for the children to revisit previous learning to embed prior knowledge, skills and processes. The structure of the curriculum enables children to make connections between work of artists, architects and designers and their own work, through talking about and reflecting upon their work whilst relating back to those works studied. There is also freedom throughout for opportunities of self-expression to encourage individual responses that allow children to have the space to discover who they are as an artists and work with subjects and interests that are relevant and meaningful for them. Due to its practical nature our lessons facilitate the children to be able to see, feel and experience the work and processes of other artists, designers and architects through authentic resources, meaningful inspiration and real life experiences.

Our curriculum progression from the early years and through each key stage is as follows:

Within Reception

• We teach, encourage and support our children to express themselves creatively and to communicate their emotions with an unrestricted license.
• We model and support the development of skills, techniques and capabilities to draw, paint, model, cut out, stick, sculpt and shape….. to choose any medium they desire that best helps them to express their free spirit and emotions. We are interested in the process rather than the product.
• We provide the same practical resources, mediums and materials for the children to freely explore and experience before learning about them within the national curriculum, such as paint, clay and pastels.
• We support talk about the children’s artworks and introduce them to the work of other artists linked to and/or inspired by their developing interests.

Within KS1:

• Our children explore painting, drawing, modelling, sculpting, collage, textiles and printmaking (printing with objects/relief printing with polystyrene). They use a variety of media such as; powder/poster paint, watercolour, pencils, chalks/charcoal/pastels, clay, plaster, wire and paper.
• They learn how to use these mediums to investigate colour, line, style, shape, form, texture, pattern and symmetry, inspired by both well-known artists and buildings, as well as their own imaginations.
• They practise how to mix colours, use line, stick and carve (with clay), tear, mark-make, sculpt, cut and weave.
• They begin to learn to analyse, explore, observe, and evaluate their own artwork through observation, analytical and imaginative drawing activities, written and verbal evaluations. They work with others to produce an artwork.

Within Lower KS2:

• Our children explore painting, drawing, sketching, modelling, collage, printmaking (relief/block printing with polystyrene), embroidery and weaving. They use a variety of media such as; powder/poster paint, watercolour, pencils, chalk/charcoal, oil pastels, ink, clay, wire, natural objects, paper, textiles and mixed media.
• They learn how to use these mediums to investigate colour, line, tone, form, pattern, design, layering and composition inspired by both well-known artists, art works, architecture, architects, monuments and designers, as well as they own imaginations.
• They practise how to apply paint, use colour to show tone (tints/shades), observe and draw details, create form/light/depth/emotion/expression, draw from still life, stick and carve (with clay), use cross-stitch and create a relief.
• They continue to analyse, explore, observe, and evaluate their own artwork through observational, analytical and imaginative drawing activities, annotation, sketching/creating a design for a finished piece, written and verbal evaluations. They work with others to produce an artwork.

Within Upper KS2:

• Our children explore painting, drawing, sketching, modelling, casting, collage, printmaking (mono-print/relief/intaglio/screen-print/reduction printing with polystyrene). They use a variety of media such as; acrylic and watercolour paint, ink, pencils, pastels (soft and oil), clay, and plaster.
• They learn how to use these mediums to investigate style, design, shape, colour theory, tone, perspective, form, texture, pattern, line, detail and expression inspired by well-known artists, art works, architecture, architects and designers, as well as their own imaginations.
• They practise how to apply paint and ink, use colour theory, show tone, create texture, use rulers and compasses for geometric drawing, carve and build up clay, create observational drawings, use perspective, create light/dark, use a variety of brushstrokes and create a relief.
• They consolidate their ability to analyse, explore, observe and evaluate their own artwork through observational, analytical and imaginative drawing activities, annotation, sketching/creating designs for a finished piece, written and verbal evaluations. They may work with others to produce an artwork.
• They also have two topics following a ‘child-led’ investigative approach, where they can investigate and create their own choice of artwork in response to a studied piece of work/works.

IMPACT

The children are at the heart of all of our teaching and learning and we strive to ensure that during our time with us they will acquire the following:

Understanding – Children will have secure knowledge of a range of artists, designers and architects and understand how their art forms have developed.

Technique – Children will be confident in their abilities to use a range of techniques, skills, materials and mediums to explore their ideas through their own creative processes and production of creative work.

Reflective practice – Children will be able to talk about the work of others as well as their own work, using the language of art, craft and design and making links with the works they have studied.

Value – Children will have a deeper awareness of the creative process and view this as just as important (if not more) than the final outcome or product.

We use a variety of strategies to monitor and assess the progression of the skills, knowledge and thinking of the children through the use of:

• Termly displays
• Book looks
• Lesson observations
• Pupil voice