Intent

Our intention is that “each child at Stanion will be enriched, motivated and challenged by a broad and balanced curriculum and will be valued for all their efforts and achievements.” Our approach to delivering the best for every member of our school community is based upon five key curriculum drivers. These are known as our Superpowers.

Underpinning our Art and Design curriculum is the desire to develop well-rounded learners who are valued as individuals and able to fulfil their potential. We will ensure that children are inspired and challenged in all year groups, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, develop and create their own works of art, craft and design. We want pupils to develop a sense of personal expression and achievement through creating art which can be appreciated by themselves and others. We wish to develop each pupil’s creative ability and develop their technical skills to their full potential through the depth and breadth of our Art curriculum. We aim to develop their knowledge of artists and craftspeople. As a school, we believe in valuing the achievements of our children in all areas of the curriculum, and we celebrate the achievements of our children in Art, recognising that this is a subject that can lead to so many opportunities in the future.

Implementation

• We teach Art through the Grammarsaurus scheme of work, from Year 1 to Y6. We have identified key skills within all key stages and children revisit and practise these skills in additional drawing/ sketching sessions.

• Our Art and Design curriculum gives pupils the opportunity to explore creative media, to learn what can be done with different materials and what effects can be created. Children have the opportunity to develop ideas through an artistic process, and to master skills with a range of media and techniques.
• Every opportunity is taken to use the work of great artists, past and present, in order to learn and master artistic processes. A range of artists from different cultures and times are used as inspiration. These are identified on our long term plans. We also use Artists as inspiration for whole school events, for example on World Mental Health Day 2024, the children were inspired by the Art of Yayoi Kusama.
• Some of our whole school Art events are linked to broader issues such as looking after our environment. In June 2022 the whole school was inspired to create wildlife themed Art from recycled materials. This also linked to the work of our Ethos Committee on being Advocates for Change.
• We place great value on building children’s use of language. We teach subject specific vocabulary as well as building up and encouraging a wide variety of language with which to discuss and respond to Art.
• The children and their families are encouraged to participate in creative projects at home each year through our 'Home Art Projects'. They enjoy the opportunity to express themselves and respond in their own way. We share and celebrate all entries in a whole school assembly.

Some of the photographs from our Digital Photography Challenge- Spring 1 2025

• At the End-of Year Celebration of Achievement, we have awards for achievement and progress in Art. Within lessons we ensure that children have the opportunity to view, discuss and provide constructive feedback on each other’s Art. We collect examples of work for our Art skills books and regularly update our Art Gallery display with examples of Art from across the school.

EYFS

In Foundation Stage children work on a range of creative themes and tasks, and their learning in Expressive Arts and Design is linked closely to other areas of the EYFS. We aim to creative a love of Art and creativity, encouraging children to ‘have a go’. Children in reception may take part in Art and craft as part of their child-initiated time and a variety of resources are accessible for children to do this. Adult led activities as part of a small group enable children to practise particular skills or techniques such as folding, cutting accurately drawing, painting and model making. Working as a small group also allows for larger collaborative pieces to be put together, for example a display. The children in Reception also benefit from some whole class sessions where they learn about and discuss famous art. They will be introduced to a variety of famous artists in these sessions as stated on our long term planning and this is then built on as they move through the school.

Impact

Our approach to teaching Art at Stanion ensures that “each child at Stanion will be enriched, motivated and challenged by a broad and balanced curriculum and will be valued for all their efforts and achievements.” Through our curriculum we ensure that children develop their appreciation and understanding of Art as well as progressing their own skills and having lots of fun in the process!

Using different artists helps children to develop their own skills and style, as well as to evaluate and learn from the work of others. Children at Stanion are enabled to think critically and develop a rigorous understanding of art and design, including an understanding of how art and design reflect and shape our history and contribute positively to the nation’s culture, creativity and wealth.

Our intention is that children will develop a life-long interest in and appreciation of the Arts.