Art at Tiptoe
At Tiptoe Primary School we value the importance of Art and the positive impact it can have on children's self-confidence, imagination and curiosity. It is a way of children of all abilities to communicate and express what they see, feel and think through visual, tactile and sensory experiences. Our high-quality teaching of Art and Design is underpinned by our five learning powers; collaboration, Problem solving, Curiosity, Independence and Resilience. Our broad and carefully planned curriculum enables children to experiment trust the process and learn about a range of culturally divers artists, designers and craft makers along the way. A high quality art and design education should engage, inspire, and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own work of art, craft and design.'
(National Curriculum, DfE 2013)
Intent
Our Art and design curriculum from the Early Years Foundation Stage to the end of Key stage Two will stimulate imagination, creativity and innovative thinking as well as a tolerance and respect for ideas and work of others. Through exploring creating and discussing their own work, the work of artists and a range of cultures, we aim to engage, inspire and challenge pupils-equipping them with the necessary knowledge and skills to express their own responses to different stimuli and make appropriate reflections.
. “Art is not just a subject to learn, but an activity that you can practise with your hands, your eyes, your whole personality.” Quentin Blake
Implementation
Using the National Curriculum, we will ensure that pupils receive a rich art and design curriculum that builds progressively from Year R to Year 6. Art is not only taught in a designated art lesson but is also linked, where possible, to topics and the wider curriculum. We use special whole school curriculum and themed days as a way to inspire a love of art and design and create school displays. Pupils have opportunities to work alongside local artists/crafts people to inspire them and challenge their thinking and creativity. We give children opportunities to visit museums and galleries, developing their skills of observation and evaluation. We also celebrate and recognise the art and design work children bring into school from home. As they progress through the school, pupils record their art journey in their Art books. These books act as a point of reference and provide evidence of progress. We actively encourage our children to play and experiment with thoughtfully selected materials, through which they can enjoy problem solving and making their own exciting discoveries. We support our children in understanding that what we call ‘happy accidents’ in Art can often lead to some of the most exciting and inspirational learning in art.
We aim to empower our children to make their own creative choices by giving them the time and support they need to make increasingly informed and independent decisions about the materials and techniques they use. We do this by modelling processes and teaching age-appropriate techniques in drawing, painting, print-making, textiles and 3D modelling and construction. Modelling a new skill or technique helps all of our children, but particularly those with additional needs or EAL, as well as some of our less confident artists, to build a growth mind set and positive attitude as the teacher is able to ‘think aloud’ and share ways of overcoming difficulties.
Impact
We would like our pupils at Tiptoe Primary School by the end of KS2 to have developed confidence in the seven elements of art (colour, shape, line, form, tone, pattern and texture) and the range of forms (drawing, painting, printing, sculpture, textiles, collage and computing). Having learned the associated vocabulary, they will be able to use this to reflect upon their work and that of others and appreciate the rich and varied cultural visual art history of our nation and the diversity in other countries.
We ensure that we implement a curriculum that is progressive throughout our whole school through art learning journeys. Our progression document ensures that the National Curriculum objectives and Art within the Expressive Arts in the EYFS are covered and that the skills and knowledge taught is progressive throughout the school. We focus on the progression of knowledge and skills alongside teaching a discreet vocabulary progression throughout each unit of work.
We assess our children’s skills and progression in a variety of ways:
- Art books
- Subject leader has discussions with Early Years staff to see where the children are at in Art at the end of the school year on the ‘windshield’ of assessment.
- Photographs during monitoring and lessons.
- We carry out pupil conferencing on a regular basis to gain a better insight to the children’s understanding of their own learning.
- Moderation staff meetings where we consider children’s sketchbooks, providing an opportunity for a professional dialogue between teachers to understand their children’s work and annual reporting of standards across the curriculum.
The expected impact of our art curriculum is that children will:
- Produce creative work, exploring and recording their own ideas and experiences.
- Have an awareness of a broad range of contemporary and more traditional artists and designers, and will be able to consider and discuss the artworks they come across with increasing confidence.
- Be proficient in drawing, sculpture, painting and other art and design techniques.
- Meet the end of KS2 expectations outlined in the National Curriculum for Art and Design by the time they leave our school.
- Evaluate other artist’s work and use subject-specific language to describe their ideas.
By the end of their time with us, we want our children to have learned, improved and embedded a wide range of artistic skills. We want them to be confident to explore, experiment and take risks, placing value on the process and learning journey that they take, not just on the finished product. Most importantly, we want children to have found and enjoyed a creative outlet, a way of supporting their own social and emotional health and development – a means of self-expression and enjoyment which they will hopefully keep throughout their life.
Overview of our learning
Progression of skills Year R- Year 6
Art at Tiptoe
