Long Term Plan
At St Mary’s, pupils explore Art and Design through effective teaching of the key areas; making, generating ideas, formal elements, knowledge of artists and evaluation of their art. Children at St Mary’s are taught art and design through a progression of substantive concepts, we build on previous learning as we progress. We encourage our pupils to enjoy and explore the work of different artists and to appreciate the enrichment that visual art brings to life.
Aims of the Art and Design Curriculum
The national curriculum for art and design aims to ensure that all pupils:
- produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences
- become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques
- evaluate and analyse creative works using the language of art, craft and design
- know about great artists, craft makers and designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms.
Our Art and Design curriculum allows children to create artwork through the use of formal elements. There is focus on the influence and exploration of great artists to inspire our pupils own artwork. Pupils are able to express their opinions of artwork with sophisticated use of language. By creating original artwork of their own, documenting their artwork in their sketchbooks and exploring other sources of inspiration for their own artwork, pupils can generate their own ideas of Art and Design. This ranges from, inspiration from other artists in year 2, to using literary sources to convey ideas through art in year 4. These key skills are built upon across the school to allow children to build on their prior learning and become more accomplished artists with a developed understanding of art.
- Making (drawing, colour, painting, materials, craft)
- Generating ideas (sketchbooks, inspiration, creating original artwork)
- Formal elements
- Knowledge of artists
- Evaluation
Art and Design is taught across each year group in blocked modules that enable pupils to study in depth the key skills, understanding and vocabulary. Each module aims to activate and build on prior learning, including EYFS, to ensure better cognition and retention.
Each module is carefully sequenced to allow for prior learning to be built upon and skills to be practiced and advanced. Vertical progression in each discipline has been deliberately woven into the fabric of the curriculum so that pupils can revisit key disciplines throughout their Primary journey at increasing degrees of challenge and complexity. Pupils are able to express their opinions of artwork with sophisticated use of language. By creating original artwork of their own, documenting their artwork in their sketchbooks and exploring other sources of inspiration for their own artwork, pupils can generate their own ideas of Art and Design. In addition to the core knowledge required to be successful within each discipline, the curriculum outlines key aspects of artistic development in the Working Artistically section. Each module focuses on developing different aspects of these competencies.
Specific and associated Art and Design vocabulary is planned sequentially and cumulatively from Y1 to Y6. High frequency, multiple meaning words (Tier 2) are taught alongside and help make sense of subject specific words (Tier 3). Each learning module in Art and Design has a vocabulary module with teacher guidance, tasks and resources.
We offer further enrichment opportunities in Art and Design. This year we are taking part in a very special Art and Design project. As a result of this we have a piece of original art, by Dame Elisabeth Frink, in our school hall. This is the first time an original piece of art, of this calibre, has been exhibited in a school and we are excited by the learning opportunities this provides. Other pieces by the artist Dame Elisabeth Frink are currently exhibited in the Tate Galleries, in London, and our local gallery, MIMA. As part of the project we will make links to the local area by working with local artists.
