Subject Statement – Intent, Implementation and Impact
Subject: Art
Subject Lead: Holly Trew
National Curriculum Purpose of study:
“Art, craft and design embody some of the highest forms of human creativity. A high-quality art and design education should engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design. As pupils progress, they should be able to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of art and design. They should also know how art and design both reflect and shape our history, and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation.”
Intent:
We aim for Art and Design to stimulate creativity, imagination and inventiveness. It enables children to communicate what they see, feel and think through their use of colour, texture, form, pattern and being able to use different materials and processes.
We strive to teach a broad and balanced art curriculum, which provides the children with exciting prospects to express themselves whilst simultaneously developing their art and design skills and knowledge. Through our art curriculum, we would like to develop children’s confidence in experimenting with art and making this individualised, rather than an emphasis on perfection or a uniform outcome. Through art lessons, we aim to foster an understanding and enjoyment of art, craft and design, showing development of ideas and their own skills through the use of a sketch book. Children should be able to explore different media and respond with original thoughts and imagination. At Victoria Junior School, the curriculum is designed to develop knowledge and skills that are progressive, as well as transferable, throughout their time at school and also to their further education and beyond.
Implementation
At Victoria Junior School, we use a topic-based approach through Cornerstones (Curriculum Maestro), and shaping this to our own personal sequence. Curriculum Maestro is an online platform that helps design, implement and manage the Art and Design Curriculum. Each child is given their own quality A3 sketchbook at the start of Key Stage Two. This then follows them to Year 6 so that they can celebrate their journey as artists during their time at Victoria Junior School. It provides visual, tactile and sensory experiences and a special way of understanding and responding to the world. The progressive nature of the curriculum allows children to develop and refine their creative and technical skills and improve their ability to control materials, tools and techniques. By presenting their achievements in one sketchbook throughout their time at Victoria Junior School, children are able to become reflective and take ownership of the development of these skills.
Throughout each mini project, children build on previous understanding through developing skills; generating ideas; formal elements; knowledge of artists and evaluating their work. Various media types are explored to give the widest possible range of experiences for all children. The materials and media used are revisited throughout projects and year groups to ensure progression of skills across their time at Victoria Junior School. We use assessment for learning within all lessons to ensure that teaching and learning is relevant, teases out and addresses misconceptions, which help to plan for next steps. Teachers ensure children are given opportunities to recall knowledge through various methods such as low stakes quizzing and use of knowledge organisers. We also believe it is important that children have opportunities to evaluate and analyse creative works using the language of art, craft and design, as well as doing this to their own and peer’s work.
Children are given the opportunities to engage in community art projects where they can apply knowledge and skills taught in lessons more independently. Creative opportunities are planned into other elements of the curriculum and enrichment activities to provide further opportunities for children to develop their skills. All children also have access to an extra-curricular Art Club.
Impact:
Children’s understanding, knowledge and skills are monitored by class teachers to ensure future lessons extend learning and address misconceptions. This is then used to inform differentiation, challenge and support, as well as future long term planning of projects. Classroom displays of ‘Wow Work’ enable children to feel pride in their artwork and this is demonstrated by creative outcomes across the wider curriculum. The children exhibit creativity and confidence, which can be evident in other areas of the curriculum. At Victoria Junior School, we will see creative individuals who feel free to express themselves through different mediums of art and design. Children will be able to articulate opinions and evaluate their own and others’ art work, including that of famous artists, and experience success and pride in many art projects. Children will be ambitious about what they can achieve and show genuine interest in the diverse world of art and design. The children’s cultural capital will be enhanced through the opportunities they are provided within Art at Victoria Junior School.
