Intent 

Our Art and Design Curriculum has been designed around the idea that art is far more than a series of technical skills, our holistic curriculum nurtures creative thinking skills and helps ensure pupils learn through art, as well as about art. By exploring why art is relevant to all our lives, we aim to make certain that pupils feel entitled to develop their creativity, and understand their place in the world as creative, confident beings. 

Our Art and Design curriculum: 

• Creates opportunities for pupils to explore many different aspects of making. 

• Supports pupils to understand the ways art connects us with our past, helps us embrace the present, and empowers us to shape our future.  

• Is knowledge-rich, and pupils will learn a wide range of skills, developing understanding and showing clear progression.  

• Balances declarative knowledge with experiential knowledge, building self-knowledge and nurturing traits in learners which will hold them in good stead whichever direction their learning takes them. 

Implementation 

Our Art and Design Curriculum is overseen by our Art and Design Lead.  The Lead provides training and support to staff, quality assurance regarding the delivery of the Access Arts program and reports directly to Senior Leaders. 

The Art and Design Curriculum: 

• Is delivered through the Access Arts Programme 

• Is taught weekly to classes in Key stage 1 & 2.  

• Foundation stage pupils are given a range of opportunities to explore the curriculum through adult led sessions and through activities set up within continuous provision. 

• There are no set sequences, and no right and wrong order in the way we introduce skills. Instead, learning is built through a weaving and layering and revisiting of experiences. 

• Is about opening what art is, ensuring pupils have lots of different kinds of opportunities and experiences (media, techniques, approaches, artists), all underpinned by creative use of drawing and sketchbooks. 

• Follows a repeated rhythm, providing lots of time to balance repeated practice with new experiences, quiet approaches with active and dynamic activities, time to work alone with collaborative and community-based activities. This is all geared to create energy and momentum throughout the year. 

Impact 

We recognise that to make progress children require high quality teaching of Art and Design as well as multiple opportunities to freely explore knowledge and skills taught using a range of materials.  It is our aim that children will retain knowledge and skills taught within each unit of work, remember these and understand how to use and apply these in their own art work, whilst beginning to understand what being in ‘artist’ means. We want our pupils to be life-long learners to feel able to explore their creative potential 

Our Art and Design Curriculum is assessed through: 

• Images of the children’s practical learning. 

• Reflective discussions and peer critiquing 

• Interviewing the pupils about their learning (pupil voice). 

• Progression over time seen in pupils sketch books which follow them through school.