Curriculum Narrative:
The study of Art can embody some of the highest forms of human creativity. Teaching and learning of Art should engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own pieces of work through drawing, painting and sculpture. 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 both reflects and shapes our history and contributes to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation.
A variety of opportunities should ensure that all pupils are able to experience a wide range of artistic opportunities; these should enable pupils to produce creative work. They will explore new ideas and record their experiences whilst becoming proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques. They will also evaluate and analyse creative works using the language of art, craft and design. The children will know about great artists, craft makers and designers and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms.
The Threshold Concepts…
Within our Art and Design curriculum, there are 4 key elements, which, when combined, ensure that our pupils can access a deep understanding of the subject. These threshold concepts are: developing, experimenting, recording and presenting.
Developing
Children will develop ideas through investigations, demonstrating critical understanding of sources. They will be encouraged to explore materials and techniques and in doing so, develop ideas. Children will be encouraged to take chances and learn from them. They will learn to demonstrate a critical understanding of sources e.g. looking at nature, looking at trees, natural textures and rock formation. They will also look at different artists and explore their work by producing work that is inspired by them.
Experimenting
Children will be encouraged to develop their ideas further. Children will experiment with a range of different materials and techniques. Children will have evidence in their sketchbooks that they have explored a broad range of different techniques and materials and should begin to analyse how well each one works. Children will develop note taking skills called annotation in their sketchbooks.
Recording
Recording can be done in lots of different ways. Children will be encouraged to explore as many ways of recording as possible. Children are recording whenever they respond to an image or object through whatever material they happen to be using. Progression will be seen in sketchbooks as they develop their skills and techniques as an artist.
Presenting
Children will connect all of their experimentations together and show that they can make informed choices along the way in their sketchbooks. Their work will show that they have a clear understanding of what they have done and why. They will have had the opportunities to experiment with different techniques and materials in their sketchbook and will use these to inform their final piece to end each project. This means that they will ‘present’ their personal response meaning they’ve developed their own, original artwork by taking inspiration from artists. Children’s sketchbooks will show clear links between ideas and visual elements. These visual elements include, colour, shape, texture, composition, form, pose and expression.
In order to equip children with a breadth and depth of knowledge, the curriculum embeds these threshold concepts through the completion of two projects/units in each year group:
• every year group will start with a drawing unit
• every key stage will cover Painting OR Sculpture
Our long-term plan provides a rich and inspiring curriculum for all children from EYFS to year 6. We have worked collaboratively with our KS3 colleagues to ensure that skills and techniques covered will help ensure a smooth transition for our children into KS3. Our creative curriculum allows for art to be placed into context along with key events, people and places and allows them to understand the effect artwork and artists have had on historical situations. Children will be given opportunities to meet and work alongside local artists in our local community. Our long term plan also takes into account the National Curriculum expectations for art and design. This ensures 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.
