Art

Intent

It is our intent that at Shelton Infant School we provide high-quality Art and Design education which should engage, inspire and challenge our pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design. To achieve this, children will be given opportunities to explore, interpret and be inspired by a range of different artists and techniques.

We will teach Art by studying a variety of artists, from a range of backgrounds, and encourage children to embrace Art as a form of expression.

At Shelton Infant School we are committed to developing a clear progression of skills and knowledge as children make their way through school. Their learning will build upon broad and creative experiences and they will develop an understanding of how art has shaped history, culture, faith, creativity and wealth in our country and the wider world.

Our Art curriculum is broad and ambitious with a wide breath of skills and knowledge taught from the beginning of Nursery to the end of Year Two. It meets the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and also the requirements of the National Curriculum at Key Stage One.

Our pupils will leave Shelton Infant School equipped with the tools and techniques to express their thoughts and ideas creatively.

Implementation

Our whole school progression document and termly knowledge and skills organisers for Art and Design have been created by teachers working together, using’ Kapow’s Art and Design scheme as a framework. Kapow have developed their scheme alongside experts in their field and it has been designed to give pupils every opportunity to develop their ability, nurture their talent and interests, express their ideas and thoughts about the world, as well as learning about art and artists across cultures and throughout history.

Our curriculum documents have been reviewed and validated by The Primary Art Network. They have also provided advice and guidance.

These documents are used to ensure that the knowledge and skills that teachers want our pupils to know, remember and use are clearly identified and carefully sequenced from Nursery to Year Two. This also ensures continuity and progression of teaching and learning.

 Our Art and Design curriculum is comprised of five strands:

• Generating ideas
• Using Sketchbooks (particularly in Key Stage One)
• Making skills; including the Formal Elements (line, shape, tone, texture, pattern, colour)
• Knowledge of artists
• Evaluating and Analysing.

Our lessons are sequential, allowing pupils to build their skills and knowledge, and apply them to a range of outcomes. The Formal Elements are a key part of the national curriculum and are therefore woven into the units we teach at Shelton Infant School.

Key skills are revisited again and again with increasing complexity, in a spiral curriculum model. This enables pupils to revise and build upon their previous learning. Four key areas are incorporated into each unit of work:

• Drawing
• Painting and Mixed-media
• Sculpture and 3D
• Craft and Design

Creativity and independent outcomes are robustly embedded into all of the units in our Art and Design curriculum, which supports our pupils in learning how to make their own creative choices and decisions, so that their art outcomes are both knowledge and skills-rich but are also unique to the pupils.

EYFS

It is important that children have regular opportunities to engage with the arts, enabling them to explore and use a wide range of media and materials. The quality and variety of what children see and experience is crucial for developing their understanding, self-expression, vocabulary and ability to communicate through the arts. At Shelton Infant School we are committed to providing high-quality and frequent opportunities for our pupils to develop their skills and knowledge in Art and Design. We encourage a child-led approach to Art and design, with every lesson reflecting the ethos of ‘process over outcome’. Lessons have flexible objectives, making them easily adaptable to any topic or theme, and contain teacher prompts, guidance on assessment and key vocabulary. This ensures staff are confident to teach Art and Design and ensures consistency across EYFS.

Our pupils are exposed to a range of media and vocabulary, and can therefore grow in confidence as artists and makers. Each unit provides opportunities for pupils to learn new skills, practise their fine motor skills and develop their growing vocabulary with subject-specific language.

Key Stage One

In Key Stage One, pupils will further develop their artistic skills and knowledge, and extend their ever-growing vocabulary during Art lessons, family learning events and themed weeks.

Children will develop their mark-making skills using a variety of techniques including hatching, cross-hatching, stippling and blending. They will have opportunities to explore and work with paint and mixed media, sculpture, chalk, pastel, clay and craft and textiles materials.

Pupils will learn about a range of different artists and produce work, inspired by these artists and craft makers.

Impact

Our pupils make good progress over time, relative to their starting points. Throughout their time at Shelton Infant School, pupils develop their knowledge and skills in Art. Children are given the space to feel and work like real artists.

Teachers regularly assess children’s knowledge and skills using ongoing formative assessment and complete summative assessments at three points during the year.

The subject leader evaluates the impact of the curriculum through lesson observations, professional dialogue with colleagues and pupil voice, which includes scrutiny of the children’s’ work, discussions with pupils and exploring their enjoyment of Art and Design.

Our children say:-

• We learnt about shading and techniques like stippling and cross-hatching.
• We learnt about Andy Warhol – he was an artist – he drew pictures of people and he used different colours like red eyes and a purple face – he took his time.
• I liked it when we used charcoal and we rubbed it with our fingers – it was really messy.
• We have a sketchbook and do lots of observational drawings. I liked it when we did observational drawings of our teddies.
• My first bit of art was doing Pointillism. The dots are apart and they get closer and closer to make shapes.
• I liked finding out about Bridget Riley – she used lines to make her artwork.

For more information about our Art Curriculum, please contact our Art Leader – Holly Massey.