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At Dormers Wells Primary School, we value Art and Design as an important part of the children’s entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum. At the heart of the curriculum is human creativity and we want to stimulate their imagination, engage, inspire and challenge pupils to express their individual interests, thoughts and ideas in a creative and meaningful way.
We want to equip learners with the knowledge and skills to experiment, explore, take risks, invent and create. At Dormers Wells, children will benefit greatly from the visual and tactile approaches to art related activities. While working like an artist, they develop focus and discipline; practising techniques and greater control when using materials. The skills and knowledge developed through art and design greatly supports learning in other curriculum areas as well as the talents and wellbeing of the individual.
As pupils progress, they have opportunities to explore different art forms, developing their own critical responses, appreciation of aesthetics and evaluate artist technique and choice of materials. They will explore viewpoint, identity and culture, reflecting on how art and artist techniques have changed through history and contributed to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation.
Most importantly, we want pupils to develop an appreciation of art, fostering a positive life-long love for the subject. Our curriculum is designed to provide the children with opportunities to explore, experiment and also produce their own art that reflects their own imagination, identify and individuality.
The art and design curriculum is principally cross curricular. Progression of knowledge and skills is built into the curriculum scheme, with increasing challenge as children move through the school. Planned units of work, activities and resources are used to reinforce or build on the children’s prior learning and prepare them for the next stage of their journey.
Expressive arts and design is one of the seven areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage and is used to develop a child’s imagination, creativity and their ability to use media and materials. Children do this in a range of ways including singing songs and making music, dancing, playing with colours, texture and design. In EYFS, art and design are key principles of our daily learning provision. Pupils are given many opportunities to express, explore and build their creativity and their motor skills through paint, crayon, collage, making marks and model making. They are given the space, freedom and materials to explore independently as well as collaboratively.
In KS1, pupils use an increasing variety of mediums including water colours, oil pastels, and etchings to produce 2D and 3D pieces inspired by a range of diverse artists such as Esther Mahlangu, Van Gogh, Picasso, Georgia O’Keeffe, Anna Valdez, Picasso and Mohamad Anvarmia, and Ellen Jewett. 3D pieces using paper, cardboard and mixed media are inspired by cross curricular themes and further develop pupils fine motor skills and opportunities for creative expression. Pupils experiment using a range of materials creatively to design and make products, developing a wider range of art techniques when exploring the use of pattern, texture, line, shape, form and colour. While studying the work of selected artists, craft makers and designers, pupils express simple opinions about the art and design they have encountered and begin to use the language of art to discuss what they see and the techniques used to produce it, making links with their own work and end pieces.
In KS2, pupils are taught more complex art techniques and processes such as shading, figure drawing and perspective. They also further practice techniques taught in KS1, developing greater control and further extend their knowledge of materials in order to be creative. They continue to experiment and demonstrate how to use a range of materials and combine these to achieve a desired effect. As in KS1, sketch books are used to record their observations and practice techniques. In KS2, children also use their sketch books to review and revisit work, evaluating end products and the choices they have made in order to suggest improvements to their piece. Through the KS2 curriculum, pupils further practice and refine techniques in drawing, painting, printing and sculpture. Pupils continue to develop and use the language of art when studying and comparing work from a range of diverse artists such as S.H Raza, Henry Moore, Stephen Wiltshire, Hokusai, Louis Mailou Jones, Briget Riley, Warhol and Da Vinci. With increasing confidence pupils freely express their opinion and offer increasingly sophisticated reasons and explanations for their opinions based around the techniques used and the impact of choices the artist has made. By the end of year six, pupils will have produced a variety of 2D and 3D pieces of art that show case the knowledge and skills they have developed, inspired by techniques and processes of artists studied while reflecting their imagination and individuality.
Dormers Wells Primary School is a Right Respecting School we follow the UN Conventions Rights for children where we teach children about rights, through rights and for rights. We believe children who have understanding of their rights also understand how others and how they should be treated. Also, we aim to create a safe environment and atmosphere for our children. Rights Respecting gives children a voice to express themselves and challenge any injustices. They feel empowered to access information and make informed decisions about their learning, health and wellbeing. As a school, we want to equip our children to advocate for rights where they can promote equality, fairness and safety.
Art
Article 29 – Education must develop every child’s personality, talents and abilities to the full.
Article 31 – Every child has the right to relax, play and take part in a wide range of cultural activities.