Basic skills are introduced in EYFS. Our youngest children will begin to develop their understanding of art and design through the exploration of a variety of materials, experimenting with colour, design, texture and form. This understanding is then built upon each year, through the development of drawing, printing, painting, mark making, collage and sculpture skills. These skills are revisited and the use of an ongoing sketchbook of work underpins this process. As children enter Year 1, they will complete a drawing unit where they will start to develop their drawing skills by exploring different mark making techniques – using a variety of different materials. In their painting unit, they will develop skills by exploring colour through mixing primary colours to create
secondary colours; creating artwork inspired by Kandinsky and Delaunay. In Year 2, children will develop their drawing skills further by focusing on the use of tone. They will explore using tonal shading to convert 2D objects into 3D objects. Children will develop their pencil control by practising drawing techniques such as hatching and scumbling and they will have many opportunities to refine their drawing skills through manipulation of line. In their sculpture unit, they will use a wide range of materials to create an African mask. They will learn about how to create relief and will decorate their 3D sculptures using a variety of media. Throughout the unit, they will develop their knowledge of a wide range of art and design techniques by using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space and will learn about the work of a range of artists and sculptors. They will describe the differences and similarities between different practices and disciplines, making links to their own work. As they move into Year 3, children will develop drawing skills further by focusing on line; looking at the formal elements of shape, line and colour. They will explore a range of materials and techniques such as mono-print, oil pastel printing and transfer in their drawing unit. In their painting unit, pupils will use the medium of paint to design and create patterns in nature. They will develop their understanding of colour, pattern, tone, line and shape and will be encouraged to explore and experiment with paint to gain a deeper understanding of colour theory. As they enter Year 4, children will explore the shapes, lines and colours used in the illuminated lettering featured in the Lindisfarne Gospels (Local History). They will explore sculpture though the development of clay tiles, deepening their understanding of relief pattern and embossing based on Klimt’s work. In this unit, they will focus closely on joining techniques when moulding the clay. In Year 5, children will further develop their drawing skills by focusing on portraiture, looking closely at proportion, line and tone. In their painting unit, they will develop painting techniques by looking at the work of other portrait artists and exploring shape, form and colour. In Year 6, children will build on skills of pencil control, composition, line and colour to create a propaganda poster based on young people (change makers who have had a positive impact on society. They will explore the work of Shepard Fairey and understand the impact of a limited colour palette. In their sculpture unit, they will revisit the art of making three dimensional sculptures inspired by the work of Henry Moore and Alberto Giacometti.
Curriculum Overview:
Intent
Our Art and Design Curriculum has been designed through collaborative work with primary subject leaders and KS3 specialists. The curriculum narrative has been carefully planned to develop a child’s early creative experiences and build upon them each year, enabling them to express themselves in a practical and inspiring way. Through learning about a wide range of art and crafts, from various cultures, we hope to not only develop the children’s passion and love of the subject but also build a respect, natural inquisitiveness and an appreciation of art in all its forms which they may carry with them throughout their lives. Art and Design stimulates imagination and creativity; involving children in a range of visual, tactile and sensory experiences, which enable them to communicate what they see, think and feel in a range of ways, regardless of their ability; it promotes careful observation and an appreciation of the world around us. Through learning about the roles and functions of art, children can explore the impact it has had on contemporary life and on different periods and cultures.
Implementation
Our long term plan provides a rich and inspiring curriculum for all children from EYFS to year 6. Our creative curriculum allows for art to be placed into context along with key events, people and places and allows them to understand the effect artwork and artists have had on historical situations. Basic skills are introduced and then built upon, including drawing, printmaking, collage, painting and making. Skills are revisited and the use of ongoing sketchbook work underpins this process. We believe the role of the teacher is to introduce key skills, materials and ideas to the pupils in such a way that each pupil can then explore his or her own creativity. By creating a safe and nurturing environment, pupils are encouraged to take creative risks and to learn from the journey. The resources and experiences provided are suitable for pupils of all abilities, and enable every child to really delve into their creativity. Our curriculum also takes into account the National Curriculum expectations for art and design. This ensures 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.
Our curriculum toolkits and resources promote a diverse range of creative teaching from EYFS to Key Stage 2, they are designed to be highly progressive and skills based. This ensures that the children are able to revisit and evolve skills consistently through school and therefore become masters of each of the main disciplines. They will also be introduced to a range of key artists, movements and styles and will refer back to these on a regular basis.
Impact
We measure the impact of our art curriculum with various formative methods of assessment including self and peer assessment. Children appraise and suggest constructive developments for their own work and that of their peers. Evidence of children’s work in art can be found in their ongoing sketch books as well as work displayed around school and photos in books. The art coordinator monitors the teaching and evidence of art through the 5 lens approach. As well as assessing the skills, knowledge and understanding that children have developed in the subject, we also consider their level of enjoyment and engagement. This enables us to identify the children for whom art is their gift. We endeavour to provide guidance and further opportunities to explore their talents and interest in this subject with extracurricular activities, visits from practising artists, community events and competitions or shows in our region. We also strive to provide opportunities for all children to witness well-known works of art by taking advantage of the plethora of wonderful art galleries that we have in our local area; including the Laing, Baltic and Shipley.
