Art and Design Curriculum Overview

Intent: Why Do We Teach This?

The Art and Design curriculum at our school aims to give all children, regardless of their background, a rich and diverse education in art. Here’s why we teach what we teach:

• Entitlement: Every child has the right to produce creative work, explore ideas, and develop confidence in various artistic techniques. All pupils learn about artists and cultures from across history and the world.
• Coherence: Following the National Curriculum, our programme is carefully sequenced from Early Years to Key Stage 2 and beyond. This ensures that pupils gradually build their practical knowledge and skills, including the formal elements of art and the use of a range of materials and techniques.
• Mastery: Pupils are explicitly taught the formal elements of art—colour, form, line, pattern, shape, texture, and tone—in small steps. They revisit, develop, and apply these skills with increasing technical proficiency.
• Adaptability: Our curriculum allows teachers to adapt resources to fit their specific context, bringing art to life by incorporating local artists and their work.
• Representation: Pupils explore historical and contemporary artists and artworks that represent diverse cultures, values, and beliefs. We consider the context in which art was produced and explore the full breadth of human experience through art.
• Character Building: We aim to build and maintain pupils' confidence in their artistic abilities, developing resilience, confidence, and risk-taking. Pupils share, reflect, and learn about each other’s experiences, recognising commonalities and celebrating diversity.

Implementation: What We Teach and When

Our Art and Design curriculum follows a structured approach:

• Building on Prior Knowledge: Each unit builds on prior knowledge to develop a deeper understanding. For example, pupils learn to produce representational drawings only after exploring a range of materials and techniques.
• Connecting Concepts: Lessons connect different aspects of learning through vertical concepts, such as the progression of knowledge and skills linked to the formal elements (line, tone, space, shape, form, colour, pattern, and texture).
• Explicit Teaching: Disciplinary knowledge is explicitly taught and carefully sequenced, providing opportunities for pupils to practise these skills throughout the curriculum. Pupils engage with big questions about the meaning and purpose of art, exploring creativity in both theoretical and practical ways.
• Local Context and Practical Examples

Our curriculum is tailored to reflect our local community:

• Local Artists: Pupils learn about past and present local artists and their work.
• Exploring the Environment: In Year 1, pupils explore the natural environment around their school and record their findings using various art techniques.
• School Environment: In Year 2, pupils study the work of designers and architects, considering their school environment.
• Identity through Art: In Year 4 pupils explore and celebrate their identity through artwork.

Impact: How We Measure Progress

We ensure that pupils are making progress by following a structured assessment model:

• Sketchbooks and Pupil Conferencing: Pupils use the same sketchbooks over multiple years, creating a record of their progress. Conversations about their sketchbooks help us assess their understanding and ability to link new learning with previous units.
• Formative Assessment in Lessons: Teachers continually adapt their lesson delivery to address misconceptions and ensure pupils are keeping up with the content.
• Low-Stakes Summative Assessment: At the end of each unit, we use quizzes to assess whether pupils have learnt the core knowledge. These quizzes also help identify gaps and misconceptions, allowing teachers to address them before moving on.

By maintaining a well-structured curriculum and using effective assessment methods, we aim to ensure children develop a deep, lasting understanding and appreciation of art and design.