Art Curriculum
Intent
At St. Benedict’s we believe that the purpose of art education is to fire the children’s imagination and is a fundamental means of personal expression. It is to give the pupils the skills, concepts and knowledge to express their responses to ideas and experiences in a visual or tactile form. At St. Benedict’s we want our children to love Art and Design and the processes and pieces that they produce. We create a sense of awe and wonder through the world we live in. We engage, inspire and challenge all pupils in Art and Design. We provide opportunities to encourage pupils to experiment, invent and create their own works of art and craft. Using sketchbooks the children will experiment, observe and investigate allowing them to review their ideas. As the pupils progress, we build up thinking skills with which we can think critically about art and how art can reflect our country, culture and history. We will maximise their potential to develop confident, independent students with excellent thinking skills. We want them to have no limits to what their ambitions are.
All pupils use a range of media and materials to produce creative work and become increasingly proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture from experiences and imagination The children explore techniques using colour, pattern, line, shape, form and space especially through looking at a range of artists and craft makers. We can evaluate and analyse creative works and build up a language of art. We explore the work of great artists, craft makers and designers and form opinions and discuss their work critically.
Implementation
During the early years at St. Benedict’s, young children will be given the opportunity to explore colour, texture, shape and form in two and three dimensions. The children will have access to a wide range of collage, painting and drawing activities, using appropriate tools and art materials and techniques. The children will be encouraged to develop their own creative ideas.
In Key Stage one, art is about expanding children’s creativity and imagination through providing art and craft activities relating to the children’s own identity and experiences and the locality in which they live. Children will explore the visual, tactile and sensory qualities of materials and processes and begin to understand and use colour, shape and space, pattern and texture, to represent their own ideas and feelings. Children will focus on the work of artists, craftspeople, other cultures, and sculptors and designers through asking and answering questions. The children explore and practice the practical skills and techniques involved in the topic and use their sketchbooks to record their observations and to review and revisit ideas before producing a final piece.
In Key Stage Two they continue to develop their techniques, including their control and their use of materials with creativity, experimentation and an increasing awareness of different kinds of art, craft and design.
Impact
The art curriculum has been carefully crafted so that our children develop their artistic capital. We want our children to remember their art lessons in our school, to cherish these memories and embrace the opportunities that they are presented with. Pupils at St. Benedict’s will be able to use a range of materials to design and make products. Children will gain skills that enable them to use drawing, painting and sculpture to share their ideas, experiences and imagination. Children will use sketchbooks to record their observations, practice skills and use them to review and revisit ideas. They will also collect a bank of visual material to help them to develop their ideas. At St. Benedict’s children will develop techniques in using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space. Children improve their mastery of techniques such as drawing, painting and sculpture with materials. Children have an awareness of the work of a range of artists and craftsmen in history, and will be able to describe the differences and similarities between different art forms. This means that skills in art are progressive and build year on year.
