Art and Design Curriculum Information

 

 

Introduction

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The intent of the curriculum is to give children the freedom and opportunity to develop a wide range of art skills and to produce final pieces they can be truly proud of. Children are taught three in-depth art topics each year, each centred around an artist study, allowing them to explore artistic styles, techniques and creative processes in meaningful depth. At some point across the year, every class also works closely with our resident artist, Belinda, whose expertise enriches and enhances pupils’ artistic experiences.

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Teachers deliver regular Art lessons throughout the year, ensuring children have frequent opportunities to build their skills and deepen their knowledge. We foster children’s enthusiasm for Art by providing stimulating, enriching lessons that inspire creativity and curiosity. Through open and explorative sessions, children are encouraged to experiment, express themselves freely and engage with a range of artists and styles.

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Throughout the curriculum, pupils are given the chance to let their personalities shine, showcasing their individuality through their artwork. This creativity is celebrated across the school, and we proudly share pupils’ achievements through art exhibitions held throughout the year, where parents and members of the local community are invited to admire and celebrate the children’s work.

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What pupils say about Art and Design at Our Lady’s

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I like art as it allows us to use our imagination

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I enjoy studying a range of different artists and working with Belinda

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I enjoy exploring with and using a range of colours and different materials

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Extra-curricular activities

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Across the school, children have the opportunity to join a range of after-school clubs that run throughout the year and rotate across different key stages. These clubs offer pupils the chance to explore new skills, build confidence and enjoy creative experiences with their peers.

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All classes across the school also work closely with our residential artist, Belinda, who supports and enhances pupils’ artistic development through collaborative projects and class-based creative activities.

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In Year Three, pupils have the exciting opportunity to participate in a local dance festival, performing and competing against other schools. Their hard work is celebrated with a final performance in front of an audience of staff and families. Our much-loved Wiggle Dance sessions continue to inspire enthusiasm and confidence in movement across the school.

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Assessment

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At Our Lady’s Primary School, in line with our curriculum intent, art is assessed through ongoing teacher assessment, focusing on how well each child has developed their skills and understanding throughout an art topic. Children build their learning progressively across a sequence of lessons, working towards a final piece that reflects the skills and knowledge they have gained. Art work is always evaluated through self-assessment and positive peer evaluation, recognising that art is subjective and encouraging children to reflect on their strengths. These assessments focus on the skills and knowledge displayed across the whole unit of work rather than on a single outcome. Alongside this, our foundation subject tracking system captures ongoing assessments to show how effectively our curriculum is being implemented and how children are progressing. This enables teachers to plan subsequent learning so that individual needs are met and pupils can make progress towards end-of-year expectations. Judgements relating to these expectations are made at the end of the academic year.

 

SMSC in Art

 

Spiritual - Through the study of art & design students are able to address issues associated with the meaning of life and nature of the human condition. They are able to explore ideas, feelings and meanings making personal sense of their own creative work. Research into the work of other artists enables students to place their own experience into the broader context, recognise and value the world of others and develop a sense of their own identity and worth.

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Moral – Studying the work of artists, designers and other sources enables students to develop an understanding of the codes and conventions of their own and other times and cultures. Through discussions, critiques and presentations they are able to explore moral issues, make value judgements and express personal views. Through group work, discussion and school displays, students have the opportunity to share and value each other’s ideas.

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Social – The study of art and design provides opportunities for students to consider the roles and status of artists, within society and understand how social conditions and conventions can affect the nature of the work and influence their responses to it.  The art curriculum provides students with the opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of past and contemporary issues by exploring this through theoretical and practical activities.

Cultural – Students explore the roles and achievements of artists, craftspeople and designers in both the past and contemporary society.  They are taught to recognise how images and artefacts influence the way people think and feel and understand the ideas, beliefs and values behind their making, relating art, craft and design to its cultural context.