Art
Infant
Intent
Our intent at Christ Church Infant School and Nursery is to ensure that the children are taught the subject of Art as specified in the National Curriculum.
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Art is a vital part of the Primary curriculum as it provides a means of expression for all children. It allows each individual to practically use their imagination to inspire their creativity, take risks and extend their cultural understanding. This will promote enjoyable, memorable learning experiences and develop an individual’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding of the world in which they live.
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The national curriculum for art and design aims to ensure that all pupils:
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produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences
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become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques
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evaluate and analyse creative works using the language of art, craft and design
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know about great artists, craft makers and designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms.
Implementation
Our Art curriculum is implemented by teaching art regularly. The children will cover an art topic once every term and will also have additional opportunities to engage with art activities throughout the school year. Art is linked as closely as possible to the topic for the term, to ensure relevance and context. A skills-based curriculum is taught, which covers drawing, painting, sculpture, textiles and printing. Skills are revisited and honed in a spiral curriculum, which progresses in terms of depth and challenge, to build on the children’s previous learning. We ensure that each child develops their skills and techniques in a way appropriate to them, through clear differentiation and support, active and purposeful experiences, and using a variety of art materials and teaching strategies. We foster an enjoyment and appreciation of the visual arts and a knowledge of artists, craftspeople and designers. Introducing children to artists and art movements directly linked to the skills or topics they are covering. We have a sketchbook approach, so that children feel safe to experiment and take risks, without the fear of doing something wrong. We encourage each child to evaluate their art work and that of others, both with peers and adults.
Impact
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Children will have learned, improved and embedded a range of artistic skills. They should have an awareness of a broad range of artists and craftspeople, and be able to consider and discuss the artworks they come across. We want our children to be confident to explore, experiment and take risks, placing value on the process and journey that they take, not just on the finished product. Most importantly, we want children to have found and enjoyed a creative outlet – a means of self-expression and enjoyment.
Junior
What are ‘the Arts’?
‘The arts’ are a means by which we can develop our creative flair and imagination. At Christ Church Junior School we are committed to provide such opportunities within visual art, music, drama, dance, creative writing and across all aspects of the curriculum.
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Intent:
The aims of Art and Design in our school are as follows:
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To enable all children to have access to a varied range of high quality art experiences.
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To provide an imaginative, innovative and co-ordinated art programme which will foster enthusiasm for art and design amongst all the children.
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To foster an enjoyment and appreciation of the visual arts and a knowledge of artists, craftspeople and designers, through links with the local and wider multicultural community.
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To stimulate children’s creativity and imagination by providing visual, tactile and sensory experience.
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To help children explore the world at first hand, using all their senses and experimentation, and so gain knowledge and understanding of the world in which they live.
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To develop children’s understanding of colour, form, texture, pattern and their ability to use materials and processes to communicate ideas, feelings and meanings.
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To inspire confidence, value and pleasure in art.
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To cultivate children’s aesthetic awareness and enable them to make informed judgements about art and become actively involved in shaping environments.
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To teach children to express their own ideas, feelings, thoughts and experiences.
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To develop children’s design capability.
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To learn about and be exposed to artists that reflect their own self-image and cultural background.
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To enhance children’s ability to value the contribution made by artists, craft workers and designers and respond critically and imaginatively to ideas, images and objects.
Our Curriculum Provision:
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Our school ethos and curriculum reflects the importance we place on the arts:
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Art lessons are planned to meet the requirements of the National Curriculum
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Physical Education is allocated two hours per week, including dance
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Drama is an element of our English lessons and is used as a powerful, creative teaching tool across the curriculum
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Music is taught by a Junior Jam specialised teacher and visiting peripatetic musician.
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A range of instrument tuition is offered in addition to statutory lessons.
Our school has individual policies for Music; PE (Dance) and English (Drama and creative writing, including poetry). This document will focus on the Teaching of Art.
Implementation
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Planning, Assessment, Progression and Evaluation:
The Curriculum planning offers an overview of units for each curriculum area across the year groups and are based on the National Curriculum Programmes of Study.
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The progression of skills and knowledge will guide staff and support them in their planning of Art. It will give them the freedom to change how they deliver their lessons as long as the skills are taught.
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The Art co-ordinator will monitor termly plans to keep them in line with national curriculum requirements. Monitoring takes place through sampling children’s work and teacher planning, by book monitoring and also pupil voice. Short term planning is in the form of whiteboard files. Progression across the year groups and resource needs are then identified. Issues that may indicate needs for further development will be included in the School Development Plan.
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Lessons and children’s work are evaluated by staff and inform future planning. Art Resources are stored in labelled boxes in the ICT suite. Resources are ordered (when necessary) by the Art co-ordinator.
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Each child has an art sketchbook which serves as a cumulative record of their work and is passed on to the next teacher at the end of each year. This allows for a clear visual of progression of skills from Year 3 through to Year 6.
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Equality of Opportunity
We will provide arts opportunities to all our children, regardless of gender, race, disability or financial circumstances (in the case of external visits and visitors). The arts may be used to develop children’s learning in any area of the curriculum, particularly for those with SEND.
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Partnerships and Progression:
Our school values the contribution that can be made by partnership with parents and actively invite parents to support and participate in our learning when required. Parents are invited to share their talents, religion and cultural backgrounds. They are invited to our celebratory Leaf assemblies and school productions and concerts.
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Impact
Art and design embody some of the highest forms of human creativity. Our curriculum will engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design. As pupils progress, they will be able to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of art and design. They should also know how art reflects history and contributes to the culture, creativity and wealth of a nation.
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