Art and Design

In accordance with the National Curriculum’s expectations, we aim to ensure that all pupils produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences. Through our curriculum, our pupils become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques. They are able to evaluate and analyse creative works using the language of art, craft and design and they know about the work of great artists, craft makers and designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms.

Early Years Foundation Stage

Pupils explore and use a variety of media and materials through a combination of child initiated and adult directed activities. They have opportunities to learn to:

• Explore the textures, movement, feel and look of different media and materials
• Respond to a range of media and materials, develop their understanding of them in order to manipulate and create different effects.
• Use different media and materials to express their own ideas.
• Explore colour and use for a particular purpose.
• Develop skills to use simple tools and techniques competently and appropriately.
• Select appropriate media and techniques and adapt their work where necessary.

Key stage 1

Pupils are taught:

1.  to use a range of materials creatively to design and make products
2.  to use drawing, painting and sculpture to develop and share their ideas, experiences and imagination
3.  to develop a wide range of art and design techniques in using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space
4.  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

Pupils are 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, craft and design.

Pupils are taught:

1.  to create sketch books to record their observations and use them to review and revisit ideas
2.  to improve their mastery of art and design techniques, including drawing, painting and sculpture with a range of materials [for example, pencil, charcoal, paint, clay]
3.  about great artists, architects and designers in history.

The knowledge and skills that children will develop throughout each art topic are mapped across each year group to ensure progression. This starts in our Early Years Foundation Stage. The teaching and implementation of the Art and Design Curriculum at Hunts Cross Primary School is supported by Access Art, which supports planning from EYFS, ensuring a well-structured approach to this creative subject.  More detail can be found in our Long Term plan.

All teachers have access to progression maps to differentiate learning for those children who have gaps in their learning or who have SEND needs. The school’s Art and Design curriculum is supported through the availability of a wide range of quality resources, which are used to support children’s confidence in the use of different media. Alongside our curriculum provision for Art and Design, we also provide pupils with the opportunity to participate in Art based after school clubs led by members of staff who have a passion for Art.

Our Art and Design curriculum contributes to children’s personal development in creativity, independence, perseverance and self-reflection. This can be seen in the children’s work on display, in the year group floor book and their sketchbooks.

Further information is gathered through the collection of the floor books, learning walks and pupil voice; highlighting strengths and achievement and any improvements that still need to be embedded. The children are keen to learn new skills and work hard to perfect those shown to them. The children’s art is sometimes cross-curricular, and helps them to express feelings and emotions in art, as well as show their knowledge and understanding in history, geography and science.

Teachers make formative assessments against key objectives taken from Access Art and they use this information to inform future lessons; ensuring children are supported and challenged appropriately. Children are provided with an assessment judgement on their end of year reports and this is shared with parents.

Children in Foundation Stage are assessed within Expressive Arts and Design and age related expectations are reported to parents at the end of the Reception year.