What our pupils say...
"You get your hands dirty and it is a lot of fun!"
"We learn drawing techniques for example, how to smudge pencil for an effect. Peter Thorpe used bright colours and we used his work to help us. Peter Thorpe usually used leftover paint as he didn't like to throw it away so it is whatever colours were left. We also listen to music when we paint to see how that affects what we create."
"I would always get the size or shape of things wrong last year and this year I think I've got better. Drawing is now my favourite hobby; I do it at home all the time! When we do art it makes me really happy, it's the best thing in school."
"So here I learnt that the higher the number the thicker and softer the pencils. So here 6B is really thick and the B is really thin. We do research and learn facts about the artist before we do our own art work."
"Our teacher gives us ideas of how to change things or make things better. I can tell when I've done a really good job because she comes round and tells me my work looks great! Sometimes she asks if she can show the rest of the class!"
Introduction
The Art and Design curriculum at Shavington fosters creativity, individuality and resilience. It gives children the opportunity to learn new skills, develop learnt skills and put their own creative flare into their creations. Through collaborative work and reflection, it also builds social and communication skills. Art and Design allows the children to develop and consolidate their vocabulary as well as exposing children to many well-known artists and their work. Children will develop a range of skills and techniques using a variety of mediums and materials.
At Shavington Primary School it is our firm belief that, in order to to enhance and enrich all children’s learning we must provide a full and rounded education; we must be committed to the art and design curriculum. The teaching of art, therefore, is taught discreetly as well as allowing many links to other topics and areas of the curriculum.
Intent
At Shavington Primary School, we aim to provide children with a broad and enriching Art and Design curriculum that develops their skills whilst also encouraging children to explore their own creativity and style. Our vision is for children to be immersed in and enthusiastic about art by celebrating their artwork and inspiring them through high quality teaching and delivery of the curriculum. Whilst at Shavington, children will create final pieces that have been inspired by a research phase of different artists and/or techniques from different cultures and eras. They will be creative as they demonstrate their ability to apply new skills and experiment with newly learnt techniques; as well as refine previously leant skills. Children will be given opportunities to display their individuality and creativity through research, designing, making and evaluating their work. Whilst Art and Design is taught as a discreet subject, we are committed to helping children develop skills that are transferable and relevant across the wider curriculum.
Implementation
At Shavington Primary School, we follow the National Curriculum programme of study for Art and Design; we aim to make learning real and relevant by planning units that are related to and can be integrated into learning across different subject areas (where possible). Using this approach, children can apply their artistic skills to real life scenarios and in other areas of their learning; this giving meaning to their work. The main areas for teaching taken from the National Curriculum are drawing, painting, colour, printing, pattern and form and these are taught multiple times throughout a child’s school career to ensure that all children have chance to keep building upon these skills and embedding them. We research and explore pieces of artwork and famous artists, forming our own opinions through discussion and evaluation; allowing for the introduction and discussions around new vocabulary. We then use this to inspire our own artwork and help us to develop new technical skills. We foster an environment that allows for risks to be taken, independence to be developed and all work is celebrated and evaluated.
Impact
A high-quality Art and Design education should engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge, vocabulary 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.
Children’s evaluations should reflect their growing confidence and understanding of techniques and vocabulary that they have learnt, practised and applied. They should begin to have a sense of independence and understand and utilise their artistic strengths as well as any areas for change or development.
Through high quality teaching we ensure that all children are able to:
- Enhance their artistic knowledge and develop their creative awareness, eventually being able to apply their skills to create their own pieces of artwork.
- Explore artists and develop an appreciation and passion for a variety of artistic styles.
- Use a variety of materials, resources and techniques.
- To build their sense of selves by working creatively, with perseverance and resilience.
- To develop a sense of imagination and passion, with a confidence to take risks in their own artwork.
