Infants

In Years 1 and 2 Art and Design stimulates the minds of our pupils and allows them to be creative and imaginative. It provides visual, tactile and sensory experiences and a way of understanding and responding to the world. The children are able to use practical and visual skills in their work.

Activities include:

• Exploring a range of starting points for practical work.

• Painting detailed pictures of the children’s own homes.

• Making a 3D Lego model house.

• Producing a 3D model of their bedroom in a shoe box.

• Studying the differences and similarities in the work of artists such as Paul Klee, Lowry and Matisse.

• Experiencing a wide range of media such as oil pastels, water colour, chalk and charcoal.

• Using music as a stimulus to paint a picture.

Tactile media is also used, for example, collage, clay to make candle holders at Christmas, paper mache for African mask making and wax resist for African bracelets. As children develop they become more self-critical and are able to see how their work can be developed or enhanced. Through encouragement and guidance it is important that all children feel they have succeeded and are proud of their finished product.

Children develop the ability to discuss and evaluate their own work in a way that will develop their work and that of others further in a constructive but critical manner developing vocabulary and opinions. They take pride in showing off their masterpieces to their peers!

Juniors

In Years 3 to 6 the focus of Art and Design is to develop a greater knowledge and understanding of the subject. The subject provides visual, tactile and sensory experiences and a way of understanding and responding to the world.

Activities include:

• Exploring a range of starting points for practical work, eg ‘Themselves’

• Studying portraits by famous artists such as Van Gogh and Leonardo da Vinci

• Working on pupils’ own self-portraits

• Comparing differences and similarities in the work of artists

• Creating jewellery such as Celtic jewellery

A range of materials, including clay, are used to produce elaborate initials on tiles. The school has its own kiln to fire finished work and to experience using glaze as opposed to paint.

William Morris, a well-known local textile designer is studied in Year 6 and detailed work is produced in his style of design using painting, pencils, pastels and sewing stitches to enhance the pupils’ work.

Pupils are taught to review what they and others have done and say what they think and feel about it, and to identify what they might change in their current work or develop in their future work. They develop the ability to discuss and evaluate work in a constructive and critical manner developing vocabulary and opinions.

Seniors

We have a broad and vibrant Art and Design curriculum across all key stages. The purpose of Art and Design is to stimulate creativity and imagination. It provides a visual, tactile and sensory experience, and a special way of understanding and responding to the world. Through Art and Design our pupils are able to communicate what they see, feel and think through the use of colour, texture, form, pattern and different materials and processes.

Art and Design activities include drawing, painting, printmaking, collage, 3D, model making and textiles, and graphic design.

In addition to our creative curriculum we celebrate Art and Design through the many displays around the school, entering Art and Design competitions, exhibiting pupils’ work in galleries and organising visits to see exhibitions.

In Years 7 to 11 pupil progress is also measured through creative tasks, Assessment For Learning strategies and self/peer assessment.