Art and Design
Intent
• To make the arts exciting, inspiring and engaging for all
• To ensure that positive and inclusive experiences are provided
• To support and engage all students
• Assist pupils in becoming visually literate
• To give children authentic experiences that encourage personal progression, ownership and strive for excellence
• To develop inquisitive thinking and creativity
• To help children to achieve across the curriculum (embed the melting curriculum) and develop a sense of pride in their work
• Develop the ability to communicate ideas, opinions and feelings about their own work and that of others
At Parkhill Junior School, we want our children to love art, craft and design! We want them to have no limits to what their ambitions are and to grow up wanting to be illustrators, graphic designers, fashion designers, curators, architects or printmakers so they are intellectually and socially confident young people. Our Art curriculum is designed to engage, inspire and challenge pupils, whilst equipping them with the knowledge and skills to be able to experiment, invent and create their own works of art. As pupils progress, they should gain a deeper understanding of how Art and Design reflects and shapes our history, and how it contributes to the culture, creativity and wealth of our world. Through HPL, we want to prepare our pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life assuring that they have a global outlook. We want our children to use the local area as inspiration, to learn from other cultures.
Implementation
Each child has a sketchbook. We give the child ownership of their sketchbook in order to foster their sense of creativity. Children use their sketchbooks to make initial sketches, develop skills, record ideas and develop opinions.
Throughout the Parkhill Junior journey, every child is given the opportunity to learn the skills of drawing, painting, printing, sculpture and digital art through the exploration of an initial key artist, craft maker or designer and their work.
Through in-depth discussion, the pupils explore how their art can share commonalities with famous art and use subject-specific vocabulary to discuss key artworks and their own work. In the development of confident art critics, the pupils share their opinions and make informed observations about what will improve their own practical work through meta-thinking and self-regulation.
Many of the Art and Design units are part of the Parkhill Junior Melting Curriculum to allow all children to deepen their understanding across the curriculum, including the use of technology, and artworks from year group specific historical, geographical and scientific contexts.
Teachers follow a clear progression of skills which ensures all pupils are challenged in line with their year group expectations and are given the opportunity to build on their prior knowledge so they can make links and use connection finding.
Opportunities to reflect and develop, including through the use of sketchbooks, and chances for self and peer-assessment are planned into each unit of study which draws on intellectual confidence.
Effective CPD and the art portfolio (working document) are available to staff to ensure high levels of confidence and knowledge are maintained.
Impact
The impact of this curriculum design will lead to outstanding progress over time across the key stage relative to a child’s individual starting point and their progression of skills. Children will therefore be expected to leave Parkhill Junior School reaching at least age-related expectations for Art and Design. We have developed a tracking tool to enable the subject lead to follow pupils’ progress throughout their time at Parkhill Junior and to flag up any concerns and put support in place.
Our Art and Design curriculum will also lead pupils to be enthusiastic Art and Design learners, evidenced in a range of ways, including pupil voice, their final pieces and sketchbooks. We ensure that children who are achieving well, as well as those who need additional support, are identified, and additional provision and strategies are planned in and discussed with class teachers. Achievements are celebrated in classrooms during walking-galleries and corridor displays. We aim to develop our future artists and their appreciation of the art around them.