Art

We want our children to leave Warren Primary Academy being resourceful, confident, ambitious, respectful and creative life-long learners (our school values).

At Warren Primary Academy our Art curriculum aims to inspire in pupils a curiosity and fascination of art that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. It is vital that our children have the opportunity to learn and enjoy Art, know about great artists and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms.

Therefore, we have an exceptional duty of care to ensure that children become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques. We aim to provide out children with meaningful art experiences where they will have the opportunity to learn and enjoy art.

Our art curriculum will also build on a progression of knowledge, skills and understanding and enable children to gain a wide range of vocabulary from EYFS to the end of Key Stage 2.

It is also through dialogic rich teaching approaches as a vehicle for learning in art that we encourage pupils to articulate ideas, develop understanding and engage with others. This commitment to both presentational and exploratory talk is a powerful tool for learning in art and will empower out children to better understand themselves, each other and the world around them.

Through our teaching we consistently aim to raise awareness of the arts; as a subject and as a potential career field for the future. Children will leave Warren Primary Academy knowing different career prospects for artists.

The Arts is an area that we are proud of and its impact can stretch wider when its value is fully recognised. Our children will leave Warren Primary Academy being able to take their experiences of the world and transform them through art. They will be able to make new connections and relationships through their inventive minds and their knowledge, memories and fantasies will continue to feed their imagination.

In the words of Pablo Picasso, “every child is an artist,” and we at Warren Primary Academy hope to give our children the insight, skills and creativity to stay an ‘artist’ as they grow up.

Intent

We want our children to leave Warren Primary Academy being resourceful, confident, ambitious, respectful and creative life-long learners (our school values).

At Warren Primary Academy our Art curriculum aims to inspire in pupils a curiosity and fascination of art that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. It is vital that our children have the opportunity to learn and enjoy Art, know about great artists and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms.

Therefore, we have an exceptional duty of care to ensure that children become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques. We aim to provide out children with meaningful art experiences where they will have the opportunity to learn and enjoy art.

Our art curriculum will also build on a progression of knowledge, skills and understanding and enable children to gain a wide range of vocabulary from EYFS to the end of Key Stage 2.

It is also through dialogic rich teaching approaches as a vehicle for learning in art that we encourage pupils to articulate ideas, develop understanding and engage with others. This commitment to both presentational and exploratory talk is a powerful tool for learning in art and will empower out children to better understand themselves, each other and the world around them.

Through our teaching we consistently aim to raise awareness of the arts; as a subject and as a potential career field for the future. Children will leave Warren Primary Academy knowing different career prospects for artists.

Implementation

Art is an ongoing process through which all our children will be given opportunities to develop specific skills, knowledge and understanding to enable them to work in a variety of media, style and form. It will enable children, of all abilities, to use their creative imagination to achieve their potential with guidance and given criteria.  Children work individually and within a group to develop the social and personal skills. Art is not taught in isolation, although it retains its creative base and its skills and techniques. Wherever appropriate it is linked to other areas of the curriculum and gives children the opportunities to develop specific art skills and reinforces skills already established.

Organisation and Planning

What a lesson looks like

Art is an activity that needs the teacher to be directly involved with the children in the lesson to set the task, to impart knowledge, to lead activities, to monitor and develop the children’s progress, to encourage development and to ensure that each child reaches and appropriate standard.

A good art lesson will:

  • Use a variety of approaches that are matched to the activity and the ability of the children.
    Give the children time to examine art: work, exhibits, artefacts, historical buildings of interest.
    Identify whether the art activities are exclusively art or whether they are applying skills through one or more aspects of the wider curriculum, as in topic work. When children are undertaking activities that are directly related to another element of the curriculum they should be aware that the session is an art investigation and that they are therefore focusing upon art skills.
  • Cater for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) children.
  • Ensure always that issues of Health and Safety are addressed in the planning and delivery of the art curriculum.
  •  Encourage the children’s development of personal and social skills, be fully inclusive and give equal access for pupils to access learning.
  • Encourage children to work individually, in pairs, small groups and as whole class when required.
  • Provide learning opportunities that enthuse, engage and motivate children to learn and foster a sense of curiosity and wonder.
  • Develop children’s art vocabulary which is appropriate and accurate and which develops and evolves from EYFS to KS1to KS2.
  • Encourage children to recognise their own ideas have a unique value when creating art.
  • Support children that with Art, there is no right or wrong. Art can be abstract and our opinion may differ to what our peers may see or feel.

Sequence of Learning

Below is an example of what a possible sequence of learning, for art, at Warren Academy might look like.

Art
Sequence of Learning
Lesson 1Lesson 2Lesson 3Lesson 4Lesson 5
1. Introduce artist or artists by showing an example of their artwork and discussing as a whole class.
 
2. Sketch book work:
Children are give a small paper copy of the aforementioned art to stick in sketch book and annotate with their thoughts.
(likes/ dislikes/ feelings/ comparison: similarities and differences).
 
3. Research artist and share/ write up findings. (depending on the artist you may wish to give the children print offs of web pages that you deem to be safe/appropriate information
1. Introduce skill  (link to artist if possible).
What does the skill achieve? purpose?
 
