Art and Design

Art & Design Plan

Intent

At St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School we want every child to be happy and enthusiastic learners of Art and Design and to be eager to achieve their very best in order to fulfil their God-given talents. We aim to provide an Art and Design curriculum that pupils from Nursery to year 6 not only enjoy but also acquire a range of skills and techniques whilst using a variety of materials.

We value Art and Design as an important part of the children’s entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum. It is our vision that Art and Design provides the children with the opportunities to develop and extend skills whilst expressing their individual interests, thought and ideas.

We strive to use our high-quality curriculum to inspire, engage and challenge children whilst allowing them to experiment and invent their own works of art, craft and designs. We want our pupils to become critical thinkers and to develop a rigorous understanding of art and design. Our aim is for children to master a wide range of techniques when using different materials. As they progress, we will also provide pupils with the opportunity to critically evaluate and analyse artwork, form opinions and encourage them to use artistic language in discussions.

Implementation

We follow the National Curriculum for Art and Design. It is taught in key stage 1 and 2 as part of a termly topic, focusing on knowledge and skills stated in the National Curriculum. Teachers plan their Art and Design lessons with reference to the school’s Progression of Knowledge and Skills document. This document ensures the curriculum is covered in a comprehensive way and that the skills and knowledge that are taught are progressive from one phase to the next. In EYFS links to topics and provision areas promote Art and Design exploration in both Nursery and Reception. We ensure that the skills and knowledge in EYFS are then built upon in KS1.

Teachers carefully plan and craft lessons which inspire and challenge the children. Areas covered include drawing, painting and sculpture. The children also enjoy learning about the artistic styles of a range of famous artists and they develop and build their artistic vocabulary. Each topic allows the children to carefully examine a style of artwork, experiment and explore techniques used by the artist and then apply this to a final piece of work. Throughout their time at St Joseph’s, children use a sketch book to review and revisit ideas and experiment with Art and Design techniques.

At St Joseph’s we provide a variety of opportunities for Art and Design enhancements to the Curriculum, for example ‘Art Workshops’ linked to the Epiphany and Lent as well as creative days including an EYFS ‘Messy Church’ event. These events also offer an opportunity for parents to engage with the school and join in with their children’s learning.

Each year we also have a celebration of crosses week where the children represent their understanding of different crosses throughout the world using their creativity.

Our homework offer has recently been changed to allow children to show their creativity. Children across school will have opportunity to work on a creative task over a period of weeks, developing and refining ideas as they go along. The children’s efforts will be rewarded through our homework showcase events each half term where parents are invited to celebrate the children’s creations.

Impact

Art is valued and promoted at St Joseph’s. Children can describe their Art journey including what they’ve enjoyed, what they remember and the skills and knowledge they are developing using technical terms. Children know that their own art style is important and valued. They have developed as artists during their time at school. Equally, children know that art is a social tool and how it is important in society. The school has good links with the community and art is seen as a driver of wellbeing and community cohesion.