The Art Curriculum at St Elisabeth's CE Primary School

 

Art & Craft Curriculum

Context

ST Elisabeth’s CE Primary School is in the top 25% of deprived areas in England. With this in mind, our Art curriculum has been personalised and designed to help tackle the effects of deprivation, whilst equipping all children with the knowledge, skills and cultural capital they need to succeed in all areas life.

Intent – why we teach what we teach

Purpose of Study

Art, craft and design embodies some of the highest forms of human creativity. High quality Art education should engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art and design. As pupils progress, they should be able to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of art and design. They should also know how art and design both reflect and shape our history, and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation.

Aims

The national curriculum for Art, Craft and Design aims to ensure that all pupils:

Produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences

Become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques

Evaluate and analyse creative works using the language of art, craft and design

Know about great artists, craft makers and designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms.

Rationale

Our bespoke Art and Craft curriculum is designed to develop knowledge and skills that are progressive, enabling children to strengthen both critical thinking and problem solving skills.  The process of creating art gives children choices and urges them to make decisions – a crucial skill that translates into all other aspects of life.

 

Art is a language that allows children to express and develop their ideas and emotions; artistic activities are full of processes that help children to grow and stimulate their creativity while nurturing the soul.

 

• Art stimulates both sides of the brain increasing the capacity of memory, attention and concentration. It introduces children to new vocabulary and concepts and generates memories and images which enriches their intellect and imagination. Children also improve and acquire social skills, their self-esteem is promoted and Art gives children a way to express themselves and their ideas. Through Art children will build a progressive skill set enabling them to be persistent and consistent.

Implementation – how we teach what we teach

Our Art and Craft curriculum is divided into three main strands:

2D - Drawing and Painting

3D -  Developing a Perception of Depth

Print and Mixed Media

(Textiles is also covered within the D&T curriculum)

Throughout the children’s Art education at St Elisabeth’s their skills through each strand are progressive and build upon prior learning, showing a clear development and comprehensive knowledge so developing mastery. Mastery enables children to spend greater time going into depth about Art as opposed to racing through the things that all children ‘should’ know.

Our curriculum planning for every unit of work follows a seven session structured plan;

Session 1-Exploring and evaluating: 

Session 2 3 & 4-Gathering Ideas/learning skills

Session 5 & 6-Create

Session 7-Evaluation

 

Process:

Exploring, Looking at different artists, Knowledge, Historical and Cultural Development.

Gathering Ideas/Sketchbook work

Composition-Which medium?

Skills/Techniques/ Evaluation

Curriculum Overview

The focus of our Art and Craft Curriculum is all about individual learnt processes not prescribed outcomes.

 

“The role of an artist is to take whatever you believe in and put it out there so that others can see it” David Le Batard

“Art is not what you see but what you make others see” Edgar Degas

“You can’t use up creativity, the more you use the more you have” Maya Angelou

 

Early Years children will learn about exploring and using media and materials, they will safely use and explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques experimenting with colour, design, texture, form and function. (Early Learning Goal)

They will also learn how to be imaginative. Children will use what they have learnt about media and materials in original ways, thinking about uses and purposes. They will represent their own ideas, thoughts and feelings through design and technology, art, music, dance, role play and stories. (Early Learning Goal)

Key Stage 1 children will learn how to use a range of materials. They will have ample opportunity to draw, paint and sculpt, developing techniques of colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space. Additionally, they will learn about a range of artists, craftsmen and designers.

Key Stage 2 children will use sketchbooks to collect, record and evaluate ideas. They will improve mastery of techniques such as drawing, painting and sculpture with varied materials. They will also   learn about great artists, architects and designers.

Impact – how we measure what we teach

The impact of this art and design curriculum is that children will critique their own and other’s artwork by asking open and closed questions. They will become reflective of their own work and discuss how to improve their artwork next time. Children will understand that art is made by a variety of people in a variety of ways. They will know that they are all artists.

The children’s learning journey in art and design is assessed each term using the current assessment framework self and challenges.