Art
Intent
At Shaw Cross, our mission is to work together valuing and nurturing children. We understand that in order to value and nurture children we must invest in a range of educational experiences that foster a holistic view of children and their educational journey. We liaise with parents by informing them of the art and design learning that is taking place and providing suggestions of how they can help their child within this area of the curriculum, as well as art-based projects. We also celebrate work through display and work on our website.
Children within our school come from a diverse socio-economic background. Backgrounds which may value art in different perspectives and perhaps not value art at all. We aim to provide a broad, rich, stimulating and relevant curriculum through a range of learning opportunities, raising aspirations and facilitating opportunities for growth. We offer a curriculum that is driven by the ‘characteristics of effective learning’ (EYFS 21) and the ‘Secrets of Success’ (KS1) to ensure that all learning has a purpose and our children are motivated to achieve their full potential regardless of academic achievement or the background from which they have come.
Art and Design has a unique role in allowing children to tap into their creative talents and the subjective nature allows them be expressive and shine without the fear of failure. Through art children learn to respect the work of established artists, and to reflect on this is order to explore and persevere with their own ideas and techniques. We endeavour to use art as a form of self-expression in a way that empowers our children explore their thoughts and feelings and therefore acts as a therapeutic medium for communication.
Art and Design builds upon the foundations of the Early Years and continues throughout a child’s school life. Through art and design, we endeavour to foster the development of creativity whilst teaching fundamental skills. Furthermore, we aim to provide a learning environment where our children have opportunities to develop oracy and the acquisition of language associated with expressing their thoughts, ideas and opinions about art through the use of technical terms such as shape, pattern, texture, form etc. We believe Art and Design has a special place in the curriculum in helping all of our children to achieve their full potential. Our children have an entitlement to experience a range of high-quality teaching in art and design skills, whatever their ability; we aim to nurture their imagination, talent and skill and to value their growth as artists.
We deliver Art and Design within our school by providing a range of experiences with the intention of meeting the statutory requirements of The Early Years Foundation Stage Framework and the National Curriculum offer for Key Stage One. Our intent within the Foundation Stage is to use expressive arts and design to explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques such as clay, loose parts, paint and collage. Teaching the children valuable skills in selecting the right material or tool to practise and apply for the first time in their educational journey. Throughout Key Stage One we intend to build upon previously taught skills by applying paint and drawing in more meaningful and effective ways, teaching shade and colour mixing to create tone and develop our creative thinking skills by using elements of art from the artists we study. At Shaw Cross we recognise that there are many professions that require creative talent and we strive to provide this through our Art and Design curriculum. Our aim is to raise the “Cultural Capital” of our children by broadening their horizons to the role that Art and Design has in the world and the opportunities in can open for future jobs. Jobs such as fashion, home décor/furnishings, web design, etc.
Implementation
At Shaw Cross we teach our children to be: respectful, resilient and reflective. This underpins all that we offer in our Art and Design curriculum. We use the work of existing artists as inspiration for children’s own work which they then use to influence their creations and pieces of work. To ensure high standards of teaching and learning in art and design we implement a curriculum that is progressive throughout the school. Units of work are planned to cover the skills, knowledge and outcomes that need to be met.
The EYFS Statutory Framework states:-
The development of children’s artistic and cultural awareness supports their imagination and creativity. It is important that children have regular opportunities to engage with the arts, enabling them to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials. The quality and variety of what children see, hear and participate in is crucial for developing their understanding, self-expression, vocabulary and ability to communicate through the arts. The frequency, repetition and depth of their experiences are fundamental to their progress in interpreting and appreciating what they hear, respond to and observe
In the Foundation Stage children have many opportunities to explore art through continuous provision and adult led experiences. Careful thought is made to the resources and enhancements provided to inspire and facilitate this aspect of learning. This includes opportunities to respond to the natural world through the use of colour, pattern, shape, texture and form. The Characteristics of Effective Learning are promoted through children finding out, having a go and taking an active role in their learning, and developing perseverance and resilience with their work. Children are encouraged to respect their own and others ideas, and build on these as well learn from the work of existing artists. They are given opportunities to create and explore ideas, and reflect on how they can approach and adapt their work as they go through the creative process. The role of the Early Years Teacher and practitioners are vital within this learning as they provide skilful intervention to develop the knowledge and skills that children need in order to become independent learners in Expressive Arts and Design. Children are taught new skills within discrete lessons. They then apply this teaching to their independent work within continuous provision.
