To have an effective and aspirational curriculum in Art the curation of the subject is based on 6 guiding principles:

Balance Rigour Relevance Coherence Big ideas Engagement

Why should we teach Art  –  Our Intent

• To deliver the deliver the Art national Curriculum and the EYFS framework
• To deliver a curriculum that builds knowledge, skill and appreciation over time
• To develop a broad experience of Art covering different artist, craft makers, time periods, cultures, genres and mediums
• To develop mastery and enjoyment in a range of techniques and media
• To enable children to confidently access the wider world of art beyond the classroom and in real life context
• To use Art to support learning in other curriculum areas when relevant

The big ideas in Art

• Elements of Art and design principles
• Art as a form of communication
• Art as an aesthetic medium
• We are all artists

 How is the teaching of Art organised?  – Our Implementation

The teaching of art seeks to provide a balance between the development of skills, appreciation and knowledge of visual arts with the opportunity to promote imaginative and creative risk taking. From the earliest stages children are encouraged to generate their own ideas using different media and processes and appreciate the work of others. They learn to evaluate and improve their work and understand, value and respect diversity in approaches and ideas.

The art curriculum will provide children with the opportunity to learn about local, national and internationally renowned artist from the past and to the present day.  Through this broad rich lens, children will be able to link the work of artists with wider themes linked to beauty, aesthetics, values, historical events and periods, different religions, countries, cultures and beliefs.

Children will be taught how to use and experiment with a range of 2D and 3D media so they can explore their ideas and the artistic elements that are linked to particular materials. At each stage of their learning children will be given the opportunity to see carefully modelled techniques linked to artists and to apply their knowledge, skills and understanding to produce high quality visual art works. Children will have opportunities to work on a small and large scale and to work individually and collectively.

By providing meaningful and challenging learning outcomes, over time children will learn that art is a meaningful end in its own sense whilst understanding its role and connectedness to other subjects and purposes.

In the EYFS there is a strong emphasis of providing opportunities for children to creatively explore colour, design, texture, form and function with a range of media inside and outside. The teaching of key skills will depend on the stage of development of the child and is underpinned by expert knowledge and research into how children develop cognitively, emotionally and physically. Using EYFS principles, art will link and providing strong foundations with other themes and aspects such as literacy, storytelling, map making, time, place and space, communication and pattern.

When children reach Key Stage One and throughout the rest of the primary phase, the teaching of art links artistic and design elements to their own work and that of renowned artists from the past and present.  Children will learn how art is used to communicate key ideas linked to history and religious studies. More widely they will learn how art can be a powerful medium to celebrate, communicate about emotions, viewpoints and topical themes such as lifecycles, environmental issues, oppression and bias.

Children will also learn about the aesthetic value of art and the related the artistic elements By providing high quality experiences, materials and references, the intrinsic value of the process of engaging in the creation of visual arts is consistently reinforced. This will provide them with the opportunity to think creatively and critically and to gain pleasure from doing so.

What difference will this make – Impact

The curriculum is deliberately ambitious and diverse so that children can be discerning and creative individuals with a deep understanding of the important role of art in society. During their time at school, children will be given the opportunity to be artists and therefore ‘producers’ of high quality pieces of work that are valued. They will be well prepared for the next stage of their education, take part in extra- curricular events and to conduct themselves confidently and knowledgeably in places where art is exhibited or discussed. As the curriculum develops, there will be evidence of impact through progression in individual’s work, through the promotion of in school events such as exhibitions, galleries and sketch books. When relevant children will be able to apply their knowledge to other subjects.