At St John's CE (VC) Primary School we want every child to be happy and enthusiastic learners of Art and Design, and to be eager to achieve their very best in order to fulfil their God-given talents. We firmly believe that the recipe for success is high-quality first-wave teaching in Art and Design, which is central to the life of our happy, caring school.
Intent – What we are trying to achieve?
- Our principal aim is that children leave St John's CE (VC) Primary School with a wide range of happy and rich memories in Art and Design formed through interesting and exciting experiences driven by structured lessons that enhance a child’s awareness of their own abilities and strengths as a learner; thus ensuring that children see learning in Art and Design as an ongoing process, not a one-off event.
- Children will meet the National Curriculum expectations in Art and Design, which will be taught by highly-enthusiastic, qualified staff who will support children to develop mastery of concepts and inspire enthusiasm and interest in Art and Design.
- Children will develop a deep understanding of the Art & design they are studying. They will increasingly use their prior knowledge to solve problems and develop the sophistication of art & design.
- In Art & Design, children will develop the skills and knowledge to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design.
- Children will develop the skills to be able to think critically and develop a rigorous understanding of Art & design.
- Children will develop a real understanding and appreciation of the world learning from the best that has been developed and said. For example, Picasso, Monet, and David Hockney.
- Children will know how art & design both reflect and shape our history and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation.
Scheme of Learning
- The Scheme of Learning follows the National Curriculum. It allows for appropriate sequencing and aims to secure long-term memory as well as the enjoyment of learning in Art and Design.
- We have a strong focus on the use of sketchbooks which allows children to develop their ideas and practice the necessary skills. Therefore, the progression of skills for our school provides high-quality art and design education to engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design.
- The key areas of art and design silks and knowledge are developed along with informed knowledge about artists; these key areas are developed throughout to enable pupils to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design.
Implementation – How do we translate our vision into practice?
- The curriculum hours in Art & design are non-negotiable and will be followed by all staff in the school. Fixed timetables will be set before the academic year and monitored by the Senior Leadership Team of the school.
- Art & design specialists from our partner secondary school, are and will continue to be integral to the planning process. This will aid the transition to Key Stage 3.
- The Subject Leader for Art & design will meet the Senior Leadership Team to evaluate provision in order to ensure that teaching and learning in Art & Design is outstanding. Where necessary, staff will receive coaching and training in Art & Design.
- Carefully designed schemes of learning in Art & design ensure consistency and progress of all learners.
- Art & Design is taught individually but plays a key role in the achievement of the learning. For example, a focus on the local housing market could include, after visiting an actual show home, children designing their own interior and presenting this to an interior designer.
- Success criteria in every Art & design lesson are set in order to guide children to achieve their potential. This ensures work is demanding and matches the aims of the curriculum.
- High-quality teaching responds to the needs of children. Spaced learning is a key focus of all formative and summative assessments with teachers actively marking work in lessons in order to identify misconceptions early.
- High-quality input from experts and educational resources complement the delivery of specialist learning admirably. Children understand how Art & design is used in the wider world including careers.
- High-quality teaching will develop their mastery of art and design techniques, including drawing, painting, and sculpture with a range of materials for example, pencil, charcoal, and paint clay.
- Children will use sketchbooks to record their observations and use them to review and revisit ideas, recording their ideas through drawing, writing and photography.
- Children will learn about the work of a range of artists, craft makers and designers, describing the differences and similarities between practices and disciplines, and making links to their own work.
Impact – What is the impact of our curriculum on the students?
The Art curriculum is designed in such a way that children are involved in evaluation, dialogue and decision making about the quality of their outcomes and the improvements they need to make. By taking part in our regular discussions and decision making processes, children will not only know facts and key information about art, but they will be able to talk confidently about their own learning journey, have higher metacognitive skills and have a growing understanding of how to improve.
Pupils will 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. 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.
★ Meet the end of key stage expectations outlined in the National curriculum for Art and design.