Intent

At Gifford Primary School we believe that Art education is integral to the development and wellbeing of all children. Participation in creative and expressive activities should provide children with a safe place to explore their perspective of the world around them. We want our children to take pride in their artistic achievements and develop in confidence with a wide range of creative skills.

Art education should enhance transferable skills like problem solving, risk taking and building resilience along with providing opportunities for cross curricular learning to be consolidated with links to History, Geography, Science and Maths. We want our Art curriculum to celebrate the diversity of our school community and expose children to a broad range of creative practitioners from around the world, both historical and contemporary. This exposure should also introduce children to the possibilities of careers in the creative industries.

Implementation

The Art curriculum has been designed to provide children with progressive opportunities to develop their skills in the disciplines of drawing, painting, printmaking, collage/ mixed media, sculpture and graphic design. Units of work cover all of these skills across each academic year and every skill is revisited multiple times between Year 1 and 6 to provide opportunities for children to excel and develop in confidence.

The majority of units studied in Art are linked to the wider History and Geography curriculum enabling cross curricular consolidation of learning to take place. An extensive and broad range of artists are referenced across the curriculum, allowing children to take inspiration from a truly diverse spectrum of practitioners from around the world.

Impact

Sketchbooks are used to record the learning journey and final pieces are proudly displayed around the school. Children take great pride in the presentation of all their work and enjoy a sense of development and achievement with accomplished final pieces.

There are opportunities for collaborative work to form part of the school displays which allows children to develop a sense of school community. A number of external and national competitions are entered which enables their hard work to be celebrated on a larger platform. Children’s skills are assessed formally twice a year and informally during all lessons where immediate adaptations are made to address misconceptions and provide practical support as needed.

Early Years

In the Foundation Stage Art is covered in Expressive Arts and Design. Through a variety of activities children have the opportunity to explore and experiment with colour and texture.

Children are given opportunity to create art independently using the wide range of media available in the classroom but are also provided with guided practice where they develop their understanding of art including the use of natural materials. Through books and children explore design and artwork from different countries and cultures.