Art and Design
| Early Years | Key Stage 1 | Key Stage 2 |
Art Curriculum Statement
Intent
At St Richard’s Primary School we make art an enjoyable learning experience for all. We encourage children to participate in a variety of artistic experiences through which we aim to build up their confidence, skills and accuracy. Our teaching focuses on equipping the children with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art. St Richard's Primary School is located in the top 20% of the most deprived areas in England. Due to this our Art curriculum has been personalised and designed to help tackle the effects of deprivation whilst equipping the children with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed.
As pupils progress, they should be able to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of art. They should also have an understanding of how art has shaped our history and contributed to our culture, creativity and wealth of our nation.
In addition, St Richard’s aims to develop the children’s use and understanding of technical vocabulary linked to this subject area. This is to ensure that the children can articulate the skills they are developing, talk about any equipment they have used and discuss and compare their artistic preferences.
Implementation.
Through clear, comprehensive and sequenced lessons, in line with the national curriculum, the children are taught weekly across school in half termly blocks. Through use of a variety of mediums, children are given the opportunity to experiment, explore their ideas and record their work in their personal art book.
Alongside traditional pencil and paint mediums, children work through a variety of topics which explore textiles, collage, 3-D form and printing.
Children work on their own and collaboratively with others on projects in both 2 and 3 dimensions. Before beginning a project children explore and develop their ideas looking at the similarities and differences within the work of a variety of artists, craftspeople and designers in different times and cultures.
From first hand observation, experience and imagination, pupils record and explore ideas, ask and answer questions about the starting points for their work, and develop their ideas.
Impact
Whilst in school, children have access to a varied art curriculum, which allows them to discover areas of strength, as well as those they can develop. Through exploration of their opinions and views, and opportunities to create work, they will develop fundamental abilities such as: self-confidence, collaborative work, achievement and self-reflection.
At St Richard's we are constantly assessing the children's development and updating and analysing Class Track, the school's assessment system. This allows us to check children's learning across school and in doing this it is evident that Art is being taught effectively and that the children are making good progress. This also allows us to identify when children are not making expected progress, determine in which areas they are not making progress and address and close gaps.
Art will also aid development of an understanding of culture and history, both in relation to students individually and different ethnicities from across the world. Children are able to enjoy art in as many ways as they choose- either as creator, evaluator or viewer. They can dissect art and comprehend its parts, fully understanding what art is and how it becomes to be. Children become confident and successful artists and by the end of KS2 will have an understanding of how to further develop skills less known to them, should they wish to pursue their passion for art throughout their lives.