Intent
At Holy Family we want our pupils to embrace Art and Design and hold onto and develop the experimentation and enjoyment that very young children inherently have when drawing and painting. We understand that art helps to engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art. Our school is committed to encouraging pupils’ curiosity and creativity, allowing them to think critically and develop a thorough understanding of art and its place in the world, including how it reflects our history and contributes to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation. Art is personal. It is like a view from a window - everyone’s view is different. Art links our internal world to the external world and can give a voice to the voiceless. It helps us remember experiences.
Our schemes of work fulfil the statutory requirements outlined in the National Curriculum.
The national curriculum for Art and Design aims to ensure all pupils:
Robust art curricula should cover a range of artists, styles, genres, websites, books and galleries. Look to design lessons that build on prior learning, can be connected to a wider context (historical or geographical, for example) and provide opportunities to further develop visual literacy. Teachers can be encouraged to help children to think critically about images by asking open and closed questions, and giving them sentence starters as a way to talk about art. For example, “I like the way the artist has ... ” or “In this artwork I can see ... ” Most importantly, make sure the subject matter is broad and includes culturally and ethnically diverse artists. Children need to understand that art is made by all sorts of people, in a variety of ways, and should feel represented by the art and artists they are exposed to. Emily Gopaul is a primary art specialist & the author of Teaching Primary Art & Design
Implementation
Our curriculum distinguishes between subject topics and core concepts. Subject topics are the specific aspects of subjects that are studied e.g. U.K Seascapes and Graffiti and Street Art. The themes of the topics are related to History, Geography or Science that are being taught that term. The core concepts tie together the subject topics into meaningful schema. The same concepts are explored in a wide breadth of topics. Through this ‘forwards-and-backwards engineering’ of the curriculum, pupils return to the same concepts over and over, and gradually build an understanding of them.
The five core concepts in Art and Design are:
EYFS - Safely use and explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques, experimenting with colour, design and texture, form and function. Represent their own feelings through art and Design
KS1 - Pupils will be taught: to use drawing, painting and sculpture to develop and share their ideas, experiences and imagination; to develop a wide range of art techniques in using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space; to know 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.
KS2 - Pupils will be taught to develop their techniques, including their control and their use of materials, with creativity, experimentation and an increasing awareness of different kinds of art. Specifically, pupils will be taught: to record their observations and use them to review and revisit ideas; improve their mastery of art techniques, including drawing, painting and sculpture with a range of materials; know about great artists, craft makers and designers and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms.
Impact
Children at Holy Family will be able to do more. They will develop their skills in colour, drawing, painting and in other media. They will know more about generating and developing ideas in their sketchbooks. They will know more and develop their skills in the formal elements of art. They will know about a range of artists, craft makers, designers and architects from a wide range of art history periods and countries. They will remember more about eras of art history and particular artists. They will be able to respond to and evaluate their work by stating three things they have learnt, two things they like about their work and one thing they would do differently next time. The children will be well equipped to use these skills and their knowledge across other areas of learning that will allow them to progress in their learning as they move away from primary education.