Art & Design
Art and Design
Art and design is fundamental to cultural engagement and personal development. The subject fosters creativity, imagination and develops confidence skills that are transferable to other subjects; promotes diversity and respect, shows that making mistakes can be liberating and opens up new opportunities. This in turn, encourages our children to look at details, evaluate and form interesting creative journeys.
At SMCPS, art and design is taught in half-termly art weeks, each focussing on a different area of art and design with a cross-curricular and ‘journeyful’ approach. Our holistic approach to art learning and the encouragement of experiential knowledge in art leads to learning through art, as well as learning about art. Children have the opportunity, throughout the school year, to explore six art areas including: drawing, painting, printing, 3D art/sculpture, collage and textiles. These areas are revisited each year to develop the children’s non-linear progression. The purpose of art is to motivate children to be creative and take inspiration from our cross-curricular topics. Children are encouraged to work around a theme but also develop their individual ideas and artistic vision. Our school approach ensures children are given the creative opportunities in art, working towards their creative potential, weaving, layering and developing individual creativity. The children are encouraged to use and explore our amazing grounds to observe, explore and inspire their art. We use sketchbooks from year 1 to year 6 to record our art journey within each topic as well as art folders for EYFS.
We are proud that we have been recognised by Artsmark and awarded our first Artsmark Silver Award. ‘SMCPS have clearly demonstrated that you are promoting arts and culture values; that children and young people can develop their skills over a longer period; that a senior leader drives and develops provision across all phases, and that art is showcased and displayed effectively and clearly evidences the whole setting’s planning for arts and culture.’ Artsmark 2019
Implementation
Children will develop knowledge, skills and understanding through a range of practical tasks. They will explore materials such as paint, malleable materials, paper, fabric, pencil, ink, charcoal, pen and printing; explore nature, human form, landscapes as well as significant people, artworks and movements. Through this exploration, children will develop a wide range of art and design techniques in using colour, pattern, line, shape, form texture and space. These are implemented in a cross-curricular themed way. The Artsmark and Arts Award are now embedded within the culture of our school. Our whole school approach has developed towards promoting the arts through our ‘Knowledge Based Learning Projects’ and many positive experiences have taken place, such as: integrating Arts Award to develop well-planned arts activities, partnerships with South Molton Community College, Beaford Arts as well as yearly local community projects. Art accreditations and the Arts Award will continue to be delivered. We will have sketchbooks to record children’s learning and progress in art in KS1 and KS2 children and art folders in EYFS. Children’s art can be seen on display in school, giving them ownership of their environment and celebrating their art achievements. All staff take responsibility for developing arts and culture within the school.
Art lessons are taught within our ‘Knowledge Based Learning Projects’ through art weeks each half-term. Each project is taught half-termly with at least one each term covering an art focus linked to the topic. Children are encouraged to explore materials, involving first-hand experience. Teachers will offer guidance and instruction on skills and processes where appropriate, while also fostering the development of children’s individual creativity for their final outcomes. Different groups also take part in art enrichment sessions and Arts Award projects during each year.
Impact
Art contributes to children’s personal development in creativity, independence, judgement and self-reflection. It encourages children to develop a sense of ownership over their work and reflect on their experiences through evaluating their progress and development. We share our art work created within the topics with parents/carers throughout the year. Children show willingness to participate in a range of artistic opportunities and respond well to this. We ensure that art is included across key stages within our curriculum topics, with a level of progression that supports and challenges our children so that they develop lively, creative, enquiring minds. We aim to provide our children with the skills and knowledge that will prepare them for successful, healthy lives in the ever changing world that we live in.
Inclusion
The art teacher supports and facilitates access to the art and design curriculum by differentiation, adult support, and alteration of any equipment as necessary. Central to the ethos of the teaching of art at South Molton is the belief that art is expressive, unique and personalised to them. We recognise that there is a wide range of capability across the student body. Tasks and activities are designed to allow students to engage at their own level.
This is done by:
● Setting common tasks that are open-ended and can have a variety of responses
● Incorporating gradual increases in difficulty of tasks
● Taking ability into account when grouping children for activities –either setting mixed ability groups or assigning different tasks to different groups.
Wider Themes
We promote an active participation in the arts to develop cultural capital within our school. We encourage children to not only experience the arts but to explore and create; to learn about themselves as individuals and learn from meaningful experiences linked to their own lives. Outdoor learning is intrinsic to our school; alongside art, it promotes curiosity, creativity and imagination. It allows pupils the freedom to explore within a real-life context and builds a firm foundation for further exploration and lifelong learning! Cross-curricular themes promote children’s self-confidence, self-knowledge, and self-esteem. We have strong relationships within our local community – we visit local residential homes, take part in many local events and make connections with local businesses and art groups. As well as this, we produce termly productions, sing in choir groups and offer a range after school clubs based on interest of the children.