Intent

Through our art and design curriculum we seek to lay the foundations for pupils to flourish now and in the future ‘Sowing the seeds so all can flourish’. Our art and design curriculum is designed around our curriculum drivers and our values. It allows pupil’s to develop their ability, nurture their artistic talent and interests and express their ideas and thoughts about the world. Our art and design curriculum develops children’s knowledge of art and artists across cultures and through history whilst developing understanding of how art connects with their lives.

Learning is delivered through five strands;

• Producing creative work, generating ideas and recording their experiences
• Becoming proficient in using sketchbooks to present creative work
• Becoming proficient in drawing, painting, and sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques.
• Evaluating and analysing creative works using the language of art, craft and design.
• Knowing about great artists, craft makers and designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms.

As we support pupils to become life-long learners we aim to ensure pupils are up–to-date with the latest knowledge and current issues so they develop firm foundations which will help them in future learning. Innovative, creative and relevant lessons will help pupils to have a better understanding of and access to art and design.

Our curriculum will be regularly reviewed to remain relevant as technology develops. We want pupils to understand the importance of art and design as citizens of the world. We want them to have the knowledge and skills to flourish in later life and to be creative and artistic with confidence and individuality. We want them to work together on projects and be aware of the importance of collaboration in the world of art and design– locally, nationally, and globally.

 

Implementation

We use Kapow Primary’s curriculum to support teaching and learning. This is based on the National Curriculum requirements and provides good support to non-specialist teachers. It sets out a clear progression of knowledge and skills in each strand of learning. This starts in Early Years and builds sequentially through school to prepare pupils for the Key Stage 3 curriculum.

Units of work are planned and sequenced carefully to ensure adequate recap and retrieval in our mixed aged classes. Differentiated guidance is available for every lesson to ensure that lessons can be accessed and enjoyed by all pupils and opportunities are given to stretch pupils’ learning.

Lessons are always practical in nature and encourage experimental and exploratory learning with pupils using sketchbooks to document their ideas. Opportunities are planned for children to learn about art and design in different environments, for example outside, in the local area, visiting art galleries and museums. We have a range of resources and materials.  These are used in discrete art lessons and across the wider curriculum.

Teachers model the use of materials, techniques and processes taking into account children’s level of expertise. Children are given time to practise and apply their new skills using different materials and in different contexts, with increasing independence. We direct pupil’s attention to the main concepts, ideas and themes of the lesson and support children to retrieve previous knowledge and make links.

We teach explicit knowledge of how art has developed and evolved from the past to more modern processes and how these fit into society and the wider world. We focus on key artists and their impact on the artistic movement and how they influenced future creatives.

Pupils work is recorded in individual sketch books that continue with each child through the school. Photographs of children’s work are also taken and stored on the electronic storage system and are also displayed in classrooms, corridors, class books and shared with parents on social media. This supports teachers to help pupils to recall and retrieve prior learning and helps knowledge to stick. Summative assessment is made using the Kapow assessment tool for each unit. Recap and retrieval through future learning ensures that the key knowledge is embedded.

 

Impact

Our well sequenced curriculum is designed in a way so that children are involved in evaluation, dialogue and decision making about the quality of their outcomes and improvements they need to make. By taking part in regular discussions and decision making processes, children will be able to talk confidently about their own learning journey, have higher metacognitive skills and have a growing understanding of how to improve. Children will also know key facts and information. Our art and design curriculum will prepare children to be independent, confident and imaginative artists. Pupils should leave primary school equipped with a range of techniques and the confidence and creativity to form a strong foundation for their art and design learning at Key Stage 3 and beyond.

The expected impact of following the Kapow Primary Art and design curriculum is that children will:

• Produce creative work, exploring and recording their ideas and experiences
• Be proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques
• Evaluate and analyse creative works using subject-specific language
• Know about great artists and the historical and cultural development of their art

We measure impact through:

• Summative assessment
• Discussions with pupils
• Observations of learning
• Reviewing their understanding including different artistic techniques, processes and materials
• Lesson observation and feedback from the subject leader
• Analysis of sketch books, photographs and creative work
• Pupil voice