The Key Stage 1 National Curriculum purpose of study states:-
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.
At Shaw Cross we share the aims of the National Curriculum for Art and Design and aim to ensure all pupils:
- produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences
- become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques
- evaluate and analyse creative works using the language of art, craft and design
- know about great artists, craft makers and designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms
Within Key Stage One, children are taught to reflect upon and apply known skills, and enhance, refine and improve their work. We have a cross curricular approach to learning where we provide opportunities to learn Art and Design in a purposeful and meaningful way. We encourage children to look at their own work and the work of others, including their peers. By evaluating their own work and the work of others we are fostering opportunities to increase resilience and be reflective and share their thoughts and ideas in a respectful way. They learn that art is subjective and that there are no right or wrong ways to create or experience art. Our children are taught to explore ideas and are given time to adapt and enhance their work as they go through the creative process. Teachers focus on the key skills which they want to progress within their Art and Design lessons and facilitate learning which builds upon these skills in small steps. This can often take place as a unit of work over a number of weeks or stand-alone lessons which build upon previously taught skills across the years. There are also opportunities for children to explore art through our continuous provision.
We want children to be imaginative and have no limits to their creativity. Alongside many opportunities to explore and develop their own work, children are also taught a range of skills and how to use simple tools safely and effectively. In an ever-changing world we acknowledge the role that technology plays in Art and Design and facilitate many opportunities to explore computer software as a media for representing their ideas. This is a particularly effective tool when children wish to amend their work as their ideas develop. At Shaw Cross we have developed a Progression of Skills Document to support and guide our pedagogy and how the curriculum builds upon a wide range of art and design threads in drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking and using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space.
Impact
Our Art and Design education is designed to have profound impact upon the lives of our children as set out within our curriculum intent. The key elements of these being measured and considered through the ability of our children to: Develop their own ideas, Skills in Drawing, Painting, 3D (collage and sculpture), Printing, Digital media and Responding to Art.
We use formative assessments within lessons to measure the success of our pupils, and our curriculum across all of these milestones. Our children show competences in improving their resilience and perseverance by continually evaluating and improving their work and their readiness to continue their education within their next stage of learning. At Shaw Cross our children become creative learners who celebrate the uniqueness of Art and Design and the impact it has on their world. Art has a positive impact on the sense of hope, self-worth and well-being of our children because as a school we value the creative process of each child as an individual. The children gain a sense of achievement by expressing themselves creatively and become confident artists by developing their interests through line, shape, pattern, form and space. Our work within the Daisy Chain Project through Ready Steady Paint helped us to connect with different schools around the UK to create the longest virtual daisy chain. Likewise, our visit to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park gives our children the experience of walking in the shoes of a real artist. Art improves the ability of our pupils to problem solve and become reflective thinkers, opening the minds of our children to new ideas. Our children feel confident, nurtured and valued throughout art and design curriculum because they are able to reflect on their own learning and show respect for themselves and others. Children at Shaw Cross are prepared for the next step of their artistic education because they enjoy learning and are equipped with the skills, knowledge and cultural capital to succeed. Before they leave Shaw Cross, the impact of our teaching in Art and Design ensures that our children have the tools and the inspiration they need to become the artists and the designers of the future.
We ensure all children have access to the content of the EYFS curriculum and the National Curriculum for Art.
Click here for the EYFS curriculum.
Click here for the Key Stage One curriculum (year 1 and 2).