Art and Design Technology

‘You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.’ Maya Angelou 

In Art we aim high and we are proud of the quality and progression that our children show across the school.

Children’s work is celebrated through displays and exhibitions over the course of the year.   The children build and extend their appreciation of Art through topics, lessons and visits.  These provide the opportunity to explore a range of forms and styles, including drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques, as well as accessing art from a variety of cultures.

During all Design Technology activities, we encourage the children to learn to think and intervene creatively to solve problems both as individuals and as members of a team. The children adopt the role of a designers working in industry, meeting the requirements of set criteria and adapting their work as they develop their outcomes.

Children are also given opportunities to reflect upon and evaluate past and present design technology, its uses and its effectiveness and are encouraged to become innovators and risk-takers.

We aim to engage the children inspiring and practical projects, where possible, we link work to other curricular subject areas, such as Mathematics, Science, Computing and Art.   We also encourage our children thorugh homework and half term projects to take part in art competitions outside of school.  In the past we have had art by our children featured by Show Racism The Red Card and the Royal Academy Of Art.

The Annual STEM Week activities provide further opportunities for the children to engage in cross curricular investigations.

Art progression of skills

Intent

The intent of our Art and Design curriculum is to provide an inclusive educational experience accessible to all students, maximizing their artistic abilities and academic achievements in all aspects of Art and Design. This approach will empower all pupils to deepen their knowledge of art and artists, retain information about the art and artists they study, and comprehend how to apply this knowledge to enhance their own creative work.

St. James’s C of E Primary School has established key intentions that guide our Art and Design curriculum. These intentions include:

• Building an Art and Design curriculum that promotes learning, resulting in students acquiring more knowledge, retaining it, and understanding how to apply the acquired knowledge and skills to their own work.
• Designing a curriculum infused with appropriate subject knowledge, skills, and understanding in exploring, investigating, creating, and evaluating artwork in accordance with the National Curriculum. This approach enables children to reach and surpass their potentiall.

Implementation

At St. James, children engage in a wide range of Art and Design lessons, providing them with opportunities to use various artistic mediums and learn about different artists and works of art.

Pupils experiment with new artistic techniques, record and evaluate their artwork, and reflect on their progress and achievements in Art and Design throughout the year.

In addition to incorporating regular Art and Design lessons into our curriculum, we provide various other avenues for fostering creativity and developing artistic skills, such as:

• Cross-Curricular Learning

Teachers strive to establish connections between different subject areas of the curriculum, ensuring that Art and Design skills are regularly developed and applied. These opportunities for creativity, outside of dedicated Art and Design lessons, support children in their learning and understanding across the curriculum.

• Whole School Events

Throughout the school year, we host school events and projects that incorporate Art and Design opportunities across the school, showcasing the talents of our creative pupils.

• Class Trips

Class teachers organise exciting workshops in school and trips outside of school. For example, students might go on a scenic walk, sketch a landscape, and draw their surroundings, or they might enjoy a woodland walk to collect leaves, twigs, flowers, etc., for creating their own woodland-inspired collages.

Impact

• More children will achieve age related expectations in Art and Design at the end of their cohort year.
• Children will understand what it means to be an 'artist.'
• They will develop a passion for Art and Design.
• They will be able to effectively communicate what they see, feel, and think through various artistic media.
• They will have the opportunity to experience and develop a wide range of Art and Design techniques, including using color, pattern, texture, line, form, and space.
• They will become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture, and other Art and Design techniques.
• They will be capable of critiquing and evaluating creative works using the language of Art and Design.
• They will possess knowledge and understanding of a variety of artists and their works of Art.
• They will cultivate a sense of their own originality and creativity.
• They will have the ability to reflect on themselves and the world around them.