Art

Curriculum Intent, Implementation and Impact Statement

Intent

At St Nicholas Catholic Primary School, we value Art and Design as an important part of the children’s entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum.

Our art and design curriculum engages, inspires and challenges pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art. As pupils progress, they are taught to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of art and design. They are taught how art and design both reflect and shape our History and culture. They do this by studying male and female artists from around the world but also local artists and local architecture, taking advantage of our location in the City Centre.

The children will develop their understanding of the visual language of art by studying different media within the various disciplines of Art (drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, illustration etc.). They will achieve this through effective teaching and considered sequences of lessons and experiences. They will also develop an understanding of the visual elements of Art and Design (line, tone, texture, colour, pattern, shape, and 3D form) as we provide a curriculum which enables our children to reach their full potential.

We see art and design as a means to support learning in a range of ways. The skills that are developed in these subjects can be transferred across the curriculum and thus aid learning.

As Pablo Picasso famously said, “All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” We aim to engage our children and show them, like all other lessons, Art is not just a natural flair. It is a set of knowledge and skills that can be developed with a can-do attitude.

Implementation

As a school and in accordance with the National Curriculum’s expectations, we aim to ensure that all pupils:

  1.  produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences
  2.  become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques
  3.  evaluate and analyse creative works using the language of art, craft and design
  4.  know about great artists, craft makers and designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms.

The knowledge and skills that children will develop throughout each art topic are mapped across each year group to ensure progression. This starts in our Early Years Foundation Stage. All teachers have access to progression maps to differentiate learning for those children who have gaps in their learning or who have SEND needs. Progression maps also include Greater Depth challenges to further develop the experience of children meeting the objectives for their year group.

The school’s Art and Design curriculum is supported through the availability of a wide range of quality resources, which are used to support children’s confidence in the use of different media.

This year, our year 5 children will take part in the Liverpool Dot Art competition. The competition is designed to nurture talent, raise ambition and take art out of the classroom and into the real world.

Impact

Our Art and Design curriculum contributes to children’s personal development in creativity, independence, judgement and self-reflection. This can be seen in the children’s work on display and their sketchbooks.

Further information is gathered through pupil questionnaires; highlighting strengths and achievement and any improvements, knowledge and skills that still need to be embedded. The children are keen to learn new skills and work hard to perfect those shown to them. The children’s art is sometimes cross-curricular, and helps them to express feelings and emotions in art, as well as show their knowledge and understanding in history, geography and science.

Teachers make formative assessments against objectives and use this information to inform future lessons; ensuring children are supported and challenged appropriately. Children are given an assessment on their end of year reports and this is shared with parents.

Children in Foundation Stage are assessed within Expressive Arts and Design and age-related expectation levels are reported to parents at the end of the reception year.

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