All children, from Reception to Year 6, have weekly Art, Craft and Design lessons with a specialist Art Teacher in a dedicated Art and Design classroom.
The aim of the curriculum is to engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to participate in, experiment with, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design. Pupils are given opportunities to think creatively and critically and to investigate and evaluate a wide range of creative work from other artists, times and cultures.
Projects are linked to the wider curriculum and the topic focus of each year group. There is a focus on self and peer evaluation and children are encouraged to talk about their own and others art work using a specialist art and design vocabulary. Lessons centre around practical work but the children also use sketchbooks to record their research, learning and ideas.
During the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 pupils develop their creativity and imagination by exploring the visual, tactile and sensory qualities of materials and processes. They learn about the role of art, craft and design in their environment. They begin to understand colour, shape and space and pattern and texture and use them to represent their ideas and feelings.
During Key Stage 2 pupils develop their creativity and imagination through more complex activities. These help to build on their skills and improve their control of materials, tools and techniques. They increase their critical awareness of the roles and purposes of art, craft and design in different times and cultures. They become more confident in using visual and tactile elements and materials and processes to communicate what they see, feel and think.
Take a look at how we sequence the art and design curriculum in our school:
GOV.UK provides documents from the Department for Education relating to the National Curriculum’s statutory programmes of study for Art and Design. Please click the link below to explore: