Art And Design

Art & Design

Mrs Govan

Art and Design Subject Leader

Mrs Govan is our Art and Design subject leader. She is extremely passionate about Art and works closely with our Art and Design link governor. They often hold art competitions and showcase the children's art work in our school art gallery and in the Rose Garden at our local park, Whitehall Park.

For all the latest Art and Design curriculum news, please click here.

Intent

Our overarching aim at St Barnabas is for our pupils to achieve great things and live life in all its fullness. Offering a well-rounded and balanced curriculum is one way we work towards achieving this and Art and Design provides the perfect platform for children to achieve great things and explore what living a full life might look like for them and the people around them. At St Barnabas, we believe that all children should be given the opportunity to be inspired by different art forms, artists, architects and designers. We aim to foster a love of Art and Design which enables children to express their own creativity and style as an artist, whilst developing and extending their skills to achieve great things. Our curriculum aims to engage and challenge our children, equipping them with what they need to live life in all its fullness.

Art, craft and design embodies some of the highest forms of creativity and we understand the positive effects it can have on children’s mental health and well-being. We encourage children to adopt a growth mindset as Artists, where we believe that anything is possible and our mistakes only strengthen our understanding and learning experiences. We want to instil confidence in our children to develop their own unique style and become proficient in key skills through demonstration, practise and evaluation. We intend for children to take part in meaningful discussions to analyse their own work and the works of others. Through these discussions, we aim for our children to understand the historical and cultural development of the Art forms that they study and how these now contribute to the wealth of our Nation.

Implementation

The teaching and implementation of the Art and Design Curriculum at St Barnabas is based on the National Curriculum with support from the Kapow Primary Art Scheme. The Kapow Scheme provides a rich and varied curriculum with many opportunities to study different Art forms and Artists. We alternate Art every half-term with Design Technology and teach through a series of planned and sequential lessons. We look for additional opportunities to weave Art through other subjects as part of our topics and celebrations in school.

In Early Years, children explore and use a variety of media and materials through a combination of child initiated and adult directed activities. They are given opportunities to explore their creativity through well-planned continuous provision and focus on key artists and skills across the year.

In KS1 and KS2, children are taught through the Kapow Scheme of work which is designed with four strands that run throughout each series of lessons. These are; making skills, formal elements (line, shape, tone, texture, pattern, colour), knowledge of artists and evaluating. Pupils are given the opportunity to practise discrete Art skills within set units which are then revisited throughout the year. Key skills are revisited again and again with increasing complexity in a spiral curriculum model. This allows pupils to revise and build on their previous learning. Each planned unit is flexible enough to be adapted to form cross curricular links where relevant.

During each Art unit, lessons are taught weekly for 1 hour in KS1 and up to 2 hours in KS2. Every child has their own sketchbook, with each Class Teacher having their own too. This enables Teachers to model skills and techniques effectively whilst also demonstrating positive attitudes towards Art and Design. Creativity and independent outcomes are embedded into each Art unit, supporting children in learning how to make their own creative choices and decisions so that their outcomes, whilst knowledge-rich, are unique to each child. Knowledge organisers are provided for each unit to support children in their knowledge by encouraging recall of key facts and vocabulary.

At St Barnabas, we give our children a real purpose for their Art and display children’s Art work each term in our school Art Gallery. We also work with our church and community to display children’s Art work in the local area for different events such as Remembrance Day, Christmas and Easter.

Our staff are provided with regular training to develop their subject knowledge and skills, both in house and with training opportunities from local secondary schools. The Art subject Leader also works closely with our link Governor and has regular meetings to reflect on current practice and promote upcoming events.

Impact
Children in Early Years are assessed within Expressive Arts and Design and their progress is tracked termly using target tracker. The Early Years Foundation Stage Profile is reported to parents at the end of the Reception year.

In KS1 and KS2, Class Teachers use formative assessments throughout the year, providing regular oral feedback to children throughout their lessons. Teachers use this information to identify gaps in learning to ensure children are supported and challenged appropriately, including those with SEND. Data is submitted on target tracker at the end of each termly unit to show which children are below, meeting or above age-related expectations and this information is shared in our end of year Reports.

Our Art curriculum has proven to have a positive impact on our children’s well-being, with many children sharing their love of Art with school leaders and parents. We have high engagement from both our children and parents, and this has been evident from extra-curricular Art competitions.

Parents are updated regularly through our school website and Twitter about their children’s experiences and are given opportunities to view their children’s Art work in our school hall and when it is displayed in the local area for events.
At St Barnabas, the children are at the heart of our curriculum and we value their needs and interests. That is why it is so important that children are provided with opportunities to give feedback to the subject leader and share their sketchbooks. This enables us to monitor children’s progress and look at our priorities for Art as a school.