Art
Art - Intent, Implementation and Impact
Intent
At Ashleigh Primary School, we value Art and Design as an important part of the children’s entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum. Art and Design provides the children with the opportunities to develop and extend skills and an opportunity to express their individual interests, thought and ideas.
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 have the opportunity to explore their ideas and record their experiences, as well as exploring the work of others and evaluate different creative ideas. Children should also know how art and design both reflect and shape our history, and contribute to culture and creativity.
Aims
The national curriculum for art and design aims to ensure that all pupils:
- 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.
Implementation
To ensure high standards of teaching and learning in art and design at Ashleigh Primary School, we implement a curriculum that is progressive throughout the whole school. The Art and Design Curriculum is based on the National Curriculum and linked to topics to ensure a well-structured approach to this creative subject.
Teachers ensure the curriculum is covered and the skills/knowledge taught is progressive from year group to year group. The emphasis on knowledge ensures that children understand the context of the artwork, as well as the artists, architects and designers that they are learning about and being inspired by. This enables links to other curriculum areas through each class’ Learning Pathways and class topic work, 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 practice and develop mastery in the key processes of art: drawing, painting, printing, collage and sculpture. Children’s knowledge and skills are built upon over a sequence of lessons which usually lead to a final piece.
Areas covered include sculpture mosaics, printing based on topic work, drawing and painting in the style of different artists, comic art, 3D pottery, textiles and collage, 3D sculpture using mesh,
The children's learning is further enhanced with whole school creative arts weeks when the children have the opportunity for collaborative working and exploring different styles and techniques. Trips and visiting experts also enhance the learning experience for the children.
Early Years Foundation Stage
Pupils explore and use a variety of media and materials through a combination of child initiated and adult directed activities. They have opportunities to learn to:
- Explore the textures, movement, feel and look of different media and materials
- Respond to a range of media and materials, develop their understanding of them in order to manipulate and create different effects.
- Use different media and materials to express their own ideas
- Explore colour and use for a particular purpose
- Develop skills to use simple tools and techniques competently and appropriately
- Select appropriate media and techniques and adapt their work where necessary
Key stage 1
Pupils are 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.
Key stage 2
Pupils are 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.
Pupils are taught:
- 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.
Curriculum Impact
The Art Curriculum at Ashleigh Primary School is high quality, well thought out and is planned to demonstrate progression. Children who are working in line with the curriculum are deemed to be making good or better progress. In addition, we measure the impact of our curriculum through reflection on standards achieved against the planned outcomes. We celebrate the learning taking place through school displays which demonstrates progression and creative outcomes across the wider curriculum throughout the whole school. The displays also reflect the children’s sense of pride in their artwork and demonstrate the skills they have learned. Pupils have opportunities to discuss their learning with each other and staff which includes their thoughts, ideas, processing and evaluations of work. As the children progress through school they become more confident in analysing their work and giving their opinion on their own and other works of art. The children are always keen to learn new skills and work hard to perfect those shown to them. Teachers have high expectations and quality evidence can be presented in a variety of ways. The children’s art is very often cross-curricular, and helps them to express feelings and emotions in art, as well as show their knowledge and understanding. Children use technical vocabulary accurately and pupils are expected to know, apply and understand the matters, skills and processes specified.
Ongoing assessments take place throughout the year. Teachers use this information to monitor and inform future lessons; ensuring children are supported and challenged appropriately. This data is analysed on a termly basis to inform and address any trends or gaps in attainment. Children in Foundation Stage are assessed within Expressive Arts and Design and their progress is tracked termly. Age related expectation levels are reported to parents at the end of the school year.