Art and Design Curriculum

Statement of Intent

It is our intent that the Art curriculum at St. Richard’s exposes and develops creativity, sets challenges, engages and inspires children and equips them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, originate and create their own works of art, craft and design. The curriculum has appropriate subject knowledge, skills and understanding to explore and investigate, create and evaluate artwork as set out in the National Curriculum and so will enable the children to reach and exceed their potential at St. Richard’s CE First School. It will enable pupils to create art work with a real purpose in terms when displaying and sharing the work they create and showcasing the skills and progress they have made. The children will view art for pleasure. They will question and talk like an artist using vocabulary and language in technical, theoretical, historical and emotional aspects, through sensory qualities and in the context of the work.  

In Key Stage 1, children explore the use of colour, line and shape to express emotions and record their surroundings. They begin to understand the relationships between colours and look closely at how they can use different shades in observational drawing. The children will use a range of materials creatively and explore drawing, painting and sculpture to develop and share their ideas, experiences and imagination. The children begin to look at a range of artists, craft makers, designers, sculptors and architects from a range of time periods and art genre, critiquing the work. They will begin to form opinions on work of theirs and others.

In Key Stage 2, children will begin to perfect their fine motor techniques and become more accurate with their observational drawings, including perspective and proportions. They will improve their techniques within drawing, painting and sculpture using a range of materials. Children will creatively produce their own art, being inspired by other artists and designers and will also be encouraged to produce art which expresses themselves. Children will look more closely at the meaning, history and life behind famous artists, craft makers, designers, sculptors and architects from a range of time periods and art genre, critiquing the work and begin to compare artworks. They will form opinions on the artwork of theirs and others, reflecting and evaluating the creations.

Statement of Implementation

In order to inspire creativity and foster imagination and curiosity we regard Art and Design highly at our school. We value Art and Design as a vital role within children’s development and learning and we endeavour to provide rich experiences and enthuse children about the art they are all capable of creating. Our bespoke curriculum is designed to show progression within a range of skills, developing on children's experience of working with different mediums and providing children with a theoretical and historical perspective on the art they are studying. As part of our broad and balanced curriculum, Art encompasses many of our subjects within school. Our bespoke curriculum and planning enables cross curricular links between topics that are being studied within classes, allowing children to make links between their learning. The progression of skills document has been designed to ensure that all skills and knowledge are being taught at an age appropriate level, progressing from one year group to another.

We provide a diverse range of knowledge and skills in which all children of all ages and abilities will capture within their own individual sketchbooks. Our sketchbooks travel with the children from year group to year group as they advance through the school. This provides children with an individual reminder of the progress they have made throughout their years at St Richards CE First School and is a personal keepsake of their own creativity, imagination and enthusiasm for the subject.

Aims

The national curriculum for art aims to ensure that all pupils:

As of March 2023, we have just become and Arts Award Centre which is part of Trinity College London. We are looking forward to teaching and awarding the children the Discover and Explore Arts Awards. 

Some example of our fantastic artwork which shows how talented and skilled our pupils are at expressing and communicating their creativity through knowledge and skills.

Some example of our fantastic displays which help to support and scaffold learning whilst also celebrating the excellent creative and expressive work our pupils create!