Intent

“If you ask me what I came to do in this world, I, an artist, will answer you: I am here to live out loud.” – Émile Zola.

Art is a form of expression and we want to give every child the platform to express themselves. At Garden Suburb Junior School, we value this subject and we realise the importance of creativity in order to fulfil each child’s entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum. We believe in giving children the opportunity to be willing and able to share their artwork, as well as reflect and critique others’ work. We provide holistic opportunities to unlock their innate creativity and develop their creative competence through artistic expression.

We aim to deliver a range of experiences which allow our pupils to learn a collection of techniques and skills. Our objective is to develop their proficiency to use a range of media, to learn about significant artists and develop individual interest overall.

As a school, we encourage a positive learning attitude towards art. We feel this approach to learning is particularly important as some children may not feel confident about their personal skills in Art. We encourage exploration and mistakes are reflected upon consistently as we perceive them as important parts of the learning journey. This learning journey can be seen in the children’s sketchbooks; a space where they can take risks and explore creatively. The sketchbooks exhibit the learning that has taken place and are seen as a narrative of the learning journey; they do not follow the regular rules of the presentation/marking policy.

 

Through our Art curriculum we intend to:

• Engage, inspire and challenge pupils
• Provide children with the opportunities to develop the skills to experiment and create their own pieces of art
• Support critical thinkers and develop pupils in understanding how art shapes history and contributes to culture
• Facilitate for all children to produce creative work, exploring ideas and recording their experiences
• Encourage children to become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art and craft techniques
• Find opportunities for children to evaluate and analyse creative works by using the correct vocabulary
• Teach children about great artists and understand the historical and cultural development of their art form

 

Implementation

Through our engaging art curriculum, we give our pupils many opportunities to achieve creative success and feel confident that they leave primary school with the skills and knowledge necessary to progress to the next stage of their art education.

Art is often embedded within topics but can also be delivered discretely. We provide an annual opportunity for all children to have their work placed in a school gallery and to view each other’s outcomes across the school as we feel this experience contributes to a high quality cultural education and teaches them the aspirational aspect of the subject. 

The children are taught a variety of techniques and given a range of materials and tools which they are then encouraged to explore in their sketchbooks. Sketchbooks are also used for collaborative work and to record a variety of finished pieces. We place a strong focus on the use of correct technical vocabulary. Teachers carefully plan the language they use during their sessions and model, through discussion and subject specific vocabulary to help embed this language in the children’s long term memory. This is also reinforced through the use of knowledge organisers, sentence starters and lesson specific word banks which support the children to appraise their own work and respond to the work of others. 

Teachers are provided with opportunities to develop their own subject knowledge through sharing good practice and peer observations. 

 

To deliver our art curriculum we will:

• Study an artist’s profile and their works with the aim to replicate work in the style of
• Practise techniques in an exploratory way to build confidence
• Use a range of media across the Key stage
• Remember and revisit the use of a range of media to ensure the progress of each technique
• Record the learning journey of the child by showing the progression over a topic- from initial observations to final piece
• Provide opportunities for children to reflect on their work and encourage use of correct and precise vocabulary when discussing artwork
• Encourage children how to critique artwork in a constructive manner
• Encourage children to think deeply about a piece of work- what emotion or feelings may surface from the artwork

Enrichment

• We provide opportunities for children to visit/experience galleries
• We hold regular art competitions e.g. an annual ‘seasonal decoration’ competition
• We hold an annual art exhibition– encouraging year groups to discover, discuss and create art of their own inspired by a range of artists. Works are printed professionally and displayed in a gallery style in school for children and parents.
• We find opportunities for cross curricular links with art such as: Year 3 art/maths- William Morris and repeated pattern, Year 4 art/history- Lowry and Industrial Revolution, Year 5 art/ history – pop art/Tudors and Year 6 art/history – collage scenes of the Blitz and art/science- Daniel Mackie/ habitats

 

 

Impact

A high-quality art and design education should engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works in this subject.  They will also learn how art and design both reflect and shape our history, and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation.

Through following a clear and comprehensive plan in line with the national curriculum, we are able to see what progression across year groups. It is our aim that children will remember and revisit knowledge and skills taught within each art project. They will understand how to use and apply these skills in their own art work whilst beginning to understand what is means to be an ‘artist’.

Classroom displays reflect the children’s sense of pride in their artwork and this is also demonstrated by creative outcomes across the wider curriculum. The art curriculum at Garden Suburb Junior school contributes to children’s personal development in creativity, independence, judgement and self-reflection.

 

The impact of our Art curriculum is measured by:

• The extent to which objectives are being met at the end of each unit
• Images of children’s practical learning
• Interviewing children about their learning (promoting pupil voice)
• Children’s books are monitored and there is the opportunity for dialogue

 

Assessment:

As there are no national standards for art, we assess the subject holistically and over time. Teachers use formative assessment throughout the art lessons to inform future lessons; ensuring children are supported and challenged appropriately. These observations are analysed to inform and address any gaps that may exist.

By the end of KS2 we aim to have facilitated for pupils to be able to express themselves artistically and feel assured in their own abilities, skills and knowledge. We aim to provide our children with the ability to appreciate, appraise and discuss the works of art of a wide range of artists, crafts people, sculptors and designers using technical language, and feel confident in their own opinions and views.