Intent

At Valley Road, Art is an important part of our curriculum and we give children the opportunity to be creative and to use their imagination. We encourage them be inspired by the work of great artists and architects, and to use colour, pattern, texture, line, tone, shape, form, space and different materials and processes to communicate what they see, feel and think. Children are encouraged to evaluate their work and to make their own decisions on which materials and media they choose to use in their work. This develops their independence as well as being able to work with others. we want to give children a curriculum that promotes a passion and curiosity for learning. It is our vision that each child fulfils their potential, regardless of their background or circumstances, in a safe, stimulating and caring environment. 

We take great pride in displaying our children’s artwork around school, which reflects the progression in art skills from Early Years to Year 6.

Implementation 

Art units are carefully sequenced from Years 1 to 6 and are based on developing the formal elements of art and design:  drawing- line, pattern and texture, painting, printing, collage, sculpture and 3d Art and responding to artwork and using a sketchbook. Continuity and progression across the subject  allows pupils to draw on prior knowledge, as this plays and important role in how pupils learn. Art is taught every term, sometimes as a ‘block’  High quality lesson planning and systematic teaching approaches strive to bring about lasting changes in pupils’ capabilities and understanding.  Regular purposeful practice of what has previously been taught helps to consolidate material and help pupils remember what they have learned. Pupils have repeated opportunities to revisit ideas allowing them to retrieve information from memory and strengthen their recall.

Pupils begin to develop creative work in the EYFS. We relate the children’s creative development to the Early Learning Goals (ELG) set out in the Development Matters Framework, which underpin the curriculum planning for children aged three to five.

'Creativity takes Courage' Henri Matisse

Impact 

At Valley Road, pupils gain a firm foundation of knowledge and skills to see them equipped to take on further learning in secondary school. Pupil’s skills and knowledge are assessed ongoingly by the class teacher, throughout lessons.

Children of all abilities will be able to succeed in all Art and Design lessons because work will be appropriately scaffolded

Each term the Art and Design  coordinator will undertake a variety of monitoring activities to measure the impact of our curriculum. This usually involves

• Interviewing the children about their learning (pupil voice)

• Regular book looks

• Photo and video evidence and images of the children’s practical learning.