Art and Design

Intent

The intent of our art curriculum is to provide a coherent and sequenced subject scheme that develops children’s skills and knowledge of visual elements, art forms, artists and art movements. Our projects are placed alongside other subjects, providing opportunities for making meaningful connections.

Implementation

Key Stage 1

The autumn term begins with the implementation of essential skills for each year group, with knowledge projects covering colour mixing and the colour wheel. In Key Stage 1 children explore primary and secondary colours and hues.

Year 1

In Year 1, children explore themes directly related to the children themselves, such as their facial features, the surrounding natural world and their local community.

Year 2

In Year 2, the projects expand children’s artistic horizons to study a more comprehensive range of artists, artistic movements and creative techniques.

Lower Key Stage 2

In the autumn term, the colour wheel is expanded further in Lower Key Stage 2, where the children build on their Key Stage 1 foundations by studying tertiary, analogous and complementary colours, as well as exploring warm and cool colours.

Year 3

In Year 3, children expand their experiences to study a broader range of art forms, artists and genres. They also begin to study art from specific and diverse periods of history, including prehistoric pottery and Roman mosaics. Other genres studied in Year 3 build on previous techniques learnt in Key Stage 1 and include more complex techniques in printmaking, drawing, painting and textiles.

Year 4

In Year 4, children develop more specialised techniques in drawing, painting, printmaking and sculpture. They explore ways in which ancient cultures have influenced art and crafts by studying, for example, medieval weaving techniques and the religious significance of Islamic art.

Upper Key Stage 2

In Upper Key Stage 2, each autumn term begins with essential skills and knowledge projects (Colour in Landscapes in Year 5 and Colour and Style in Year 6). Teaching these projects enables children to build on their previous understanding of colour theory and develop further expertise in colour by studying tints, shades and tones and more complex colour palettes.

Year 5

In Year 5, children develop and combine more complex artistic techniques in a range of genres, including drawing, painting, printmaking and sculpture. Children continue to build on their understanding of other historical periods and cultures by studying the ancient Chinese art form of taotie and the significance of the Expressionist movement.

Year 6

In Year 6, children are encouraged to work more independently on projects like Environmental Artists and Distortion and Abstraction. Such projects require them to consider more conceptual representations of personal, environmental, social or political messaging. Children explore diversity in art by studying the projects Inuit and Trailblazers, Barrier Breakers.

Impact

Throughout the art and design scheme, there is complete coverage of all National Curriculum programmes of study and the children are exposed to a wide range of artists and artistic vocabulary and the art and design scheme is carefully connected with other curriculum subjects. The impact of a well-planned art and design curriculum provides our children with the opportunity to develop and demonstrate their creativity.