Art
What are we trying to achieve through our Art curriculum? (Intent)
At Westrop Primary and Nursery School all we do is underpinned by our strong vision and values. Our vision and values support our ‘Curriculum Drivers’ which offer golden threads throughout our curriculum and ensure we have clear drivers for all that we want to achieve for our children.
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In Art our learning journey adopts a cross-curricular approach towards teaching and learning. We have developed a modelling and experimentation approach to art. Children are provided with the media they will use in their project in order to gain confidence in its uses and limitations, before exploring artist work and adult modelling of the skills needed to embark on their own creative learning journey. |
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Our Art curriculum fully understands and supports the intrinsic links between visual Arts and wellbeing. Art at Westrop is built on the belief that all children should be given the opportunity to express themselves creatively. |
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Art provides many levels of challenge for the children at Westrop. Children are provided with the opportunity to engage with a wide variety of media which is explored throughout their time at school. Children are also introduced to a wide variety of artists exploring the many different styles of art and their pioneers Children who wish to be challenged further also have the opportunity to attend an extracurricular Art club which is run for 1 or 2 terms throughout the year. |
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The Art curriculum at Westrop was built with experimentation and discovery at its heart. At each phase, children produce wonderful pieces of art that are taken home to share with families. Westrop often enter the Global canvas competition where we look at our responsibilities to our planet as responsible citizens. As a development Westrop are looking towards developing and hosting a Big Draw and a whole school art exhibition where the community can visit our children’s exhibited work and partake in a community art project. |
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Art is a form of visual communication (a picture paints a thousand words) children learn to discuss how a painting makes them feel, what they like or dislike. Art provides children a platform for their artistic voice, learning to communicate through line, colour and texture. Children are also provided the opportunity to take part in silent galleries where they look at their peer’s work, contemplating their work and peer assessing it while becoming a critical friend and supporting artistic development of each other. |
How is the Art Curriculum delivered? (Implementation)
- Art is taught from EYFS to Year 6 and is a foundation subject and is taught for approximate equivalent of one afternoon every week (but may be taught using flexible planning in an art week, day or block as depending on how the teacher needs to meet the needs of the children).
- The Art curriculum is delivered in small steps within a topic unit where knowledge and skills are continuously revisited and built upon as children progress through school.
- There is coverage of both knowledge and skills in generic art skills, drawing and sketching, painting, printing, collage and 3D sculpture. Knowledge and skills are revisited throughout phases and built upon and developed throughout school.
- Planning is developed by class teachers from the two-year cycle long term plan, where relevant Art topics are laid out. Art and DT are taught across two terms and have strong links with History topics and English. There is a clear progression of skills that each teacher follows. Planning is also supported by in house CPD.
- All Art lessons have the opportunity for children to be challenged through exploration of the medium. TA and Teachers support can further develop the children’s thinking and learning. Children are provided with opportunities to lead their learning in their final pieces and autonomy as to how to present a piece of work.
- Where possible, cross-curricular links are made with English, History and Geography, for instance, painting mountain landscapes in the topic "Mountains, Rivers and Biomes" in KS2 and what evidence can be observed in a painting of the Great Fire of London in Key Stage 1.
- First-hand experiences are crucial to the Art lesson with the emphasis on learning modelling and experimentation.
- Work is recorded from Years 1-6 in Sketch books and EYFS through Tapestry. A variety of work will be evident: sketches, samples of art medium, initial ideas, final pieces, photographs, images of interest, annotations work of artists and some brief art history.
- Children are taught a wide range of skills including: asking questions, making observations and taking measurements; engaging image work; recording and presenting final pieces of art answering questions and developing opinions and raising further questions.
- Through the course of the year, children are introduced to a range of significant historical and modern-day artists. These artists are from a variety of different ethnicities and genders and artistic backgrounds.
- Art as in all subjects starts in our wonderful EYFS and is explored through the themes of Physical Development and Expressive Arts and Design. In the theme of ‘Physical Development’ in nursery the children use large-muscle movements to wave flags and streamers, paint and make marks. They learn how to choose the right resources to carry out their own plans. They develop the use of one-handed tools and equipment, for example, making snips in paper with scissors and use a comfortable grip with good control when holding pens and pencils. This theme is further developed in Reception where children develop their small motor skills so that they can use a range of tools competently, safely, and confidently. Children use their core muscle strength to achieve a good posture when sitting at a table or sitting on the floor and develop overall body-strength, balance, coordination and agility.
