Art & Design
Our curriculum stimulates creativity and imagination, inspiring our children to experiment, invent and create. It is designed to provide a broad and balanced range of activities, making connections, where appropriate, to other curriculum areas. Teaching is designed to allow children to develop in the following areas:
Use a range of tools, media and processes
Understand and respect the work of a diverse range of artists, craft makers and designers, making links to historical chronology and applying this to their own creations including historical, cultural and religious art.
A clear and comprehensive scheme of work has been developed which ensures progression of skills and full coverage of National Curriculum. Each Key Stage undertakes units which include drawing, painting, textiles, sculpture, collage and printing. Children's vocabulary will develop each year as they progress through the art and design curriculum.
Art and design may be taught weekly or blocked, allowing a longer session for creating. However, the structure of the unit is the same throughout school. The children will use artists as a source to explore their work and then develop their own ideas. This will be followed by experimentation with media and development of skills before the children create their own piece of art. They will be encouraged to reflect on their work regularly, develop and improve their ideas. At the end of the unit, the children will evaluate their own work and, at times, the work of others.
There are many outcomes of the Early Years Foundation Stage which are the prerequisite skills for the Design and Technology curriculum, most relevant ones coming from the following areas of learning; Physical Development, Expressive Arts & Design and being imaginative. Here children develop their basic skills of handling equipment, being creative with materials and expressing their imagination.
Enrichment
A WOWS art exhibition takes place every two years and is in conjunction with other schools within our locality. The exhibition is held in a public venue and displays collaborative work alongside that of individual schools. This alternates with an internal exhibition of the children’s work in school which provides an opportunity for the school community to celebrate the work of the children.
Assessment
At the end of each topic, children are assessed against their understanding and knowledge of the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum.
How can I help my child at home?
Art promotes language, social and creative development. It allows the children to see and interpret the world in their own way and then express it accordingly. Children should be encouraged to explore and express their creativity in a variety of ways and through different media. It is important to talk to them about what they think about the art that they see in the world around them, to discuss what they have done and how it expresses their thoughts and ideas.