A partner academy in the John Taylor MAT
A partner academy in the John Taylor MAT

Art & Design

Subject Leader

Miss M. Alexander

My name is Miss Alexander and I am the subject leader for Art at Shobnall Primary & Nursery School. I am enthralled by the many forms of art including drama, dance, poetry, craft, painting, sketching, digital art, music, mixed-media and sculpture. I believe that art expresses some of the greatest forms of creativity and I am passionate in enabling children to reach their potential within this area.

With this in mind, we have carefully planned our art and design curriculum at Shobnall Primary & Nursery School to offer a high-quality art and design education which engages, inspires and challenges pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design. As pupils progress, they are able to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of art and design. They also know how art and design both reflect and shape our history, and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation.

To ensure that learning is meaningful, we also offer a range of CPD opportunities for all staff and have a culture of knowledge sharing across the academy. Through this collective learning, I am proud that our team is always striving to be the best that it can be.

Vision

At Shobnall Primary & Nursery School, our vision is to enable children to develop ideas through an artistic process, master techniques by developing skills so that ideas may be communicated and take inspiration from great artists and artisans throughout history. Our children display a passion for and commitment to the subject!

Aims and Goals

Our aims and goals are to ensure that our students experience a wide breadth of study and have, by the end of each key stage, long-term memory of an ambitious body of procedural and semantic knowledge.

Communicate

We ensure our pupils have the ability to use visual language skilfully and convincingly to express emotions, interpret observations, convey insights and accentuate their individuality. They can communicate fluently in visual and tactile form.

Construct

We enable our children to draw confidently and adventurously from observation, memory and imagination. They will be able to explore and invent marks, develop and deconstruct ideas and communicate perceptively and powerfully through purposeful drawing in 2D, 3D or digital media. We encourage them to acquire an impressive knowledge and understanding of other artists, craft makers and designers.

Create

We believe our pupils should have the ability to think and act like creative practitioners by using their knowledge and understanding to inform, inspire and interpret ideas, observations and feelings through promoting independence, initiative and originality which they can use to develop their creativity.

The threshold concepts underpinning Art and Design are:

  • Developing ideas
  • Mastering techniques
  • Taking inspiration from the greats

Curriculum

At Shobnall Primary & Nursery School we aim to provide an art and design curriculum that can be taught effectively using cross-curricular methods and as a subject in its own right.  It offers not only a technical and aesthetic element to the curriculum, but gives pupils the opportunity to respond in a personal and unique way to the environment.  Art allows opportunity for expression and imagination in the handling of images, tools and materials.  Both two and three-dimensional experiences must be offered in an essentially pupil centered environment.  Art is a subject that can be enjoyed by most pupils, and can offer opportunity to achieve success at every intellectual level, through a variety of materials.

EYFS

In the Early Years Foundation Stage, we teach art through the expressive arts and design strand of the Early Years Framework. Ongoing experiences and opportunities linking to children’s developing art and design are planned from the objectives set out in the Early Years Framework, which underpin the curriculum planning for children aged 3-5 at Shobnall Primary & Nursery School. These are covered and explored during the Early Years in a many ways. The children are given the opportunity to explore colour, texture, shape and form in two and three dimensions. They have access to a wide range of constructions, collage, painting and drawing activities, using appropriate tools and art materials. In order to tap into their artistic potential, the children will be encouraged to develop their own creative ideas.

These experiences ensure that children develop a secure understanding of art and design. By the end of the Reception year, they will be able to:

  • 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;

KS1 and KS2

The national curriculum for art and design aims to ensure that 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.

With this in mind, our programme of study for art and design clearly sets out which matters, skills and process that pupils are expected to know, apply and understand at each point in the year for all groups.

Assessment

Art learning is recorded in sketchbooks across the school and should typically evidence all four stages (Generating Ideas, Making, Knowledge and Evaluation). We encourage children to treat their sketchbooks like journals and their thoughts and learning are recorded in a format that they would like to use. Each child is unique and each sketchbook should be unique, enabling children to develop their independence and creativity.

Teachers assess children’s knowledge, understanding and skills in Art by making observations of the children working during lessons. Feedback given to children by their peers or teachers is in the form of discussions so their art is not marked in the process. Children are also encouraged to be critical of their own work, highlighting their own next steps.

Cross-Curricular

Fundamentally, everyone’s experience of the world is cross curricular, as everything that surrounds us can be seen and understood from multiple perspectives. Our art and design curriculum at Shobnall Primary & Nursery School therefore aims to take advantage of a range of opportunities for children to make links between different subject areas, supporting the use and application of what has already been taught and learned in new and different ways and providing opportunities for deep, meaningful learning. Through art and design pupils learn how to take risks, becoming resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens. Upon the evaluation of past and present design, they develop a critical understanding of its impact on daily life and the wider world. High-quality art and design  education makes an essential contribution to the creativity, culture, wealth and well-being of the nation.

Visits and Enrichment

At Shobnall Primary & Nursery School we place great emphasis on the importance of educational visits and visitors to enhance the teaching and learning of art. These visits and visitors, which provide valuable opportunities for learning through first-hand experience, are therefore an integral part of the curriculum and allow our children to make valuable connections between what they have learned in class and their first hand experiences in the real-world.

To enrich our curriculum, we have carefully chosen experiences that allow our children to enjoy hands-on activities linked to art and design topics.

For example, throughout the school children are taught are range of knowledge and skills by an art specialist. The children acquire the knowledge and understanding through a sequence of learning experiences enabling them to develop their skills in many art forms.

Pupil Voice

At Shobnall Primary & Nursery School we believe that the view of every pupil is important to ensure that we provide the best education possible.

Documents and Useful Links

Please see below a selection of documents that relate to the intent, implementation, and impact of art and design teaching and learning at Shobnall Primary & Nursery School. If you require any additional information relating to this subject, then please contact the subject leader, Miss Alexander, via the school office email. Click on the links below for useful resources too!

Approach to the Teaching of Art & Design – Shobnall Primary & Nursery School

Art and Design Programme of Study – Shobnall Primary & Nursery School

Art and Design Primary National Curriculum Programme of Study Key Stages 1 & 2