Art and Design

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”- Pablo Picasso

Intention (Why do we teach what we teach?)
At Croscombe CE Primary School we value Art and Design as an important part of the children’s entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum. It is a subject area which we enjoy and celebrate across the school.

Art and Design provides the children with the opportunities to develop and extend skills and an opportunity to express their individual interests and ideas. 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.

Implementation (How do we teach it?)
At Croscombe, the teaching and implementation of the Art and Design Curriculum is based on the National Curriculum and is planned using Curriculum Maestro Cornerstones Curriculum. Our Art and Design curriculum is broken into year group progression of skills and knowledge which is taught on a two-year rolling cycle, due to the mixed-age classes we have within our small school. Through this, children will learn a range of skills and techniques, use different mediums, and develop the ability to experiment with various kinds of art, craft and design whilst increasing their awareness and appreciation of art. Art and Design is integrated into our Curriculum Maestro projects to enable the learning to be meaningful to the children. These lessons are taught weekly throughout the academic year.

EYFS
In Reception, Art and Design is taught as an integral part of the Maestro projects and is embedded throughout the Cornerstones Curriculum. The objectives taught are mostly taken from the Physical Development and Expressive Arts and Design (EAD) statements from ‘Development Matters in the EYFS’. There is access to various creative materials as part of the classroom’s continuous provision. Children are encouraged to explore this area to invent their own pieces of artwork. Children are also exposed to weekly EAD adult led lessons, which provide children with the necessary skills and knowledge to apply when they choose their own learning.

KS1
In Key Stage 1, each autumn term begins with essential skills and knowledge projects (Mixing Colours in cycle A and Exploring Colours in cycle B). Teaching these projects enables children to be introduced to and then revisit colour mixing and the colour wheel with plentiful opportunities for the children to explore primary and secondary colours and hues. In cycle A, children explore themes related to the children themselves, such as their facial features, the surrounding natural world, and their local community. In cycle B, the projects expand children’s artistic horizons to study a more comprehensive range of artists, artistic movements and creative techniques.

KS2
In Lower Key Stage 2, each autumn term begins with essential skills and knowledge projects (Colour Theory in cycle A and Warm and Cool Colours in cycle B). Teaching these projects enables children to build on their previous understanding of colour and further develop their expertise by studying tertiary, analogous and complementary colours with many opportunities for the children to explore warm and cool colours.

In Upper Key Stage 2, each autumn term begins with essential skills and knowledge projects (Colour in Landscapes in cycle A and Colour and Style in cycle B). Teaching these projects enables children to build on their previous understanding of colour theory and develop further expertise with colour by studying tints, shades and tones and more complex colour palettes. In cycle A, children develop and combine more complex artistic techniques in a range of genres, including drawing, painting, printmaking, and sculpture. Children continue to build on their understanding of other historical periods and cultures by studying the ancient Chinese art form of taotie and the significance of the Expressionist movement. In cycle B, children are encouraged to work more independently in projects like Environmental Artists and Distortion and Abstraction. Such projects require them to consider more conceptual representations of personal, environmental, social or political messaging. Children explore diversity in art by studying the projects Inuit and Trailblazers, Barrier Breakers.

Impact (What has been the impact and how do we know?)
Our Art and Design Curriculum is high quality, well thought out and planned to demonstrate progression. By the time children leave Croscombe, we want them to have developed a passion for art and creativity, working both independently and collaboratively. They will have experienced a wide range of works of art, using technical vocabulary to talk about these. They will have grown in confidence when using a range of tools and techniques, becoming artists that can apply the skills and knowledge that they have developed throughout the years and respond critically to their own and other’s work.