Art – curriculum information

Intent

At Francis Askew our art and design curriculum builds confident, resilient, open-minded children who are inspired to think imaginatively and expressively. Through our art curriculum, children will be taught the skills and be given the knowledge to be creative within a wide range of mediums, culminating in their own works of art. Our children will be taught techniques in drawing, painting, sculpture and collage to be able to create pieces that showcase their progress and ultimately their creativity. Children will produce artwork individually and collaboratively to showcase their pieces; what they have learnt about the materials and the processes that they have used to produce it.

Our aim is to provide inclusive and aspirational learning experiences where pupils thrive and build the cultural capital they need to make ambitious choices about their own futures, overcoming any barriers. In art and design, this is promoted through collaborative and experiential learning opportunities, for example, opportunities to attend art clubs which offer enrichment beyond the national curriculum e.g. local art projects and competitions. Links with local artists and visits to galleries local and afar are planned wherever possible so that children can gain relevant, concrete and modern experiences in areas they might not ordinarily have the opportunity to encounter.

At Francis Askew, the teaching of the art and design curriculum has been carefully considered to enable our pupils to become confident and competent artists and designers. At Francis Askew, we follow the Kapow programme. Alongside this our highly skilled subject leaders have carefully worked to create a Subject Progression Document where objectives for each year group are progressively mapped out towards clearly defined end points. This ensures our pupils are given the required skills and knowledge they need to progress in art and design. The progressive objectives also enable teachers to identify and plug gaps in pupils’ knowledge and skills.

Children will develop a deep understanding of key concepts as they move through our art and design curriculum. Key concepts have been carefully considered and identified as the core knowledge and skills required to successfully achieve in art and design. Key concepts are revisited and developed as the pupils move through the school to ensure that knowledge and skills are firmly embedded within their long-term memory. These key concepts compliment work carried out across the school reinforcing our 6 broad curriculum drivers (see overall Curriculum Intent).

Key Concepts: These concepts are explored through each unit of art and build progressively as pupils move through the school.

  • Knowledge of artists and designers: (factual knowledge)
  • Exploring and developing ideas: (conceptual knowledge)
  • Making skills: (procedural knowledge)
  • Evaluating: (metacognitive knowledge)

 

Children will also develop their understanding of identified second order concepts through the art and design curriculum. These concepts branch across subjects, creating horizontal links across our whole curriculum. They aim to develop flexible knowledge and skills that children can apply to multiple curriculum areas. In art and design children will be develop their understanding of the following second order concepts:-

  • Chronology (history of art and changes over time)
  • Similarity and difference (comparing works of art, identifying common/different styles and techniques)
  • Significance (significant artists, works of art and art movements)
  • Written, oral and creative expression: (Using artistic terminology, evaluating, refining, describing, experimenting, creating, presenting)

End points in art and design:-

By the end of EYFS, pupils will:

  • Be able to use art to be creative and express themselves in different ways
  • Be able to create pictures of what they can see and imagine
  • Develop some control when using pencils, paint brushes and other materials

They will know that art conveys both thinking (ideas) and feeling (emotion). They will use a variety of ways to express and communicate through art. They will know that creative thinking involves original responses, not just copying or imitating existing artworks. They will use their imagination, curiosity, creativity, cognition, critical thinking and experimentation skills to allow them to improvise, collaborate, interact and engage in artistic sustained shared thinking. They will have time, space and opportunity to revisit and reflect on artistic experiences. Children in EYFS will safely use and explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques, experimenting with colour, design, texture, form and function. They will share their creations, explaining the process they have used. They will make use of props and materials when role playing characters in narratives and stories.

By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils will:

  • Be able to use a range of materials in a creative way to design and make products
  • Be able to use drawing, painting and sculpture to develop and share their ideas, experiences and imagination.
  • Develop their own use of colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space
  • Know about the work of a range of artists, craft makers and designers, describe similarities and differences between different practices and principles, and used some of their techniques in their own work.

