Blackfell Primary School

Art

Intent

At Blackfell Primary School Art is fully inclusive to every child.

Our aims are to: fulfil the requirements of the National Curriculum for Art and Design; provide a broad and balanced curriculum; ensure the progressive development of knowledge, skills and vocabulary; enable children to observe and record from first-hand experience and from imagination; develop the children’s competence in controlling materials and tools; acquire knowledge and become proficient in various art and design techniques and processes; begin to develop an awareness of the visual and tactile elements including colour, pattern and texture, line and tone, shape, form and space; foster enjoyment and appreciation of the visual arts and develop a knowledge of significant artists, craftspeople and designers; increase critical awareness of the roles and purposes of art and design in different times and cultures; and analyse works using the language of art and design and develop a cross-curricular approach to the use of art and design in all subjects.

Art and Design teaching at Blackfell Primary School instils an appreciation and enjoyment of the visual arts. 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 through the use of the elements of colour, texture, form and pattern. Art and Design promotes careful observation and an appreciation of the world around us. Children explore ideas and meanings through studying the work of artists and designers. Through learning about the roles and functions of Art, they can explore the impact it has had on contemporary life and on different periods and cultures.

Based on the Rosenshine Principles by providing instructional support; teaching new material in manageable amounts; good use of modelling; helping pupils when they have made errors and providing for sufficient practice and review we ensure that the children at our school efficiently acquire, rehearse, and connect background knowledge.

The aims of teaching Art and Design in our school are:

To 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
As pupils progress through school, they should begin to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of Art and Design. They should also know how Art and Design both reflect and shape our history, and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation
To produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences
To become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques
To evaluate and analyse creative works using the language of art, craft and design
To know about great artists, craft makers and designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms

Special Educational Needs Disability (SEND) / Pupil Premium / Higher Attainers

All children will have Quality First Teaching. Any children with identified SEND or in receipt of pupil premium funding may have work additional to and different from their peers in order to access the curriculum dependent upon their needs. As well as this, our school offers a demanding and varied curriculum, providing children with a range of opportunities in order for them to reach their full potential and consistently achieve highly from their starting points.

Implementation

To ensure high standards of teaching and learning in Art and Design, we implement a curriculum that is progressive throughout the whole school. At Blackfell, we ensure that Art and Design is given the same importance as the core subjects, as we feel this is important in enabling all children to gain ‘real-life’ experiences and ‘be the best you can be’. The Art and Design curriculum at Blackfell Primary School is based upon the 2014 Primary National Curriculum in England, which provides a broad framework and outlines the knowledge and skills and taught in each Key Stage. Using National Curriculum statements, we have ensured a range of styles and media types that the children will explore and use including sculpture, sketching, drawing, chalks, collage, pastels, painting, printing, photography, portraits and designers. The intent of our Art curriculum is to maximise every child's ability and to 'know more, remember more' about art and design. Through carefully chosen topics, every year group will investigate a range of artists, architects and designers. In addition, each year group will investigate a selected artist to study in greater depth; they will collect evidence about his/her life and work and then try to use this style themselves.

Teachers plan lessons for their class using our ‘Blackfell Schemes of Work’. Before planning a unit of work, teachers will assess children’s prior knowledge and understanding through questioning and ‘Flash Back Grids’, to ensure work is pitched at the correct level. A variety of teaching approaches are used based on the teacher’s judgement. Teaching subject specific vocabulary is also a key part of our Art curriculum and this should be displayed within the classroom and updated regularly to reflect the current learning. The vocabulary children will need for that unit is identified on our ‘Blackfell Schemes of Work’ and this builds upon the vocabulary they have learnt in earlier years.

Progression in Art will be assessed through sketchbooks which pass with the child to the next year group, displays and photographic evidence. We feel very strongly that the sketchbook belongs to the child. It's not just a book - but is a space where children can freely express, create, develop and learn, often with limited guidance from the teacher. The sketchbook should be at the centre of their creativity. When teaching Art and Design, teachers should follow the children’s interests to ensure their learning is engaging, broad and balanced. Art and Design provides excellent opportunities to enhance the learning of more able pupils. Children showing extensive aptitude in Art and Design will be celebrated in celebration assemblies. These students may also have their work displayed in school and may win competitions that we take part in, for example with the Rotary Club.

Art assessment is based on teacher assessment of children and incorporates ‘Locked in Learning’ and the end of unit evaluations and quizzes. During lessons, ‘Braindrops’ are used for children to demonstrate what they have learnt during a lesson. Teachers will also use ‘Flash Back Grids’ within each unit to assess the retention of learning. At the end of each unit assessments are then reported on the school’s assessment document and the percentage of children working at, above and below the expected standard are identified for that unit. At the end of each year, a judgement is also made as to whether each child has met the expected standard in Art which is then passed on to the next class teacher as a record of the child’s progress throughout the year.

At Blackfell Primary School, we provide a variety of opportunities for Art learning inside and outside the classroom. Every year we have an ‘Enrichment Day’ where the subject leader/class teachers plan fun, engaging activities linked to Art and Design for the children to enjoy. These activities should be guided by the children’s interests in particular topics. The enrichment day also offers an opportunity for parents to engage with the school and join in with their children’s learning. Educational visits are another opportunity for the teachers to plan for additional Art learning outside the classroom.

At Blackfell Primary School, the children have had many opportunities to experience Art on educational visits. The children have explored local pottery museums, galleries, other museums and had visitors into school to share Art learning and have hands-on experiences. Teachers make use of the extensive grounds and outdoor learning area when planning for their students. Alongside our curriculum provision for Art and Design, we also provide all pupils with the opportunity to participate in an art based after school club.

Impact

Our Art Curriculum is high quality, well thought out and is planned to demonstrate progression. We focus on progression of knowledge and skills and discreet vocabulary progression also form part of the units of work.

We measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:

Images and videos of the children’s practical learning
Interviewing the pupils about their learning (pupil voice) and assessment of pupil discussions about their learning
Moderation staff meetings where pupil’s sketchbooks are scrutinised and there is the opportunity for a dialogue between teachers and subject leaders to understand their class’s work
Reporting of standards across the curriculum during pupil progress meetings
Annual reporting of standards across the curriculum to parent/carers

Mrs. R. Agar

September 2021