Intent

At Studley Infants’ School, we value art and design and believe that children learn best when  teaching and learning activities enthuse, engage and motivate children to learn and foster their curiosity and enthusiasm. Through art we aim to inspire pupils and develop their confidence to experiment and invent their own works of art. We believe that art is a medium for children to express themselves which in turn builds their self-confidence and imagination. We nurture their natural curiosity with a hands on, investigative approach to express themselves.

At Studley Infants’ School we have chosen to use ‘KAPOW’ – a published scheme of work, to teach the art and design curriculum. Kapow’s scheme of work enables our teachers to deliver creative, inspiring and engaging art lessons that provide for suitable progression in skills and knowledge. The overall intention of our art curriculum is for children to be enthused and excited by their application of art and creativity, leading to them growing up wanting to be illustrators, graphic designers, curators or fine artists and to use art effectively in their everyday lives.

Through our chosen scheme of work children will be given every opportunity to develop their ability, nurture their talent and interests, express their ideas and thoughts about the world, as well as learning about art and artists across cultures and through history.

The progression within the art and design curriculum has been carefully crafted so that children develop their artistic capital, remember their lessons and embrace opportunities they are presented with. Children are able to create using a variety of different methods  and skills and will build upon these skills as they progress through the school. Children will gain experience and develop skills that will enhance their learning opportunities, enabling them to use art and design across a range of subjects.

We intend to increase children’s cultural capital by teaching them about great artists, craft makers and designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms. We encourage children to discuss what they like and dislike about an artist’s work and as such, begin to develop their individual preferences. We have high ambitions and expectations for all children ensuring strong cross-curricular links are made which supports them to become confident and enthusiastic artists.

Implementation

At Studley Infants’ School, we ensure that we follow a broad and balanced art curriculum that builds on previous learning and provides both support and challenge for all children. It is implemented in a way that ensures a progression of skills and covers all aspects of the Art and Design curriculum. Cross-curricular links are also encouraged to provide more opportunities for enhanced learning using art. As a school we thrive to ensure that Art and Design is embedded in our whole school curriculum and that opportunities for enhancing learning by using art are always taken.

In EYFS, staff select resources from KAPOW and the EYFS curriculum to support the teaching of the Early Years curriculum and the achievement of the Early Learning Goals for Expressive Arts and Design ‘Exploring and Using Media and Materials’ and ‘Being Imaginative’. EYFS pupils are taught in variety of ways through adult-led and supported tasks and child-initiated learning in the continuous provision areas. Practitioners will take into account the Characteristics of Effective Learning when they are planning, leading or supporting learning. Including incorporating artists into their learning.

In Key Stage 1 Art and Design lessons will be evidenced in sketch books to show progression. Topics taught in Key Stage 1 will include links to different artists and craft makers where possible.

Impact

Through our chosen scheme of work children will not only enjoy but also become to value art and design and know why they are doing things. They will understand and appreciate the value of art and design in the context of their personal wellbeing and the creative and cultural industries.

Progress in art is assessed through regularly reviewing children’s work to ensure that progression of skills is taking place.

Progression of skills is assessed through –

• Looking at pupils’ work, especially over time as they gain skills and knowledge.
• Through lesson observations
• Through talking to them about what they know and how confidently they can talk about and share their work with others.
• Looking at progress through the process leading to outcomes in sketchbooks.

In Keystage 1, children will be involved in evaluation, dialogue and decision making about the quality of their outcomes and any improvements they feel they may need to make. By taking part in our regular discussions and decision-making processes, children will not only know facts and key information about art, but they will be able to talk confidently about their own learning journey and have a growing understanding of how to improve.