Howick Church of England Primary School

Art and Design

Intent

At Howick C of E Primary School we aim to provide pupils with a broad and balanced curriculum set within a caring and supportive Christian community. We aim to provide a progressive, exciting and challenging curriculum in which each and every child is able to flourish and grow into confident, curious and resilient learners. Our curriculum is language rich and aims to provide children with a unique experience in which each member of the school is valued and respected.

Our Art and Design curriculum is designed to engage, inspire and challenge pupils, whilst equipping them with the knowledge and skills to be able to experiment, invent and create their own works of art. As pupils progress, they should gain a deeper understanding of how Art and Design reflects and shapes our history, and how it contributes to the culture, creativity and wealth of our world.

We aim to provide every child, a high-quality Art and Design curriculum that nurtures creativity, authenticity, automaticity, and proficiency in Art. Children learn the skills of drawing, painting, printing, collage, textiles, 3D work and digital art and are given the opportunity to explore and evaluate different creative ideas. We want our children to use the local area as inspiration, to learn from other cultures and to respect diversity. To that end, we have carefully selected a wide range of unique and diverse artists, craft makers and designers for children to study.

Our Art and Design curriculum aims to:

• Lessons engage, inspire and challenge pupils and equip them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design.
• Pupils become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques including digital media.
• Appropriate learning experiences are planned and are inclusive of the needs of all pupils in the classroom.
• Learning allows for progression to ensure pupils’ knowledge and skills deepen and their visual literacy is developed.
• Time is given for pupils to evaluate and analyse their own work, peer work and the work of known artists and crafts people, using the language of art, craft and design.
• Children know about great artists, craft makers and designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms.
• Learners can develop an appreciation of the importance of art in society and its relevance to them.

Implementation

To ensure high standards of teaching and learning in Art and Design, we implement a curriculum that is progressive throughout the whole school. Art and design is taught as a discrete subject and is taught on a half termly cycle.  Cross-curricular links are promoted to allow all children to deepen their understanding across the curriculum, including the use of technology, and artworks from year group specific historical, geographical and scientific contexts.

The purpose of each and every lesson is language rich and has clear intention. Lessons are planned to draw upon the experiences and existing knowledge of all learners, in addition to visitors/visits which provide a range of opportunities for pupils to learn, practice and demonstrate skills but also discuss and engage critically with material to deepen their knowledge and understanding. Throughout the Howick journey, every child is given the opportunity to learn the skills of drawing, painting, printing, sculpture and digital art through the exploration of an initial key artist, craft maker or designer and their work. Learning is recorded via Seesaw and in sketch books. Children use their sketchbooks to make initial sketches, develop skills, record ideas and develop opinions. There are regular opportunities to reflect and develop, including through the use of sketchbooks, and chances for self and peer-assessment are planned into each unit of study in KS1 and KS2.

Impact

The impact of this curriculum design will lead to good progress over time across key stages relative to a child’s individual starting point and their progression of skills. Children will therefore be expected to leave Howick reaching at least age-related expectations for Art and Design. Our Art and Design curriculum will also lead pupils to be enthusiastic Art and Design learners, evidenced in a range of ways, including pupil voice, their final pieces and sketchbooks. We ensure that children who are achieving well, as well as those who need additional support, are identified, and additional provision and strategies are planned in and discussed with class teachers. Achievements are celebrated in classrooms during walking-galleries and corridor displays.  

We measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:

• Assessing children’s understanding of topic linked vocabulary before and after the unit is taught.
• Summative assessment of pupil discussions about their learning.
• Images and videos of the children’s practical learning.
• Interviewing the pupils about their learning (pupil voice).
• Moderation staff meetings where pupil’s books are scrutinised and there is the opportunity for a dialogue between teachers to understand their class’s work.
• Annual reporting of standards across the curriculum.

