Art

Subjects

Art

Our Intent

At Wickersley Partnership Trust (primary) we aim to ensure our Art and design curriculum is designed so that progressive skills are taught throughout EYFS up to Year 6. We want all children to see themselves as artists and designers and we aim to equip them with the skills and knowledge in order for them to feel this. We believe that Art and design stimulates creativity and imagination. This policy has been established to address the National Curriculum for Art and Design KS1, KS2 and the Early Years Foundation stage curriculum documents. ‘Art’ should be interpreted as ‘art, craft and design’ and artists should be interpreted as artists, crafts people and designers throughout all documentation. The Art and Design policy follows whole school guidance on the curriculum and how it is managed, organized, delivered, assessed and evaluated. It also reflects agreed approaches to the whole school issues, i.e. teaching and learning strategies, differentiation, behaviour and discipline, special educational needs, inclusion and equal opportunities.

We believe that Art and design within the trust schools provides a visual, tactile and sensory experience and a special way of understanding and responding to the world and involving our local community. It enables children to communicate what they see, feel and think through immersion, by creatively looking into colour, texture, form, pattern and space. It gives children the opportunity to explore materials and artistic processes, providing a sense of calm, of achievement and success at all levels.

Throughout the Trust, we aim for the children to become involved in shaping their own immersive learning environments through art and design activities. They learn to make informed judgements with aesthetic and practical decisions. The children explore ideas and meanings through the work of artists and designers. Through learning about the basic skills, roles and functions of art, they can explore the impact it has had on contemporary life and that of modern, historic times and cultures. The children within the settings learn to appreciate and gain enjoyment of the visual arts and the impact that art has to enrich our lives.

It is vital that curriculum knowledge and skills are not learnt in isolation. We teach Art and design through the progression of skills and knowledge, both of which are planned in a sequential document. We include in this key lines of inquiry to develop links across the curriculum, as well as to the bigger concepts that drive our curriculum intent.

Vision statement:

A successful Artist at Wickersley Partnership Trust is:

  • Enthusiastic about Art
  • Enjoys the creativity that Art allows
  • Is able to appreciate the work of other artists
  • Is able to evaluate their own work and suggest ways to improve
  • Is keen to develop and refine their skills
  • Is able to demonstrate a range of skills, handle tools and media, with confidence
  • Is able to apply their knowledge and understanding of Art to their own work.

How we intend to remove barriers

In Art and Design we remove barriers to learning and support students’ ability to access the curriculum through the development of literacy, numeracy, oracy skills and vocabulary acquisition. 

Misconceptions do not go unchallenged and the supportive environment within each and every lesson ensures that students develop their own artistic literacy and vocabulary. A progressive vocabulary list forms part of the long term planning document. Key artistic vocabulary is displayed in all settings.

Literacy

Art contributes to the teaching of English in our school by encouraging children to ask and answer questions about the starting points for their work. They have the opportunity to compare ideas, methods and approaches in their own work and that of other children, and to say what they think and feel about them.

Numeracy

Art contributes to the teaching of mathematics in our settings by giving opportunities to develop the children’s understanding of shape and space through work in two and three dimensions.

Oracy

In order to develop their oracy within a subject specific context pupils are given opportunities to talk about their learning. Staff challenge the use of skills and artist related language and will direct pupils towards the correct terminology when appropriate.

Vocabulary

Students are introduced to key subject specific vocabulary and have regular opportunities to reinforce their understanding. Key Art and design vocabulary is highlighted to the pupils and pupils are guided to use this in their work. Key Art vocabulary is displayed in all classrooms.

How we develop skills for learning

EYFS

The EYFS framework is structured very differently to the national curriculum as it is organised across seven areas of learning rather than subject areas. The children’s learning experiences includes art, music, dance, role-play and imaginative play. The range of experience encourages children to make connections between one area of learning and another and so extends their understanding.

KS1

Students should be taught:

  • To use a range of materials creatively to design and make products.
  • To use drawing, painting and sculpture to develop and share their ideas, experiences and imagination.
  • To develop a wide range of art and design techniques in using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space.
  • About the work of a range of artists, craft makers and designers, describing the differences and similarities between different practices and disciplines, and making links to their own work.

KS2

Pupils should be taught

  • To develop their techniques, including their control and their use of materials, with creativity, experimentation and an increasing awareness of different kinds of art, craft and design.
  • To create sketch books to record their observations and use them to review and revisit ideas.
  • To improve their mastery of art and design techniques, including drawing, painting and sculpture with a range of materials [for example, pencil, charcoal, paint, clay]
  • About great artists, architects and designers in history.

How we foster personal attributes

In Art and Design our curriculum intent embodies that of the school. We are committed to ensuring students are exposed to the wider world context in order to develop them as well rounded individuals. Our curriculum demands independence, resilience and responsibility in line with SCHOOL Way. The Trust schools use a variety of teaching and learning styles in art and design lessons. Our main aim is to develop the children’s knowledge of basic skills needed to develop in art and design.

How we intend to enrich student experiences and broaden the horizons of students

The Art curriculum lead and individual school teams are responsible for ensuring that both Art and DT are well planned and link to the topics being covered for each half term. This will ensure equal distribution of Art and DT and progression in the skills of pupils being developed. The art subject leaders are encouraged to keep evidence of the children’s work in a portfolio. This demonstrates what the expected level of achievement is in art and design in each year of the school. The staff meet regularly to review and celebrate individual evidence of children’s work.

KS4 and KS5 to follow.