Through the theme of ‘Expressive Arts and Design' children in nursery begin to explore different materials freely, in order to develop their ideas about how to use them and what to make. This then helps them to develop their own ideas and then decide which materials to use to express them. Children learn how to join different materials and explore different textures. Children start to create closed shapes with continuous lines, and begin to use these shapes to represent objects. Children develop the ability to draw with increasing complexity and detail, such as representing a face with a circle and including details. Children will start to use drawing to represent ideas like movement or loud noises and show different emotions in their drawings and paintings, like happiness, sadness, fear, etc. Children also start to explore colour and colour mixing. This is developed significantly in reception years where children start to explore the use and refine a variety of artistic effects to express their own ideas and feelings. Children are encouraged to return to and build on their previous learning, refining ideas and developing their ability to represent them. Children are also introduced to the concept of creating collaboratively, sharing ideas, resources, and skills.
These themes all progress so that children can active their ELG in:
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Physical Development (Fine Motor Skills) Hold a pencil effectively in preparation for fluent writing - using the tripod grip in almost all cases. Use a range of small tools, including scissors, paintbrushes and cutlery. Begin to show accuracy and care when drawing.
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Expressive Arts and Design (Creating with Materials) Safely use and explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques, experimenting with colour, design, texture, form and function. Share their creations, explaining the process they have used.
- Art pulls Westrop together as a school in a variety of ways where we will all work on a theme collaboratively such as global canvas competition, Remembrance Day art work and planned events such as a Big Draw.
What difference is the Art Curriculum making? (Impact)
- Underlying our approach to Art is the belief that children should understand that all children should be given the opportunity to express themselves creatively and there is no right or wrong art.
- Art helps to build children's understanding of society because Art influences society by changing opinions, instilling values and translating experiences across space and time. Art in this sense is communication; it allows people from different cultures and different times to communicate with each other via images and its narrative. Art is often used as a vehicle to express social change and therefore real-life and historical interpretations can be explored.
- We believe that pupils leave Westrop equipped to express their informed opinions in the form of a critical friend. This is achieved by adopting a modelling and experimental approach to art with a strong focus on oracy. We provide the pupils with opportunities to interpret art works and question thoughts and feelings around them.
- From their different starting points, all children will make at least good progress and achieve their potential academically, emotionally, creatively, and socially. Knowledge, understanding and skills will be secured and embedded so that children attain progress.
- Pupils will have good communication skills and will listen respectfully and with tolerance to the views of others using evidence to support or refute ideas or arguments.
- Pupils will take pride in all that they do, always striving to do their best.
- Pupils will be able to explore their own artwork, respectfully sharing their own thoughts and opinions whilst understanding that they may differ from others.
- Pupils will demonstrate emotional resilience and the ability to persevere when they encounter challenge.
- Pupils will develop a sense of self-awareness and become confident in their own abilities.
- Teachers plan, ensuring that children are accessing work at age related expectations, with regular opportunities to be challenged through higher-level questioning.
- Pupils will competently use and know the meaning of agreed vocabulary correctly when discussing art.
- Children are assessed according to age related expectations in line with curriculum requirements. This is done in line with the school assessment calendar three times a year. This information is monitored by the coordinator.
How to Help Your Child at Home
- Get messy! Try to get hold of as many different types of drawing and painting resources as you can to let your child get creative and explore creating art using different materials. Paints, chalk, crayons, pens, pencils, modelling clay and much more can be found in discount shops. Just don’t forget to put lots of newspaper down first!
- Use household objects creatively – Instead of buying materials, let them get creative using things around the house – for example, pasta and pulses to create pictures using glue. You could even experiment with colour-changing art – find out more here.
- Keep a sketch book - Encourage your child to keep a sketch book. Suggest that they take it with them when they go out so that they can look for things to sketch – a tree, a building, a scene. Alternatively, if they see something they would like to draw, take a photo on your phone and let them sketch from it when they are home.
- Celebrate your child’s art - Praise your child’s creations and encourage them not to get disheartened if they feel they have made ‘mistakes’. Explain that art is about being creative and trying out different things. There is no right or wrong way to do things. You could even ‘frame’ their work using coloured paper or card and create a little gallery on the kitchen wall or in their bedroom to display their work.
- Discuss and enjoy art together - Find out about local art galleries or museums that you can visit with your child. Encourage them to talk about what they see and to share their opinions – about subject matter, colours, what materials the artist used, and so on.
Useful websites links
Photography challenge– YouTube
Teach yourself to draw Advice / Where to start / Sketching basics / How To Get Proportions Right On Faces / How to draw faces /Drawing tricks
Kids Art Hub – YouTube
Glued To My Crafts – arts and crafts ideas for children
Silver Cross – recycled modelling ideas
Rob Biddulph – draw along videos on YouTube
Access to 500 Museums & Art Galleries – Free, online