Adult to Teach skill – and new vocabulary.
 
2. Sketch book work: Practise using skill, if paint based, put into sketch book once dry.
1. Recap skill/ vocabulary- what was its purpose?
 
2. Sketch book work:
Children to apply skill by copying part or whole piece of artist’s/ example work into sketch book. If paint based, put into sketch book once dry.
 
Give children a choice of work to copy.
1. Recap skill/ vocabulary.
 
2. Children to return to last week’s work.
Annotate own work – Post it notes are great for this and can be put over work if children so choose.
 
What did they like what can they improve on, what would they change?
 
Sketch book work:
Design own final piece using the skill they have learnt.
 
For example.
If artist is a landscape artist – children to choose familiar landscape/ building.
If artist focuses on portraits then can they paint themselves or a friend?
1. Recap skill/ vocabulary
 
2. Children to return and familiarise themselves with their design.
 
3. Create own final piece.
 
Please give children time to complete their work this may take a couple of sessions.
 
Could you display their finished work gallery style?
Invite in parents? children to talk about the process/ journey and arrival to their final piece

Depending on the skill or the artist being taught, the above sequencing or steps may vary.

At Warren Primary Academy, art may be taught through a thematic approach based on themes relevant to the needs of our children, it may also be taught discretely to encourage the development of key skills. We use the Early Years Framework and the National Curriculum as the basis for our planning. In ensuring high standards of teaching and learning in art, we implement a curriculum that is progressive throughout the whole school. Where possible, we make links between subjects, which build on prior knowledge and skills.

Early Years

In the Early Years, Art  is taught as an integral part of the thematic work covered throughout the year. We follow the objectives for developing a child’s understanding of ‘media and materials’ and ‘being imaginative’ set out in the Early Years Framework. Our teaching guides children to use simple tools and techniques competently and appropriately, select appropriate resources and adapt work where necessary.  Children have opportunities to use tools and techniques to shape, assemble and join materials and to construct with a purpose in mind, whilst experimenting with colour, design, texture, form and function.

At the End of Key Stage 1 children will be able to:

  • use charcoal, pencil and pastel to create art.
  • create and use tones and tints, pattern and texture in their artwork.
  • know how to use a view finder.
  • show mood and feeling within their artwork through facial expressions and the use of colour.
  • talk about themselves in their work.
  • design and create prints using rubbing, rolling, pressing and stamping.
  • describe, give opinions and ask questions about a piece of art.
  • recognise artwork from a range of artists and craft makers.

At the end of Key Stage 2 children will be able to:

  • create sketch books to record their work and observations and use them to review and revisit ideas.
  • combine tools and medium of their own choosing.
  • organise line, tone, shape and colour.
  • use shading and choice of pencil grades effectively to create mood and feeling
  • create and express mood and feeling in their painting through the implementation of facial expression and body language in their artwork.
  • explain their chosen techniques both written and orally, and describe how their work may have been influenced by a famous artist, craft maker, designer or architect.
  • accurately colour mix, predicting outcomes.
  • create a background wash.
  • design and create prints and overprints on different material.
  • recognise, give opinions and question pieces of artwork.

Matching tasks to pupils’ abilities

Teaching in Art should address the fact that all children will develop their ability to make images and to learn and apply skills at different rates. Differentiation is therefore a key issue and will be open ended and planned differentiation will be by the outcome and tasks set according to ability. Individual children will be supported and intervention from the teacher and additional adults will increase pupils’ thinking and extend the range of options that may be considered and raise individual standards. Approaches need to be used to ensure that all children including the least and most able, can be working to their full potential in all art lessons.

Some ways in which children may be supported are:

  • Resources adapted to suit the needs and/or disability
  • Differentiation can be based on outcome
  • Pencil grips for children who are continuing to develop their fine motor skills
  • Providing opportunities for learners to use all their senses, for example by direct handling and manipulation of materials

Impact

Roles and Responsibilities in measuring the impact of art

Subject Leader

Our Art curriculum is high quality, well thought out and carefully planned to demonstrate progress.  The art subject leader will measure and monitors the way their subject is taught throughout the school by:

  • Planning scrutinies
  • Work scrutinies
  • Learning walks
  • Pupil Voice
  • Lesson observations
  • Teacher interviews

The art subject leader also has the responsibility for monitoring the way in which resources are stored and managed. They provide ongoing CPD to ensure the highest quality of teaching and learning. They will ensure staff have access to current research and knowledge of art; including exhibitions at nearby galleries.

Teaching Staff

Staff will ensure that the school curriculum is implemented in accordance with this policy. Staff will ensure that they are using the correct vocabulary for their year group. They will be confident with   their subject knowledge and are aware of the expectations for key endpoints of the previous/ next year groups and also the end of key stage.

The future of our children

The Arts is an area that we are proud of and its impact can stretch wider when its value is fully recognised. Our children will leave Warren Primary Academy being able to take their experiences of the world and transform them through art. They will be able to make new connections and relationships through their inventive minds and their knowledge, memories and fantasies will continue to feed their imagination.

In the words of Pablo Picasso, “every child is an artist,” and we at Warren Primary Academy hope to give our children the insight, skills and creativity to stay an ‘artist’ as they grow up.