At Castle Primary School, we believe a holistic education is vital. Art is an important part of the children’s education and crucial to our taught curriculum offer, as well as the enrichment opportunities we offer our pupils.
‘Art has the role in education of helping children to become like themselves instead of more like everyone else.’
Sydney Gurewitz Clemens
At Castle Primary School, we believe that through art, craft and design we want to engage, inspire and challenge pupils by introducing them to a broad range of techniques, materials and a diverse range of artists, craftspeople and designers. We want to equip them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, explore, take risks, invent and create. It will enable them to be authentic and explore their own identity as well as being curious about respecting and connecting with others. Most importantly, we want them to foster a positive, life-long relationship with the subject and have fun.
The National Curriculum for art and design aims to ensure that all children:
During art sessions we focus on developing the children’s ability to create artwork, allowing them the opportunity to experiment with different media. This gives them the chance to realise their potential and enables them to use art as a medium to express themselves. Understanding of the visual elements of art and design and developing these by providing an accessible and engaging curriculum. A clear ‘skills and knowledge progression’ ensures a systematic teaching and learning sequence that builds on children’s prior attainment developing their understanding of the visual language of art with effective teaching and experiences. This is supported through the studying of a diverse range of artists and designers and their work.
Sketchbooks are used effectively across KS1 and KS2 at Castle Primary School. They provide a record of the children’s learning and progress of art in school. Although not an expectation for KS1, the use of these provides somewhere for children to express their ideas and develop techniques that they have learnt. Sketchbooks are then taken to their subsequent class where they will continue to expand on techniques and their appreciation of artists’ work. Photographs of larger, group or 3D pieces are also kept within this book.
Children’s art can be seen on display around the school, giving them ownership of their educational environment and celebrating their art achievements. All staff take responsibility for developing arts and culture within the school and are held accountable for this through regular audits and sketchbook looks.
Art contributes to children’s personal development in creativity, independence, judgement and self-reflection. It encourages children to develop a sense of ownership of their work and reflect on their experiences through evaluating their progress and development. Children enjoy participating in a range of artistic opportunities through school and trust-wide competitions.
We ensure that art is included across each year group. The level of progression supports and challenges the children.
From an early age, children of Castle Primary School are encouraged to represent their own ideas, thoughts and feeling through art. They will do this by exploring a range of materials, tools and techniques, experimenting with colour, mark making, modelling, shape and function. Nurturing curiosity and an open mindset as well as skills and techniques is important when supporting the progression of the children’s creativity and confidence in their ideas and skills.
