Intent

Art and Design stimulates imagination and creativity; involving children in a range of visual, tactile and sensory experiences, which enable them to communicate what they see, think and feel in a range of ways, regardless of their ability.

At Barford St Peter’s, we aim to provide an Art and Design Curriculum that builds on a child’s early creative experiences whilst enabling them to express themselves in a practical and inspiring way. Through learning about a wide range of art and crafts, from various cultures around the world, we hope to not only develop the children’s passion and love of the subject but also build a respect, natural inquisitiveness and an appreciation of art in all its forms which they may carry with them throughout their lives.

Children will be inspired by and have opportunities to make key connections between a range of artists, architects, and designers in history. They will investigate and talk about and the work of such artists, using this knowledge to directly impact upon their own understanding and the work they produce.

Implementation

At Barford St. Peter's, Art and Design is taught as part of half-termly learning themes.

Children are taught in clear sequences where practical, theoretical and disciplinary understanding is revisited and expanded as they continue their journey through the school.

Practical Learning:

Children are given a range of opportunities to explore a wide variety of materials and techniques, developing their skills and thinking as young artists. They follow a whole school skills ladder in drawing, painting and sculpture, which extends to include other areas of making such as printmaking, ceramics, creative craft, collage and textiles. The children are given a range of opportunities to explore a wide variety of materials and techniques, developing their skills and thinking as young artists.

Theoretical Learning:

Theoretical knowledge enables pupils to make connections between art’s past, present and future. At Barford St Peter’s we ensure theoretical knowledge provides children with the opportunity to explore the work of artists and craftsmen through different periods of time. We understand how these opportunities are important for children to make links between art, its processes and the wider curriculum, and also in influencing their own artistic style.

Children have access to key knowledge, language and meanings, in order to understand and readily apply new terminology to their work in art and across the wider curriculum.

Disciplinary Knowledge:

We strongly encourage our pupils to reflect upon their artistic experiences and the processes they follow in their work.  We want children to be able to make sense of, interpret and judge the claims and propositions that can be made about art.

Children are provided with regular opportunities to reflect upon the work of new influences, their own and each others’ practices during each theme of learning.

Impact

At Barford St Peter's School, our vision is to offer children the opportunity to think and act creatively, in a way that is embedded across the whole EYFS curriculum and primary National Curriculum.

We want our children to grow to appreciate and value the importance of art as an individual, highly subjective experience that unites them through talk and sharing their work. 

It is our aim that children will retain knowledge and skills taught within each unit of work, remember these and understand how to use and apply these in their own artwork, whilst beginning to understand what being an ‘artist’ means. By the time children leave Barford St Peter’s School, we want them to have developed a passion for art and creativity, working both independently and collaboratively. They will have grown in confidence when using a range of tools and techniques, becoming artists that can apply the skills and knowledge that they have developed throughout the years and respond critically to their own and other’s work.