St Bede's Catholic Primary

Art and Design Curriculum Statement 2024

Intent

At St Bede’s Catholic Primary School, we value Art and Design as an important part of the children’s entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum. Art and Design provides our children with the opportunities to develop and extend skills and an opportunity to express their individual interests, thoughts and ideas. It is a subject where great pleasure can be gained and we want our children to be proud of their art achievements.

We aim to engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design which are valued and celebrated.

We will help our children develop lively, enquiring minds and as they progress, encourage them to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of Art and Design.

In accordance with the 2014 National Curriculum, St Bede’s Catholic Primary School strives 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.

We want our children to approach Art and Design with confidence and creativity, working individually and collaboratively, and we believe it is important that they learn how it shapes history and contributes to the world around them.

We intend that our children should master Art and Design to such an extent that they can make use of it effectively in their everyday lives and could, if they wish, go on to be the artists of the future…. illustrators, graphic designers, fashion designers, architects, printmakers.

Implementation

The teaching and implementation of the Art and Design Curriculum at St Bede’s Catholic Primary School is based on the National Curriculum and we follow the 'Kapow Combined Art & Design_Design Technology' Primary Scheme of Work, teaching the subject alternately each half term. Teachers will still have the ability to adapt parts of the scheme to meet the individual needs of their children or to complement a topic or area of learning in another subject.

Art and Design is taught discreetly, in alternate half terms to Design and Technology, either as stand -alone regular lessons or within blocks of lessons within the term, ensuring the lesson focus is on the Art and Design knowledge and skills.

Our Art and Design curriculum provides pupils with the building blocks to be successful in:

Generating Ideas
Making Skills in art, craft and design
Evaluation of their own outcomes and those of peers and famous artists
Knowledge of artists and processes

Our adopted scheme helps teachers to plan systematically ensuring a carefully sequenced and progressive journey as children progress through school. Children at St. Bede’s begin their journey in Art and Design by developing creative work in the EYFS, where teachers structure and provide a huge variety of opportunities for children to learn to engage, think freely, explore, experiment and find ways of communicating their own understanding to facilitate their imaginative development. This is where the foundation is laid.

Drawing is a key skill which runs throughout all activities, and children learn to draw for a purpose, being able to communicate ideas visually ( a mind map, a plan, a diagram, an expression of thought). The formal elements are taught from Year 1 and are revisited each year. They are:

Line

Shape

Form

Tone

Texture

Pattern

Colour

Composition

Our Art and Design Curriculum endeavours to develop our children’s knowledge in conjunction with their skills. Knowledge Organisers present our children with the key learning at the beginning of each unit, supporting their knowledge and understanding throughout the unit of work and beyond. Key vocabulary is also included in the Knowledge Organisers for each unit, supporting the children's broadening language of Art and Design.

Art work is valued and displayed around classrooms, the school and also uploaded to Seesaw. This provides an online Journal for the children, as well as an opportunity for their work to be shared with parents. Throughout the school we also use Art&Design_DT Books to record ideas, designs, practise skills and research artists and designers. In Key Stage 2, every child using this book as a Sketch Book as stipulated in the National Curriculum guidance.

Art and Design in the Early Years

The most relevant statements for art are taken from the following areas of learning:
• Physical Development
• Expressive Arts and Design

There is more information about Art and Design in the Early Years. There is also more information and photos in the Foundation Stage section under 'Year Groups' and the Early Years section under 'Curriculum'.

What does Art look like in Early Years (cumbria.gov.uk)

Art and Design and the Wider School

We always look for opportunities beyond our Art and Design lessons to enhance the interest, awareness and opportunities in Art:

Whole School Art Tasks such as a display in the main entrance to show ‘Togetherness’ of the whole school.
Taking part in competitions such as the Royal Mail Hero Stamp Competition.

Impact

Our children at St Bede’s Catholic Primary School will enjoy and value Art and Design and know how it is relevant in the world. They will progress to secondary school and beyond, with the confidence to express their creativity in the subject. They will have a good understanding of Art and Design and its impact on culture and history. They will know about artists and designers and how they have influenced the world and country. Our children at St Bede’s will appreciate Art and Design showing they have the confidence to try varied Art and Design activities and opportunities and have the resilience to keep going when their ideas or work don’t go to plan.

The impact of our curriculum will be measured by: