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Art and Design Curriculum Aims & Rationale
Intent
The national curriculum for art and design aims to ensure that all pupils:
At Sacred Heart RC School the intention is that children develop their personal creativity, imagination, flair and self–expression through a well-planned, diverse and progressive Art and Design curriculum. Children develop an understanding and appreciation of art through studying artists from a range of time periods, cultures and artistic movements, using some of the language of art to express what they see, feel and think. Through the study of Art and Design, children develop skills in drawing, painting, sculpture, collage and textiles. Learning from past and contemporary artists, pupils replicate styles and techniques and, innovate and evaluate their own work. Our objective is to foster a life-long love of art and we are committed to ensuring children have the opportunity to express their own artistic talents, developing their personal creativity and self-confidence. Underpinning all elements of our school curriculum, is our Romero Child Charter, which aims to develop every child as a whole person. The opportunities given to children through art lessons and visits to art galleries and museums, form an important part of what the charter aims to do.
Implementation
Our Art and Design curriculum is built around knowledge, and key skills, and is taught as a discrete subject within a thematic curriculum. Skills are broken down into yearly outcomes and show clear continuity and progress. Children are exposed to each element of the art and design curriculum at least once in every phase e.g. textiles is taught in Key Stage 1, lower Key Stage 2 and upper Key Stage 2, to ensure that children have frequent opportunities to consolidate and extend their learning. Each Art and Design project is linked to an artist study and pupils spend time researching the culture and historical significance of artists as well as replicating their styles and use of media. Sketchbooks are used by children to develop their ideas and practise skills and follow children up through the school so that children can refer back to previous learning. In addition to discrete art lessons, pupils are given frequent opportunities to apply their skills and express their creativity through cross curricular art links, for example art is used often in Religious Education lessons to demonstrate children’s personal responses. Coordinated whole-school project work ensures that art is given high status in the curriculum: most recently classes across the school collaborated to produce large pieces of art for our culture and diversity corridor. The school’s locality is also utilised, with planned opportunities for learning outside the classroom and visits to art galleries.
Impact
The structure of the art curriculum ensures that children are able to develop their knowledge and understanding of the work of artists and designers from a range of times and cultures and apply this knowledge to their own work. The consistent use of children’s sketchbooks means that children are able to review, modify and develop their initial ideas in order to achieve high quality outcomes. Children learn to understand and apply the key principles of art: line, tone, texture, shape, form, space, pattern, colour, contrast, composition, proportion and perspective. The opportunity for children to refine and develop their techniques over time is supported by effective lesson sequencing and progression between year groups.
Classroom displays reflect the children’s sense of pride in their artwork and this is also demonstrated by creative outcomes across the wider curriculum. The school environment also celebrates children’s achievements in art and demonstrates the subject’s high status in the school, with outcomes enhancing the environment. The Art curriculum contributes to children’s personal development in creativity, independence and self-reflection. Children achieve age related expectations in Art and Design at the end of their Key Stage.
