“I found I could say things with colour and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way – things I had no words for.”

Georgia O’Keeffe

 

Curriculum Intent

At Bladon School, we believe that art and design play a crucial role in developing a child’s creativity and imagination. We aspire to facilitate learning environments where children can explore and record their ideas confidently using artistic language to evaluate and analyse their own work and the work of others. We aim to provide them with the skills and knowledge they need to be critical and creative thinkers, as emphasised in the National Curriculum.

 

Implementation

Due to our mixed year groups, we plan the curriculum objectives over a two-year cycle. We ensure curriculum coverage by breaking down the skills and knowledge from the National Curriculum into steps of progression and milestones in key areas for each key stage, guided by the Chris Quigley Education Milestones. Our Art and Design curriculum is broken down into the following key areas of learning:

  • Paint
  • Collage
  • Sculpture
  • Drawing
  • Print
  • Textiles
  • Digital Media

We ensure that we provide exciting and challenging opportunities throughout each key stage for children to practise and develop the key skills and design techniques. We often link our Art and Design planning with our History, Science or Geography class topic each term to provide a holistic and relevant approach to our whole curriculum. Art and Design is usually taught in alternate half-terms/terms to Design and Technology but sometimes these subjects are linked, as part of our cross-curricular approach.

Our Art and Design lessons enable children to explore and experiment with a variety of mediums and materials, to create and invent their own content that is unique to them and enjoyed and appreciated by others, too. We strive to engage, challenge and inspire children through learning about famous artists and how art can shape and impact history, culture and society. At Bladon, the children learn that art is not just one look, one product or one possibility; we take pride in the fact that we can offer the children opportunities to sample a range of the various different types of art, which helps to foster their unique talents and interests.

In Art and Design lessons, children are given opportunities to work creatively and develop their ideas independently, in pairs, small groups and sometimes, collaboratively as a whole class. All children work towards the same objectives, but lessons are differentiated and adapted to address potential learning barriers and those that need to be challenged further. We strive to meet the learning needs of all our pupils by ensuring learning the knowledge and skills in Art and Design is accessible to all children and every child should be challenged at their own level.

We assess the children formatively through observation and questioning throughout each art and design process. We collect a portfolio of work from each class, that represents different parts of the curriculum, to help us make accurate and informed judgements about the level they are working at in each key area of the curriculum. In Key Stage 1 and 2, we have developed the use of sketch books for children to record and practise the different techniques they learn, the mediums they use and resources and research that they study and collect for inspiration. In Early Years and Reception, the children have a learning journal where the children can record and document their learning. We also use Tapestry to record the children’s Art and Design learning journey. As we strive to make Art and Design lessons to be as practical and engaging as possible, we often take pictures and videos of the art and design process to show the children developing their skills and knowledge through each part of the learning sequence.

Impact

  • Our lessons and learning opportunities stimulate the children’s creativity, to enable them to free their imagination.
  • The children have a positive attitude to learning, independent working and working collaboratively to develop ideas, prototypes and final products.
  • We develop a child’s individuality and confidence in expressing themselves and taking risks through mark making and creative arts and design.
  • The children can use artistic language to comment upon art.
  • The children can effectively analyse and critique their own work and the work of others to identify their own personal development.
  • The ability to ask thought-provoking and leading questions to develop their knowledge and skills.
  • The children are inspired and interested in the art, artists and designers that we explore in lessons and Arts Week.
  • The children have sound understanding and knowledge of artists, craft makers and designers.
  • The children understand that art appears in many forms, and they appreciate how art has helped shape history and culture.
  • The children have the knowledge, opportunity and ability to select and use materials, mediums, processes, tools, equipment and techniques, skilfully and successfully.
  • The children understand that art and design require a process and learning journey that begins with innovative ideas and prototypes.
  • The children understand the importance of skills and knowledge learnt in other areas of the curriculum and how they support the Design, Make and Evaluate process.
  • The children understand how all the techniques and skills they have learnt by the end of Year 6, will aid them in future life and learning.
  • The children can use time efficiently to plan, design, make and evaluate their designs and products by working practically and productively.
  • Children can use materials carefully and work safely.