Intent
At SPWP, we intend to instil an appreciation and enjoyment of the visual arts. Art and design stimulates imagination and creativity; involving children in a range of visual, tactile and sensory experiences, which enable them to communicate what they see, think and feel through the use of the elements of colour, texture, form and pattern. Art and design promotes careful observation and an appreciation of the world around us.
We believe that a high-quality Art and Design curriculum is as an important part of the children’s entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum. Art and Design provides 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. An art and design education at St Paul’s Way engages, inspires and challenges pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art and design. As pupils progress, they are be able to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of art and design. They know how art and design both reflect and shape our history, and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation.
We follow the National Curriculum for Art, which aims to ensure that all 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.
In KS1 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.
In KS2 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
Key Art themes taught at SPWP
| Year | Themes |
|---|---|
| Year 1 | Cityscapes and skylines
Self-portraits: Picasso |
| Year 2 | Environmental Art: Andy Goldworthy
Painting Animals: Henry Rousseau |
| Year 3 | Leonardo da Vinci
Graffitti and street art |
| Year 4 | Anglo-Saxons tapestry
Monet and impressionists |
| Year 5 | Ancient Egyptian portraits and imagery
Van Gogh |
| Year 6 | Greek pottery designs Amedeo Modigliani portraits |
Implementation:
The Art and Design curriculum at St Paul’s Way is based upon the 2014 Primary National Curriculum in England, which provides a broad framework and outlines the knowledge and skills and taught in each Key Stage. Schemes of work have been created based on the framework and these are adapted by teachers to meet the needs of their children. The progression document ensures the curriculum is covered and the skills/knowledge taught is progressive from year group to year group.
The skills and knowledge that children will develop throughout each art topic are mapped across each year group and are progressive throughout the school. The emphasis on knowledge ensures that children understand the context of the artwork, as well as the artists that they are learning about and being inspired by. This enables links to other curriculum areas, including humanities, with children developing a considerable knowledge of individual artists, as well as individual works and art movements. A similar systematic approach to the development of artistic skills means that children are given opportunities to express their creative imagination, as well as practise and develop mastery in the key processes of art: drawing, painting, printing, textiles and sculpture.
At St Paul’s Way, children use sketchbooks to record their Art & Design lessons and progression of skills. They have the opportunity to use sketchbooks to collect, record and evaluate their ideas and it is a way for children to express themselves and their creativity. Sketchbooks show a journey of progression through a unit and clear development and build of skills/knowledge/techniques that lead to a final outcome/piece of art. Children have an opportunity in lesson to focus on skills within Art and experiment with line, tone, texture and shape. The sketchbooks are a place for children to practise, develop and refine their work. Mistakes are encouraged to not be rubbed out or removed, but instead be seen as part of the learning process.
