Art and Design

Art and Design Subject Vision

As artists, our pupils will have the opportunity to learn about professional artists, both past and present. They will use a range of media and hone basic artistic skills and some more complex skills. Pupils will be encouraged to experiment, be creative and produce original work which will be celebrated. Our curriculum drivers will be met in the following ways:

Diversity – Pupils will be exposed to artists from around the world and from different points in time. Empathy – Pupils will learn about art as an expression of emotion and how to ‘read’ the emotions of a piece. Citizenship – Pupils will consider how art impacts others, how it makes others feel and how art can send messages. Resilience – Pupils will be encouraged to review and refine their pieces until they have achieved the best they are capable of. Our pupils will leave Year 2 with the vocabulary and knowledge to engage in the KS2 Art and Design curriculum and with the initial building blocks to be lifelong creative thinkers.

Art and Design in EYFS

In the Early Years, or Year R, we enable pupils to develop the foundational skills required to access the more complex learning that they will undertake in KS1. 

In Art and Design this will include:

• Developing fine motor skills so that pupils can hold and manipulate pencils and paintbrushes to create artwork
• Experimenting with colours and recognising how colours change when they are mixed together
• Learning how to fix materials together using glue or tape
• Using careful observation to create a representation of something from their own experiences
• Manipulating materials, such as salt dough or clay to create a sculpture
• Discussing in simple terms, art work created by others and sharing opinions

Art and Design in KS1

In KS1 we teach art and design units of work that expose pupils to a range of artists such as Arcimboldo, Georgia O'Keefe, Mair, Ndambo and several others. We aim to build on the skills learned in the early years, deepening pupils understanding of art techniques such as sketching, painting and collage while also encouraging pupils to create their own artwork, inspired by professional artists.

We use the Chris Quigley Essentials materials to support our planning and assessment process. In Art and Design, Quigley identifies 3 key threshold concepts:

• Develop Ideas 
• Master Techniques
• Take Inspiration from the Greats

These threshold concepts are the golden threads that run throughout all of the Art and Design units. Underneath these sit more specific objectives which the children will meet repeatedly over their 2 years in KS1. This recursive approach to planning allows pupils to build on prior knowledge and move from 'Emerging' to 'Secure' and some more confident artists will achieve 'Advanced' in this subject.