“Art, craft and design embody some of the highest forms of human creativity. 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 works of art, craft and design.”
National curriculum
Curriculum Intent:
Art and Design is an integral element of the quality of education at Barlow Hall. From our two-year olds to the end of their primary years, our children develop a sense of creativity and self-expression.
Our children learn technical skills in drawing, painting, sculpture and a range of other art, craft and design techniques. They are taught to evaluate, analyse and think critically about their own and others’ work: and gain a deeper understanding of how Art and Design reflects and shapes our history and how it contributes to the culture, creativity and economics of our world. Children will be prepared for later life through the experiences they have at primary school.
Our Implementation:
Art and design is taught discreetly, interwoven within our wider topic work. Enriched by cross-curricular links to other subjects, children study a range of great artists from different movements, cultures and disciplines, also learning to make links to their own work. Our Artist in residence, supports our provision. Sketchbooks are used as a tool to nurture creativity and form an integral part of children’s development in Art and Design. In their sketchbooks, children are free to explore their ideas, share their opinions and record their experiences – they are encouraged to experiment and are taught that there are no right or wrong answers. In Key Stage 1, children learn how to use drawing, painting and sculpture to develop and share their ideas, experiences and imagination, developing their mastery of techniques and a range of different materials in Key Stage 2.
Impact:
Children at Barlow Hall enjoy art and design and relish opportunities to be creative. Their creativity, self-expression and exploratory skills are evident not only in Art and Design, but across the curriculum, where they learn to express their ideas, take risks with and reflect on their learning and developing skills. By the end of Key Stage 2, sketchbooks demonstrate that control and techniques with a range of media have improved significantly through their time at Barlow Hall and provide a journal to record observations, review and revisit their ideas. We believe that by making links between our wider topics and the teaching of Art and Design, this enriches learning and supports the children making connections across different areas of education, helping us bring the curriculum to life with exciting opportunities, which contextualise teaching in a fun way for children.
