The children will always be aware of an end outcome which has been inspired by the research they have carried out, so that they are continually motivated.
The Subject Leader:
As art subject leader, I believe that art is a way of looking at the world around us, of asking questions, investigating and developing ideas. I am passionate about art and have a love of creativity which is translated to the pupils in our school. As subject leader, I ensure that teachers are provided with the support and resources they need in order to confidently deliver engaging and challenging art lessons to all pupils. I monitor the teaching of art through work scans, learning walks and pupil voice which is all then shared with staff to enhance the quality of our art curriculum. Using a clear progressive pathway throughout the year groups, ensures that high standards and quality of teaching are maintained, resulting in our pupils making good progress in the skills that they are demonstrating, vocabulary that they are being exposed to and knowledge that they are gaining.
The Curriculum:
Key stage 1
Pupils should be taught:
to use a range of materials creatively to design and make products;
to use drawing, painting and sculpture to develop and share their ideas, experiences and imagination;
to develop a wide range of art and design techniques in using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space;
about the work of a range of artists, craft makers and designers, describing the differences and similarities between different practices and disciplines, and making links to their own work.
Key stage 2
Pupils should be taught to develop their techniques, including their control and their use of materials, with creativity, experimentation and an increasing awareness of different kinds of art, craft and design.
Pupils should be taught:
to create sketch books to record their observations and use them to review and revisit ideas;
to improve their mastery of art and design techniques, including drawing, painting and sculpture with a range of materials [for example, pencil, charcoal, paint, clay] about great artists, architects and designers in history.
Early Years Foundation Stage:
The development of children’s artistic and cultural awareness supports their imagination and creativity. We teach Expressive Art and Design in EYFS as it is important that children have regular opportunities to engage with the arts, enabling them to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials. Pupils are given the opportunity to experiment with colour, design and textures and share their creations with their peers. They are encouraged to safely use and explore a variety of tools and materials, like scissors and paintbrushes, which will help to improve fine motor skills. Helping children to be creative is as much about encouraging attitudes of curiosity and questioning as about skills or techniques. Children notice everything and closely observe the most ordinary things that adults often take for granted. Building on children’s interests can lead to them creating amazing inventions or making marks on paper that represent for them an experience or something they have seen. Encouraging children to choose and use materials and resources in an open-ended way helps them to make choices and to have confidence in their own ideas
Assessment for learning:
Teachers will assess children’s work by making informal judgements during lessons. The children also actively peer and self-assess.
On completion of a piece of work, the teacher assesses the work and uses this information to plan for future learning. Written or verbal feedback is given to the child to help guide his or her progress. Pupils are encouraged to evaluate their own artwork, thinking about how they can improve their work or the work of their peers.
Assessment for learning indicates what skills need to focussed on during the warm up/recall at the start of each lesson.
Art within other curriculum subjects:
SMSC – Art supports spiritual development by introducing children to the work of great artists and experiencing wonder and awe at the achievements of these great works of art. They also experience great admiration and respect for their peers’ work when they see the level of achievement and progress. Art supports moral development by encouraging mutual respect and the consideration for their peer’s work. Pupils are encouraged to show compassion when assessing the work of others through, understanding the impact their comments can have on others. Art supports cultural development work by enabling children to study art involving various cultures and civilizations from around the world. They lead to a greater understanding of different ways of life and a respect for cultures that are very different from our own; how they can enrich our own lives. The fusion of art work between our own and other cultures leads to pupils incorporating designs, patterns and motifs in their own work developed by a deeper understanding of the culture. Studying the pottery industry allows a children an avenue in to our culture.
English – At Eaton Park Academy, we have aligned our curriculum so that the teaching of art is linked with our English topics throughout the year. We especially use art to help our SEND children with their writing. We encourage the children to create images to inspire them and help their writing unfold. English texts are chosen to engage and bring learning to life for the children, and from this we ensure that art is reinforced too.
