Art and Design
Art and Design
“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have” – Maya Angelou
Introduction
Art, craft and design embody some of the highest forms of human creativity. A high-quality art and design education should 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.
Engaging in the arts seems to be growing in popularity as a way to improve your wellbeing. Participating in the arts can enable people to deal with a wide range of mental ill health conditions and psychological distress. The best part is that it helps people to improve their mental health through creativity. Making art is helping many people express themselves, without having to use words.
Intent
The school believes that art is a vital part of children’s education and has a significant and valuable role in the taught curriculum, as well as the enrichment opportunities we offer our pupils. The art curriculum will develop children’s critical abilities and understanding of their own and others’ cultural heritages through studying a diverse range of male and female artists.
Children will develop their understanding of the visual language of art with effective teaching and considered sequences of lessons and experiences. Understanding of the visual elements of art and design (line, tone, texture, colour, pattern, shape, 3D form) will be developed by providing a curriculum which will enable children to reach their full potential.
Cultural Capital
Art allows children to gain a variety of cultural experiences and opportunities, as art is an important part of being human. Art has been important since prehistoric paintings on the walls of caves, through to paintings of significant individuals and battle scenes.
Children at Redby gain a developing understanding of the importance of art to, and around, them. This will be through the breadth of knowledge, skills and concepts that are built upon throughout each creative process. Each child’s cultural capital will be developed through meaningful learning and opportunities from a creative curriculum, thus providing an awareness of our world around us.
Implementation
The skills and knowledge that children will develop throughout each art topic are mapped across each year group and throughout the school to ensure progression. The emphasis on knowledge ensures that children understand the context of the artwork, as well as possible artists that they are studying. This enables links to other curriculum areas, including humanities, with children developing a considerable knowledge of individual artists as well as iconic works of art and movements, vocabulary, different art styles and technical knowledge.
The skills and key processes explored at Redby are:
- Drawing
- Painting
- Printing
- Sculpture
Children are given opportunities to express their creative imagination, as well as practise and develop mastery in the key processes in these areas.
Within these techniques, children further explore the elements of Art and Design, including:
- Colour
- Line
- Shape
- Texture
- Form
- Space
These elements are embedded into many aspects of the Art and Design curriculum, giving the opportunity for revisiting at different stages. This allows children to build upon and refine their skills and knowledge in each area.
Coordinated whole-school project work will ensure that art is given high status in the curriculum and the school takes part in the annual ‘Art Days’ which enables further focus on children’s artistic skills and knowledge. Throughout the school, different ages and abilities can come together on a communal project, to celebrate a particular current event or an event in recent or late history.
The school’s quality art curriculum is supported through the availability of a wide range of quality resources, which are used to support children’s confidence in the use of different media.
Impact
Displays in the form of ‘Galleries’ reflect the children’s sense of pride in their artwork while presenting the progression in class Journals. The school environment also celebrates children’s achievements in art and demonstrates the subject’s status in the school, with outcomes, including sculptures, enhancing indoor environment and future potential for outdoor displays.
The Art curriculum at Redby Academy contributes to children’s personal development in creativity, collaboration, confidence, cultural awareness and critical thinking while becoming confident artists with progressive skills and techniques from each of their years at Redby.
EYFS
In EYFS, art provision is available on a daily basis. Children are able to explore independently with range of medias and materials where their creativity and curiosity can be developed. Art is used to develop children’s artistic and cultural awareness and support their imagination and creativity, both indoor and outdoor environments.
SEND
We aim to create a learning environment that is inclusive and accessible for all pupils. Lessons will be taught in a way that is educational, sensitive yet enjoyable and teachers will remain inclusive and meet the needs all children. This is achieved by creating a space that feels safe and will encourage all children to explore their emotions and ask questions through carefully and appropriately planned lessons.