St John the Baptist CE VA Primary School Art and Design

At St John the Baptist Primary School, we strive to create an Art and Design curriculum that engages and inspirers children to be able to express their individual creativity to interpret and respond to the world around them. Through exposure to art, children become more confident and develop a sense of well-being. This is built through opportunities for children to:

• Be inspired.
• Experiment with a range of media and techniques.
• Learn about artists and artforms (present day and historical)
• Have the freedom to create.  

Creativity is encouraged from the very beginning of our children’s experience. Within EYFS, children are immersed in child-initiated art through Expressive Art and Design. As children journey through Years 1 to 6, they are immersed in a variety of cultures, local and worldwide, building their understanding of arts role in developing our culture, and providing a safe platform for children to experiment and create their own identity within their artwork.

We aim for children at St John’s to develop a life-long love of art, to be curios, imaginative and confident, helping them reach and exceed their artistic potential.  

Here at St John’s, Art and Design is valued as an important part of the children’s entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum. Following the National Curriculum, artistic learning is built through weaving, layering, and revisiting experiences, progressively building children’s knowledge, skills and understanding of different artists and media. Through a creative curriculum, children:

• Are taught a range of mediums inc. drawing, painting, collage, 3d sculpture, textiles and printing.
• Develop their key vocabulary.
• Develop a wide range of art and design techniques through the use of colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space.
• Are taught about a diverse range of art styles, artists, designers and craftspeople from different time periods and cultures.
• Study artists, designers, and craftspeople so we can be inspired and learn from the way they see the world, not by replicating their artwork.
• Experiment with varying styles and  media using their sketch books.
• Are encouraged to discuss and appraise artist and their own work to develop a critical eye.
• Experience collaborative working in school, within individual classes, Key Stage and whole school and participate in competitions, community projects and initiatives outside of school.
• Enrich their connection with our school values.
• See their art lessons within the wider subjects taught, (in particular, D.T, History, Science, English, Maths, Music, RE and PSHE)
• See their artwork displayed.

At St John’s, art and design units are taught one half of each term, alternating with Design and Technology.

CPD is available to support the ongoing development of teachers understanding of the art curriculum and build their confidence and skillset in teaching and assessing the Art and Design curriculum.
 

Through allowing the children to experiment, learn and create in a safe, non-judgemental environment, children will leave St John the Baptist Primary School, confident citizens, fuelled by their imagination and ready to take on life’s challenges. 

By the time children leave St John’s they will:

• Have experimented and explored a wide range of different techniques and media.
• Have produced creative work, exploring their own ideas and recoding their experiences.
• Have developed they skills in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art and craft forms and design techniques.
• Be able to 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 and impact of their art forms.

Assessment of children’s learning in Art and Design is an ongoing monitoring of children’s understanding, knowledge, and skills by the class teacher, throughout lessons. This formative assessment is used to inform differentiation, support and challenge required by children.

Art and Design is also monitored by the subject leader throughout the year in the form of book monitoring, looking at outcomes and the collecting of pupil voice to discuss their learning and understanding, and to establish the impact of the teaching taking place.