Art and Design
Intent - What do we want for our developing artists?
At Horn’s Mill, we aim to provide a skills based Art curriculum that helps build resilience and inspires children to be creative and imaginative. To support the teaching and learning of art in our school, we have spent time as a staff creating a curriculum that follows a process; teaches knowledge and skills, and is progressive and inspiring. Where possible Art teaching is linked to the wider curriculum.
We have broken our art curriculum down into 3 focus areas: painting, clay and drawing. This is to ensure a deep understanding of the skills involved with each medium. Our curriculum is progressive from year group to year group; revisiting and building upon pupils’ prior skills, knowledge and key concepts, which then feed into the expectations of our feeder high school.
Throughout the different projects across the curriculum, pupils research artists, makers and designers; they explore learning from other subjects and share what inspires them. In lessons, key skills are practised and pupils are given opportunities to demonstrate their progress in a final piece, which is discussed and evaluated upon completion. At Horn’s Mill, we understand the importance of allowing children the opportunities to grapple with skills and tackle tasks independently. Planned tasks are well modelled with possible misconceptions addressed. Children are encouraged to complete tasks as independently as possible: these skills are practised and reviewed, not simply offered up as ‘one-off’ tasks.
As pupils progress through the curriculum, they will think more critically and develop an appreciation of art, learning about how art and design both reflect and shape our history and contribute to the culture, creativity, and wealth of our nation. We aim for our art learning to enhance their cultural understanding of art in the wider world by providing opportunities to find out about diverse artists, designers and creators. We research the impact and influence that these designers and designs have had throughout history and how this impacts modern day design, processes and products.
Implementation - How is the curriculum delivered?
Lessons are delivered to each year group by a specialist teacher and children display their learning in sketch books. The lessons focus on three disciplines: painting, clay and drawing. Each half term, Design and Technology and Art alternate and projects are delivered as a series of lessons. The time dedicated to art ensures that each medium can be delivered to a high standard and children can create artwork with in-depth skill.
Teaching ensures that children are familiar with the key principles in art, including colour, texture, pattern, shape, line, space and form. Lessons are taught with elements of research, exploring medium, skills, final piece and evaluating. Throughout this process, pupils’ technical knowledge and vocabulary are developed. Children annotate their learning in sketch books and use this learning to create a final piece in the style of the identified artist.
Resilience is developed by giving children opportunities to learn, practise and revisit skills. These skills are modelled and broken down into simple processes and possible misconceptions are addressed. Pupils are encouraged to engage in conversations that evaluate their skills.
Children in KS2 are given opportunities to evaluate, annotate and develop their drawings, paintings and sculptures, with re-drafting and developing a continual process.
Details of the Art curriculum for each year group can be found in the Art and Design curriculum document below.
Curriculum Enrichment
Where possible, art learning is enriched by contacting the artists that we learn about in lessons. These artists sometimes communicate with our school through social media and give feedback on their work. We believe in giving children an audience for their work so children’s work is often displayed locally in the library, in care homes and in the local café. We take part in competitions, for example, we design Christmas cards for our local MP each year and we designed artwork for our local housing development hoardings.
To provide a purpose for their artwork, children are provided with opportunities to share their work through having a school art gallery, so children get to enjoy the end process as well as inspire and encourage each other. This helps pupils consider the views and opinions of peers also improve their work.
Impact - How do we know our Art curriculum is effective?
Pupil Voice
We value listening to the voice of our children to assess the knowledge and progress they have made. Children confidently talk through the process of designing, making and evaluating to achieve objectives and design criteria. Pupil voice is an important part of assessing, allowing teachers to continually reflect upon and improve the curriculum offer.
High-Quality Outcomes
Design processes are documented in sketch books. Each project ends with all children creating a final piece that demonstrates their learning and skills they have developed. Throughout the school, it is clear to see the progression of skills through the quality of products each year group creates and the process demonstrated in their sketchbooks.
If you have any further enquiries relating to the Art curriculum, please email Mrs Caroe on ecaroe@hornsmill.cheshire.sch.uk.
End Points:
Reception
By the end of Reception, children will have explored a variety of media through painting, drawing and malleable materials in order to prepare them for learning in Year 1. They will have a knowledge of some artists to bring to their learning when they begin National Curriculum for Art.
Team 1 – 6
Children’s individual sketch books and their final pieces will demonstrate the progression of skills identified in each year groups' curriculum and the knowledge of the artists that inspired their work. The key vocabulary taught will be evidenced through pupil voice and within evaluations in children’s sketch books.