National Curriculum 

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/239018/PRIMARY_national_curriculum_-_Art_and_design.pdf 

Art and Design Teaching Sequence

Curriculum Map

Progression of Skills 

Early Years Foundation Stage 

Creativity plays a significant role in thinking and understanding across all seven areas of learning. If children’s thoughts and feelings are sought and valued and they are encouraged to decide for themselves how best to represent their ideas, explore possibilities, make new connections and solve problems, they are developing the skills for life-long learning and confidence in themselves, both as thinkers and as learners. Expressive Arts and Design empowers children to see themselves as capable, competent and creative learners. 

Expressive Arts and Design: Expressive arts and design is one of the seven areas of the early years foundation stage and is used to develop a child's imagination, creativity and their ability to use media and materials. Children do this in range of ways including singing songs and making music, dancing, playing with colours, textures and design.

How Art and Design specially links with the Early Years Foundation Stage: Skill progression

Key Stage 1

National Curriculum: Pupils should be taught to use a range of materials creatively to design and make products.  They should use drawing, painting and sculpture to develop and share their ideas, experiences and imagination.  Pupils will develop a wide range of art and design techniques in using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space  Pupils will be taught about the work of a range of artists, craft makers and designers, describing the differences and similarities between different practices and disciplines, and making links to their own work.

Key Stage 2

National Curriculum: Pupils should develop their techniques, including their control and their use of materials, with creativity, experimentation and an increasing awareness of different kinds of art, craft and design.  They should create sketch books to record their observations and use them to review and revisit ideas. Pupils should be taught to improve their mastery of art and design techniques, including drawing, painting and sculpture with a range of materials (e.g. pencil, charcoal, paint, clay).  Pupils should be taught about great artists, architects and designers in history. 

Key Learning in Art and Design 

Class 1

Class 1 have had lots of fun exploring colours! As part of their learning of Holi, the children experienced their very own festival of colours. The children spoke about how primary colours can mix to create secondary colours and experienced throwing powder paints into the air!

Class 2

Henri Matisse

Class 3 

Alexander Calder inspired sculptures

Class 3 have created wire sculptures inspired by Alexander Calder.  They began by experimenting with single line sketches before using self portraits as a guide to create these fantastic wire sculptures. 

Class 4

Community Project

We took some of our Class artists to work alongside local artist Cat Morewin.  Together they decorated the windows of Priory Community Centre.  

Arts and Crafts Club

Parents and Carers: How to Support Learning at Home 

Get messy!

Try to get hold of as many different types of drawing and painting resources as you can to let your child get creative and explore creating art using different materials. Paints, chalk, crayons, pens, pencils, modelling clay and much more can be found in discount shops. Just don’t forget to put lots of newspaper down first!

Use household objects creatively

Alternatively, instead of buying materials, let them get creative using things around the house – for example, pasta and pulses to create pictures using glue. You could even experiment with colour-changing art – find out more here.

Keep a sketch book

Encourage your child to keep a sketch book. Suggest that they take it with them when they go out so that they can look for things to sketch – a tree, a building, a scene. Alternatively, if they see something they would like to draw, take a photo on your phone and let them sketch from it when they are home.

Celebrate your child's art

Praise your child’s creations and encourage them not to get disheartened if they feel they have made ‘mistakes’. Explain that art is about being creative and trying out different things. There is no right or wrong way to do things. You could even ‘frame’ their work using coloured paper or card and create a little gallery on the kitchen wall or in their bedroom to display their work.

Discuss and enjoy art together

Find out about local art galleries or museums that you can visit with your child. Encourage them to talk about what they see and to share their opinions – about subject matter, colours, what materials the artist used, and so on.

Information for Pupils: Be Brave, Be Bold, Be a Dreamer!

Do you love Art and Design? 

Why not have a go at completing the '30 Day Art Challenge' at home? Remember to always get an adults permission before completing any of the activities and remember to show Miss. Hardiman your fabulous work to receive additional Dojo points! 

Artist and Designers from Past and Present 

Remember you can achieve anything you put your mind to! Just like you, these artists and designers started with passion for seeing beyond the impossible.