Art

Art encourages children to think, developing  skills and confidence as they go. 

At St Michael’s Church of England Primary School, we aim for a high-quality Art and design curriculum. We create enjoyable experiences by carefully planning our topics to meeting the individuals’ interests so they are inspired to participate with art and design. Our teaching focuses on developing the children’s knowledge and skills to create and invent their own works of art and design. The children learn to think critically to develop their art and design. They also become familiar with famous artists and how they have shaped our history, culture and nation.

We want our children to enjoy and love learning about art and design not just through experiences in the classroom, but also with the use of educational visits which enables them to deepen their understanding of art.

 

In ensuring high standards of teaching and learning in Art and Design, we have implemented a curriculum that is progressive throughout the whole school. Art is often taught as part of a half- termly topic, which focuses on knowledge and skills stated in the National Curriculum. On re-designing our curriculum, extra planning time was given to enable teachers to work in their year groups, to ensure knowledge of skills were explicitly and progressively built into sequences of lessons. Staff meeting time is also used effectively, to gather evidence and ensure progression. At St Michael’s, we recognise the importance for children to gain ‘real-life’ experiences through hands-on, practical activities outside of school. We ensure this through fieldwork and educational visits. For example, visiting the local art galleries to hear about famous artist’s that have they have influenced our art and design. Or visiting a scenic place where they children can create their own piece of art work following the work of a famous artist.


Impact:

 

The impact and measure of this is to ensure that children are equipped with the knowledge and skills to progress into the next year effectively. We aim to create an environment where children can think critically and develop a rigorous understanding of art and design. We hope that the importance placed on our Art and design curriculum, along with the passion, creativity, enthusiastic teachers will support children to understand the importance of Art and design. The children will be able to create and invent their own pieces of work, shaping their understanding of art and design history, culture and creativity. These experiences will positively impact and shape the children’s futures. Through these educational visits and exploration children will have a broader understanding.