PSHE – Children develop self-confidence by having the opportunity to explain their designs and work in their art lessons. Children are encouraged to offer peer support and praise to one another. In addition, they discover how to be active citizens in a democratic society by learning how laws are made and changed. They learn that society is made up of people from different cultures and start to develop respect and tolerance for others
Computing – Computing can enhance our teaching of art in all key stages. The children use ICT in a variety of ways such as finding information on the internet and presenting information on artists, architects, sculptors and painters via PowerPoint. The children have access to lots of software which aids the teaching of digital media such as: Scratch, Paint, 2 Paint a Picture, Paint 3D and Active Primary. They will learn how to upload images and manipulate them.
History – Many art lessons spend time researching the work of famous artists from the past to allow children to understand the context behind their art. For example, it allows the children to understand the inspiration behind Andy Warhol’s art and the techniques he applied to create his art. Pupils have lots of opportunities to study art from different historical periods in time and cultures. They will then be able to try and recreate this artwork using the skills they have learnt. This allows great comparative language skills to develop as children are encouraged to understand how art has developed through time. For Remembrance Day, pupils create a piece of art to commemorate those that have been lost.
RE – Throughout the year, there are many opportunities for art and R.E to link together. The children work to create respectful, artistic pieces that are then showcased through the school. Linking these two subjects allows the children to develop a respect for different religions, and to see how art is perceived across the wider world.
Science – In KS1, children learn about the role of art, craft and design in their environment and start to understand colour, shape, space, pattern and texture. They can then use this to represent feelings and ideas. In addition, children are given the opportunity to explore the natural world of form, colour and pattern.
In KS2, children have many opportunities to integrate science and art such as: using their knowledge of the solar system to replicate the planets and drawing the organs in the correct place on the human body.
Maths – There are many cross-curricular links to be made between art and maths as the children describe shapes, measure and draw, often using rulers, protractors and compasses. Art is also linked to maths in relation to understanding and recognising symmetry.
In EYFS, children will learn how to design and cut out shapes, and then arrange and stick them in a pattern.
Geography – Children’s knowledge and skills when producing pieces of work which demonstrate landscapes often link to both spatial and positional awareness as well as the opportunity to analyse well known places around the world in more detail. Pop Art techniques are also used within Upper Key Stage Two to create impressions of depth and 3-dimensional impressions of famous cities such as New York City. Work within the Around the World topic explores the meaning behind colours and shapes within flags from around the world, with the knowledge then applied by students to create their own flags to represent themselves.
Enrichment:
We place great importance on educational visits and visitors to enhance the art curriculum. Such visits include:
• Nursery’s visits to the Santa Train and the beach in the summer encourage them to explore colour and seasonal change.
• Reception’s visit to Longton Park to see the wildlife will inspire them to discuss the environment and create ‘big art’ using the nature they find.
• Year 3 create shadow puppets in their enrichment time.
• Year 4 are immersed in the life of a Roman soldier as they had a ‘Roman Experience’. They create their own Roman shields to showcase their own creativity. In their Blue Abyss topic, children will have the opportunity to participate in a plastic craft workshop linked with oceans.
• Year 5 will have a Stardome come into school. This will inspire them to create their very own version of Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’.
Other enrichment opportunities within school include:
- We hold an ‘Aspirations Week’ each year where we discuss how pupils could become an artist/painter etc.
- Creative after school club for KS1 and KS2.
- Our homework policy encourages children to complete a creative task linked to their topic. The response to this are phenomenal, and our school is bursting with fabulous artwork which has been created at home.
Pupil Voice:
“Painting is my favourite part of art because we use lots of different colours.” – Y1
“We mixed white paint with blue to make our sea look lighter.” – Y2
“I enjoyed creating a cave painting because I liked learning about the different animals they drew.” – Y3
“In the Stone Age, people drew on cave walls using insect blood, and they told stories.” - Y3
“Andy Warhol is famous for his pop art. He used bright colours and repeated pictures.” – Y4
“I liked practising how to use the oil pastels to create circles and swirls for my Starry Night picture.” – Y5
