A member of Dales Academies Trust 
Subject Leader: Mrs Blackburn
‘Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of all garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.’
Matthew 13 vs.31-32
Our entire curriculum, including Art and Design, is underpinned by the ‘Parable of the Mustard Seed’ and summarised by our motto:
Together may we give our children: roots to grow and wings to fly.
Intent
We are proud of our Silver Artsmark accreditation, which reflects the creative approach to our curriculum. We aim to enhance our curriculum by presenting learning to our school community in creative ways, whether through song, dance, art, drama or public speaking.
Our Art and Design curriculum aims to inspire pupils and develop confidence to experiment and invent their own works of art. We use the Kapow scheme, written by experts in the field and designed to give pupils every opportunity to develop their ability, nurture their talent and interests, express ideas and thoughts about the world, as well as learning about the rich heritage and cultures of the British Isles and beyond.
Kapow Primary is an Artsmark partner and will support our schools Artsmark journey, inspiring our children to create, experience, and participate in great arts culture. Our wonderful work is displayed in classrooms and areas around our schools.
Implementation
The EYFS statutory educational programmes for ‘Expressive Art and Design’ and ‘Physical Development’ introduce children to opportunities to engage with the arts and to explore, play and use a wide range of media, materials, tools and equipment. Children explore colour, movement and a variety of artistic effects to express ideas and feelings. The work of artists from across times and cultures are introduced to the children to generate inspiration and discussion about art and artists.
From years 1 to 6, our Art scheme of work is designed with strands that run throughout.
These are:
· Making skills
· Formal elements (line, shape, tone, texture, pattern, colour)
· Knowledge of artists
· Evaluation
These strands are revisited in every unit. In Art and Design skills and our Formal elements of art units, pupils have the opportunity to learn and practice skills discretely. The knowledge and skills from these units are then applied throughout the other units in our scheme. Key knowledge and skills are revisited again and again with increasing complexity in a spiral curriculum model. This allows pupils to revise and build on previous learning.
Our Art and Design curriculum develops pupil’s knowledge and understanding of key artists and art movements through the every picture tells a story units and links to artists through practical work. Creativity and independent outcomes are robustly embedded into our units, supporting pupil’s in learning how to make their own creative choices and decisions, so that their art outcomes, whilst still being knowledge-rich, are unique to the pupil and personal.
Lessons are always practical in nature and encourage experimental and exploratory learning with Key Stage 2 pupils using sketchbooks to document their ideas. Scaffolding in lessons ensure they can be accessed and enjoyed by all pupils and opportunities to stretch pupils’ learning is utilised when required. Knowledge organisers for each unit support pupils in building a foundation of factual knowledge by encouraging recall of key facts and vocabulary.
It is our belief that, through the experience of regular Art and Design lessons that all pupils will acquire an intrinsic understanding of the skills and knowledge involved in appreciating and carrying out Art. Our spiral curriculum scaffolds pupil’s learning and builds upon previous learning to ensure that every child can access rich, challenging and engaging lessons. Our Art curriculum is differentiated by outcome, and we would expect our more able artists to produce some stunning pieces of work and we would scaffold any artist who needs more support accordingly.
We are flexible in how we deliver our art units and they can be weekly lessons or taught as a block. We teach art in the first half of each term and then move onto Design Technology in the second half. We also utilise the knowledge and skills learned in art lessons to link to the wider curriculum such as creating props and sets for our school plays. Children can also enjoy art beyond the school day by attending extra curricular club.
Our assessment in Art and Design is used to improve, not just prove, pupils’ learning. Alongside ‘in the moment assessment’ within lessons, our knowledge catcher assessments carried out at the start of each unit of work and our end of unit summative quizzes enable teachers to target any specific gaps in children’s knowledge.
With the support of Kapow Primary curriculum teachers ensure children are involved in the evaluation, dialogue and decision making about the quality of their outcomes and the improvements they need to make. By taking part in 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 skill and have a growing understanding of how to improve.
Impact
The impact of our art curriculum can be constantly monitored through both formative and summative assessment opportunities. During each lesson teachers assess against the learning objectives and each unit has a quiz and knowledge catcher which can be used at the start and end of the unit.
After the implementation of our art curriculum, pupils should leave our 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.
The expected impact of following our Art and Design journey is that 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
Additional Information
For more information regarding our Art and Design curriculum (including our curriculum map and key procedures), please click on the ‘Useful Documents’ links below.
Similarly, under ‘Useful Links’, you can find more information regarding supplementary resources and other useful websites.
Useful Documents
Useful Links
https://www.nga.gov/education/kids.html
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/visiting/visit-as-a-family
