Intent

At Spring Gardens Primary School, we value Art and Design as an important part of the children’s entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum. The intent is to ensure all children produce creative, imaginative work and are able to express themselves in a variety of ways. By the end of KS2, the children should have a good understanding of the formal elements of visual language.

During lessons, children have the opportunity to explore their own ideas and record and reflect on their experiences, as well as exploring the work of others and evaluating different creative ideas. Through the teaching of art a range of art techniques, children will become confident and proficient in drawing, painting, sculpting, collage and printing.  They will also have the opportunity to develop their knowledge of famous artists, architects and designers as well as being provided opportunities to work alongside local artists. 

Children will develop their interest and curiosity about art and design through a series of lessons offering both skills and knowledge progression and offering children the opportunity to ask questions and demonstrate their skills in a variety of ways. The curriculum is planned and sequenced so that new knowledge and skills build on what has been taught before.

The Early Years Foundation Stage follow the Early Years Framework and teach Art and Design through ‘Expressive Arts and Design’ and ‘Physical Development’.

Art and Design Curriculum Overview 2023-2024

Implementation

In Art and Design, units are blocked and taught weekly over a half term, to allow children to focus on developing their knowledge and skills, studying each unit in depth. 

The Art and Design curriculum at Spring Gardens Primary is based upon the 2014 Primary National Curriculum in England, which provides a broad framework and outlines the knowledge and skills and taught in each Key Stage. 

Teachers plan lessons for their class using our progression of knowledge and skills documents. The progression document ensures broad curriculum coverage and that the skills and knowledge taught are progressive year on year. Underpinning the progression document are the steps required to help children develop a good understanding of the formal elements of visual language; line, colour, form and shape, value, texture, space, and movement. If appropriate, the teacher may make meaningful links to other curriculum areas being taught during the same half term.

To enrich the children’s learning and to create more meaningful links, educational visits or visitors to school are encouraged where possible. We hold regular art enrichment weeks where the whole school will unite in exploring a particular work of art, artist or genre. Where possible, we invite parents and carers to join in the celebration of the art produced during these weeks.  We are working to become an Artsmark school. Working collaboratively within school as well as with external partners to expand our knowledge, skills and understanding of art in a wider context. Our last Artsmark project focused on an exploration of the circus, our next will focus on ensuring that art and culture are embedded throughout the school with opportunities created for wider engagement. The variety of experiences, both in and out of the classroom, will create memorable learning opportunities to further support and develop children’s understanding.

Art and Design assessment is ongoing throughout each unit with teachers using the Target Tracker to record progress termly, this then informs teachers in planning engaging and challenging lessons in subsequent terms or years.

Impact

Through quality first teaching and careful planning, our aim is for children to develop as artists and be aware of the skills they need to become one. The impact of this curriculum design will lead to good progress over time across key stages relative to a child’s individual starting point and their progression of skills. Children will therefore be expected to leave Spring Gardens reaching at least age-related expectations for Art and Design. Our Art and Design curriculum will also lead pupils to be enthusiastic Art and Design learners, evidenced in a range of ways, including pupil voice, their final pieces and sketchbooks. Achievements are celebrated in classrooms and corridor displays, and by building in increasing connections with local galleries and artists, we aim to develop our future artists and their appreciation of the art around them.