Art and Design

Art / DT intent statement

The Curriculum at Mill Lane Primary School

The Intent, implementation and Impact of our Curriculum – Art and Design Technology.

Intent

At Mill Lane Primary School, it is our intent to provide children with an art and design curriculum that affords learners the opportunity to be curious, creative and reflective whilst developing a diverse range of artistic skills, techniques and vocabulary.

Children will use their curiosity to explore and develop their knowledge of a variety of great art and artists allowing their own tastes and sensibilities to evolve. As a school, we have made links with local artists to be able to offer wonderful opportunities to learn using our local area as inspiration.

During each lesson, pupils will find inspiration to be creative from a variety of sources including the work of others, their learning from other areas of the curriculum and through the exploration of a variety of artistic mediums and techniques. Children will be provided with the opportunity to create and develop their skill across a range of artistic disciplines including: drawing, painting, collage and sculpture.

Art and design lessons at Mill Lane Primary School will provide space for learners to reflect upon their own work and the works of others, including both peers and professional artists and are accessible to all.

Implementation

To ensure high standards of teaching and learning in art and design, we implement a curriculum that is progressive throughout the whole school. Art and design is taught in termly blocks focusing on knowledge and skills stated in the National Curriculum. Teachers plan lessons for their class using our progression of knowledge and skills document. The progression document ensures the curriculum is covered and the skills and knowledge taught are progressive within each unit of work, across each academic year and from year group to year group.

Every art and design lesson at Mill Lane follows a structure from which children can develop and progress their art and design knowledge and skills:

An introduction to the lesson provides children with opportunity to revisit and recall previous knowledge learned or skills used.
This is then used as a platform from which children will practise, develop and progress their skills or further their knowledge and understanding of a specific artistic discipline or great artist and create something of their own.
Time is given at the end of each session to reflect on the skills practised, the knowledge gained or the art created.

The children in our nurture class are taught using their own personalised curriculum. They access a hands-on curriculum that follows the thread of the whole school planning. Their work is differentiated following assessments using PIVATs and personal assessments.

Impact

Art and design learning is loved, valued and promoted by teachers and pupils across school.
They are always keen to learn new skills and work hard to perfect those shown to them.
Teachers have high expectations and quality evidence can be presented in a variety of ways.
The children’s art is very often cross-curricular, and helps them to express feelings and emotions in art, as well as show their knowledge and understanding in humanities.
All children use technical vocabulary accurately and pupils are expected to know, apply and understand the matters, skills and processes specified.
Children will become more confident in analysing their work and giving their opinion on their own and other works of art.
Children show competences in improving their resilience and perseverance by continually evaluating and improving their work.
Classroom displays reflect the children’s sense of pride in their artwork and this is also demonstrated by creative outcomes across the wider curriculum.
The school environment also celebrates children’s achievements in art and demonstrates the subject’s high status in the school.

The children have developed as artists during their time at school and they know that their own art style and work is important and valued.
The children know that art is a social tool and how it is important in society.
The school has good links with the community and art is seen as a driver of wellbeing and community cohesion.