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 skills explicitly, from EYFS to Y6. These link with our engaging, topic based curriculum. We have identified key skills and concepts within all key stages to ensure that children are challenged and have the chance to develop as artists and designers.

• 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.
• We will teach children to use tools and techniques as well as how to manipulate and combine different materials. 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 and are reviewed regularly.

• We also 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.

• 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 which anyone can view.

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.

As a school, we recognise the important contribution that art and design can make to so many other areas of the curriculum. Our art curriculum is embedded within our topic led approach. We believe it is important for children to become immersed in a project and as such we ensure that at least 3 times a year we have an ‘Art Day’. These may be inspired by the painting of a famous Artist or link to broader issues such as looking after our environment. Children have the opportunity to work collaboratively and on a larger scale. 

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 and appreciation of the Arts.