Art and design

Intent

We are passionate about providing our children with a wide range of opportunities to explore and develop their artistic talents. Art and Design is enjoyable, relaxing and gives children a chance to be creative! During art activities, children learn to express feelings and emotions, with or without words and discover that there is more than one right answer. There are many ways to produce art, so everyone can feel proud of their artistic creations.

Each year group studies one Art and Design unit per term, alternating with Design Technology. We have broken down the requirements of the National Curriculum programmes of study into these units to ensure there is full coverage of a range of areas of art, including drawing skills, painting skills, sculpture, printing, working with textiles and collage.

Implementation

The Art and Design curriculum is taught throughout the school. In order to ensure that the subject is woven into various aspects of school life, teachers plan a range of different activities that not only take place in art lessons but across different subjects as well. The curriculum map gives detail into the coverage in which we strive to give pupils during their time at the school.

Key stage 1:

At Ewyas Harold, pupils are taught to develop a wide range of techniques using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space.  We encourage pupils to think creatively, develop their imagination and share new ideas during Art and Design lessons. Children are taught to appreciate the works of artists from a diverse background in order to increase their love for the subject and develop their observational skills. Pupils are also encouraged to use a wide range of materials and media to develop key skills during art lessons. They are also taught how to creatively use different colour mixing techniques when using wet and dry media.

Key stage 2:

Pupils in Key Stage 2, are taught to use a range of materials and media such as different types of pencils, charcoal, paints and clay in order to improve their mastery of art and design techniques. Lessons are planned to ensure that pupils become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpting and other art, craft and design techniques. Pupils are taught to use sketch books to record ideas and experiment with different art forms including, collage, printing and sculpting. They are also encouraged to learn about diverse artists, craft makers and designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms. Across the Art and Design curriculum, pupils are given the opportunity to use performance arts to enhance their learning. As pupils progress in Art and Design lessons, they are taught to think critically and develop an understanding of how the Art and Design curriculum has shaped our history, and contributed to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation.

Impact

At Ewyas Harold, children's progression and attainment in art is continually assessed through a variety of methods, such as providing ongoing teacher feedback throughout a lesson or project, self-assessment and peer-assessment.  Children’s progress is recorded in sketchbooks, which allows them to review and improve their skills throughout the year. Formative assessment will also be used to establish if pupils can demonstrate their skills and techniques independently whilst still finding enjoyment in the subject. Discussions about a range of artistic genres and styles may be used to assess children’s understanding and to allow teachers to address any misconceptions. This is reported to parents in end of year reports.