By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils will:

  • Develop their techniques to create and experiment with greater control and choice of materials through the study of great artists and designers.
  • Be confident in the use of sketch books to record their observations, develop review and refine their ideas.
  • Have improved their mastery of a range of art and design techniques including drawing, painting and sculpture with a range of materials.
  • Be aware of different kinds of art, craft and design and the techniques that are used to create them.

Implementation

At Francis Askew, our art and design curriculum is carefully mapped out into a long-term plan. This outlines when key concepts will be taught and revisited and shows how these concepts progressively lead towards children achieving our identified curriculum end points. The long-term plan also enables links between subjects to be identified and carefully planned for to support children’s retention of knowledge and skills.

Art and design is taught using the Kapow scheme of work alongside our art Subject Progression Document. This ensures full coverage of the Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 curriculum as well as incorporating SMSC development. The scheme of work from EYFS to year 6 has been designed as a spiral curriculum with the following key principles in mind: cyclical (pupils return to the same skills again and again during their time at Francis Askew), increasing depth (each time a skill is revisited it is covered with greater complexity, prior knowledge (upon returning to a skill, prior knowledge is utilised so pupils can build upon previous foundations).

Formal elements of art units are taught (with the exception of Year 6) and these lessons focus on the discrete skills of the formal elements of art: line, shape, tone, texture, pattern, colour. Each year group from Year 1 to Year 6 has a unit called Art and Design Skills which focusses specifically on developing pupils’ art, craft and design skills in a discrete way. The application of skills from these two recurring units are then applied throughout the rest of the scheme (e.g. sculpture and collage, pre historic art, etc).

Short term planning for art and design is informed by the Kapow scheme, the art and design long-term plan and Subject Progression Document. Lesson objectives are clear and sequenced so that outcomes are secure and meaningful.

The development of children’s oracy is also given a high profile and is promoted through the use of subject specific terminology and vocabulary in art and design lessons. When discussing and presenting new knowledge learned within the art and design curriculum, children will be directed to specific and progressive vocabulary.

A typical teaching sequence in art and design at Francis Askew is as follows:

  • Study the work and techniques of an artist
  • Compare and contrast with the work of previous artists studied or other works in the same style
  • Critically evaluate the artists’ work to inform their own ideas
  • Experiment, investigate and refine the different techniques using appropriate media
  • Create their own artwork, applying new techniques, skills and media to their own work
  • Critically evaluate their work, refining and improving where appropriate
  • Reflect and recap the knowledge and skills remembered and learnt

At the beginning of each unit and throughout, children revisit prior learning and link this to new concepts being taught. Additionally, at the end of a learning sequence, children reflect on their new learning and skills and there is opportunity for further teaching when knowledge or skills have not been retained.

All children will have access to the art and design curriculum with work being tailored appropriately for children with SEND – modifying end points so that they are appropriate but remain aspirational. Any child working below their age-related expectation, will receive a tailored curriculum with personalised objectives. This will enable all children to build the skills and knowledge needed to bridge the gap between themselves and their peers enabling them to reach their full potential.

The development of children’s oracy is also given a high profile and is promoted through the use of subject specific terminology and vocabulary needed to work as artists. When discussing, debating and presenting new knowledge or skills learned within art and design, children will be directed to specific and progressive vocabulary.

Impact

A wide range of strategies are used to measure the impact of our art and design curriculum. In EYFS, staff professional judgements are considered against the area of learning. Assessments are formative so that they quickly make a difference to children’s learning. Assessments inform the provision of activities and experiences which develop children’s skills and knowledge as well as giving opportunity for further practise.

In key stage 1 and 2, formative assessments are carried out regularly by teachers during and after each lesson, which inform future planning. Where learning is not secure, additional learning takes place to address this. Additionally, summative assessments are carried out each term by using the Kapow internal assessment tool. As a result of this assessment tool, children’s misconceptions or gaps in subject knowledge and skills are addressed and additional teaching and support is provided.

Our subject leaders also monitor the effectiveness of the art and design curriculum through carrying out regular monitoring evaluations. These evaluations are quality assured by the Curriculum Lead, Senior Leadership and Governors.

The effectiveness of art and design is also monitored through pupil and parental voice throughout the course of the year.

Further information