Art and Design

Art and Design at St George’s

Intent

At St George’s Catholic Primary School, we value the role of Art and Design in creating a broad and balanced curriculum for all children. We intend to deliver an Art and Design curriculum which results in the acquisition of the knowledge, skills and understanding set out in the National Curriculum.

Our aim at St George’s Primary School is to enable children to become imaginative, creative and reflective learners who can express their knowledge, skills and understanding fluently and confidently in a variety of different ways. We believe that Art and Design should provide children with opportunities to express their creativity, imagination and individuality through exploring and evaluating different creative ideas.

Art and Design should provide opportunities for children to become independent, reflective learners through evaluating their own and others’ work and finding ways to improve. A high-quality Art and Design curriculum should engage, inspire and challenge children, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, create and evaluate their own individual works of art.

We want the children at St George’s Primary School to have a natural sense of wonder and curiosity when studying a wide variety of artwork. We believe that children should be provided with opportunities to discover great artists that enable them to explore their own and others’ cultural heritages.

Implementation

The Art and Design curriculum at St George’s Primary School has been designed to cover all the skills set out in the National Curriculum.

In EYFS, Art and Design is part of Expressive Arts and Design. Children have regular opportunities to explore and create through both adult-led activities and child-initiated play. Across Nursery and Reception, children build their skills by exploring colour, texture, shape, form, construction and different materials. They learn to use a range of tools safely and develop increasing control and independence.

In Key Stages 1 and 2, Art and Design is taught termly using the scheme of work, Grammarsaurus. It includes topics that cover the National Curriculum, suit the needs of each class and link to class topics, where possible, to ensure a well-structured approach to this creative subject.

Art and Design at St George’s is taught as a stand-alone topic and is allocated time on a weekly basis during each half-term in which it is taught. All planning is sequenced thoughtfully to consider the skills and knowledge needed to build on prior learning and allow for progression.

At St George’s Primary School, children have their own sketchbook to practise new techniques, refine their artistic skills and record their learning and achievements. Their artwork is evidenced in sketchbooks and through displays around the school.

At St George’s Primary School, it is our aim to provide equal opportunities. We aim for all children to participate in Art and Design lessons. The class teacher makes informed decisions based on the learning requirements of each individual, and extra support is put in place for children with SEN where necessary. Teaching staff gauge the needs of each child through observation and assessment of their learning styles and requirements to identify how our curriculum can enhance their learning and help them to excel.

Impact

Assessment of Art and Design at St George’s considers all aspects of children’s learning and achievement. This includes not only what children make, but also how they make it, what skills they acquire, what they know about the tools and materials they use, and their knowledge of Art and Design.

By the end of Reception, children have developed the skills and confidence to express their ideas creatively and are ready to build on these foundations as they move into Key Stage 1.

In Key Stages 1 and 2, the teacher assesses progress in Art and Design through a variety of means and uses different kinds of evidence. They consider the quality of the products that children make, the skills they exhibit as they use tools, materials and processes, and the knowledge they have acquired.

To further assess knowledge, the teacher also listens to children talking about Art and Design during class and group discussions. Evidence for assessment occurs in different forms and at different times throughout a unit of work, so assessment is also spread out over time. These assessments are used to build a profile of achievement across all the objectives.

The class teacher is responsible for monitoring and assessing children’s progress. They are expected to provide evidence of progress through sketchbooks. The class teacher reviews progress each term to identify and plan for the next steps in learning.

Children are assessed against the learning objectives related to the subject aims of the National Curriculum for their Key Stage. Teacher assessments are recorded using the school’s assessment spreadsheet system each term.

Knowledge Organisers

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