Art and Design

“Every human is an artist.”

Don Miguel Ruiz

Art and Design intent statement:

At St Peter at Gowts, our art and design curriculum is inspiring and creative unlocking potential in all. Our curriculum seeks to ensure that all pupils flourish through challenge, support and a broad and balanced curriculum rooted in shared values and consistently high expectations while striving for excellence.

St Peter’s art and design curriculum is fashioned through our golden threads of values, inspiration, excellence and community.

The teaching of Art and Design provides a valuable educational, as well as social and cultural experiences for children of all ages. Art stimulates creativity and imagination and inspires pupils to formulate and communicate ideas and feelings. Our cohesively planned curriculum enables pupils to gain a coherent understanding and knowledge of a variety of artists, craft makers and designers, and diverse art forms from around the world. At St Peter’s we teach pupils a wide range of art skills (including drawing and mark making, working with colour, collage and textiles, printing and sculpture) and give them the time to explore and develop these skills so they are able to make use of them in their own artwork. Our ambitious curriculum is accessible to all, includes a wide range of enrichment opportunities and links with the local community and ensures that all our pupils can make progress, achieve excellence and develop their understanding and love of art.

Values – Our art and design curriculum embraces our school and British Values through learning about art and design from other cultures and exploring art by artists, designers and craft makers from around the world. Children will develop their empathy and tolerance towards others and how the values of different groups of people have influenced art around the world.

Inspirational – Our inspiring art and design curriculum is built upon enrichment opportunities which provide opportunities for our children that they would otherwise not experience. Opportunities such as visits to The Usher Gallery, working with local artists and taking part in community art activities designed to enrich or local area.

Community – Throughout our art and design curriculum, children will develop their understanding of communities around the world and events which have impacted and influenced art and design in different places. Children will experience opportunities to work with local community groups and projects.

Excellence- Our cohesively planned art and design curriculum and enrichment opportunities allow all to achieve. Children will explore a wide range or art skills and techniques, learn about famous artists, designers, craft makers and architects, and be given opportunities to explore the skills and knowledge they gain in order to produce their own quality artwork.

Art and Design Implementation:

Our Art and Design curriculum is built around the Kapow scheme of work (for Y1-Y6) and enhanced and personalised to meet the needs of all learners at St Peter’s. Enhancements and personalisation includes the use of adaptive teaching, links to the community and our locality and purposeful cross curricular links, which are planned and timely to support and strengthen learning. Arts and Design in EYFS is underpinned by the Expressive Arts and Design objectives as set out in our personalised EYFS Curriculum. Our St Peter’s EYFS Curriculum relates to the objectives as set out in the Early Learning Goals, with clear progression from our littlest of learners (aged 2) to our end of Reception children.

The Art and Design long-term plan has been developed to ensure that art skills are well developed and revisited through our spiral curriculum to ensure a good coverage of skills over each phase of education.
Lessons incorporate the study of artists, designers, craft makers and architects, as well as artistic movements (such as cubism) and works of art.
Learning is pitched and scaffolded to enable all learners to be stretched and challenged.
All pupils are given feedback during lessons to support them in developing their art skills further.
In the EYFS, art activities are planned as part of adult-led learning when introducing new skills and linked provision is planned within learning through play to ensure all learners have opportunities to explore and rehearse these skills independently.
Children’s learning in art is developed through their sketch books from Y1 to Y6.
Assessment of skills and knowledge happens on a lesson by lesson basis and this information is used to inform future lessons and identify ‘high flyers’ in particular strands of art and design. And also, any children that may require additional support.
Children’s artwork is displayed in classrooms, along with photos or evidence of the processes involved in creating their final pieces. EYFS, artwork is shared in the floorbook or the art gallery. Artwork is also showcased around school.
We hold an annual Arts Week that includes a wide range of enrichment opportunities (including visiting artists and trips to local galleries). We hold an art exhibition each year to display and celebrate the artwork produced, where the whole school community is invited to enjoy our celebration of learning.
To inspire the next generation of artists, designers, craft makers and architects, local and wider career opportunities are celebrated and explored throughout school.

Art and Design impact:

As a Year 6 artist transitioning to secondary school, we aspire that all learners will have developed a wide range of art skills and techniques; an appreciation and love for art; know about great artists, craft makers and designers and understand the historical and cultural development of different art forms.