Please click the link to read our Statement of Impact for details on how Artsmark has improved teaching and learning at our school. We are currently reapplying for Artsmark.
Raising Aspirations
Art & Design enhances pupils’ life chances by developing their capacity to think creatively, a skill that is highly prized by employers. In a world where tasks are increasingly being completed by computers, it is essential that pupils learn to think in ways that computers cannot. Art & Design provides a fantastic platform for learning of this type.
We want our pupils to be culturally confident, so that they can hold their own in any society. Therefore, we have a devised a programme of visits to galleries and museums, to ensure that they are regularly exposed to art & design of the highest calibre. These visits not only extend and enrich pupils’ knowledge, they also engender a sense of ownership of the national collections.
We work closely with local cultural organisations to ensure we can offer opportunities to work with creative professionals in as many different fields as possible. Regular contact with professionals helps to open pupils’ eyes to the many careers available in the creative, cultural and heritage industries.
Year 6 pupils hosted the private view of the 2022 Take One Picture Exhibition at The National Gallery.
Reaching Our Potential
Pupils learn about the work of major artists & designers, drawing inspiration from them for their own work. They learn that these significant individuals only reached their potential by being inquisitive, persistent, imaginative and disciplined. We encourage pupils to follow their example.
Pupils’ work that demonstrates skill and effort is publicly displayed in dedicated high-profile areas around the school. School competitions and the chance to have design work made into ‘real’ products provide motivation for pupils to stretch themselves.
We also take part in high profile national projects and art competitions, such as Tate Britain’s ‘Year 3’ and The National Gallery’s ‘Take One Picture’, with great success. Having work displayed in national institutions has a transformational effect on pupils and demonstrates that anything is possible if they challenge themselves.
Our curriculum was written by the Arts Leader and is designed to meet the current and future needs of our pupils. We have increased the amount of technology that we incorporate into art & design projects and are particularly proud of our unique digital art units.
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- Year 6 digital art unit – Re-imagining Landscapes
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- Year 4 digital art unit – Magritte
Learning to Live Well Together
Studying Art & Design fosters an understanding of, and respect for, people and cultures across time, which is essential in our diverse community. Works of art are used to explore Christianity and other faiths in RE and sometimes provide a stimulus for learning in other areas of the curriculum, such as History.
Creating artwork inescapably involves making oneself vulnerable. Finding a way to represent the world around us, or express an idea visually, is not an easy process and inevitably involves failure before success. Pupils learn that they need to be self-critical and resilient if they are to improve. When evaluating the work of others, pupils are encouraged to draw on their own experience of feeling vulnerable, so that they are thoughtful and constructive in their comments. This is an important skill in a world dominated by social media, where it is so easy to make thoughtless comments that can be damaging for both the recipient and the sender.
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- Drawing from life – Year 6
Pupils sometimes work in groups and produce products that are not ‘owned’ by any one individual. This is a conscious decision that gently promotes the Christian idea of working for a common good. Group works are often displayed around the school or at The Lighthouse Church, so pupils gain an understanding of the joy that their work can bring to others in the school community. Working as part of a group also enables pupils to develop the interpersonal skills that are valued by future employers, such as being able to communicate ideas and plans clearly, plus negotiating and delegating. Pupils learn to take responsibility for completing their individual tasks, whilst supporting teammates, so the group as a whole can succeed.
Curriculum Overview & Progresson Maps
Expressive Arts and Design Progression Map
