Intent:

At Pyrcroft Grange, we believe that high-quality Art lessons will inspire children to think innovatively and develop creative procedural understanding.

Our Art curriculum provides children with opportunities to develop their skills using a range of media and materials. Children learn the skills of drawing, painting, printing, collage, textiles, 3D work and digital art and are given the opportunity to explore and evaluate different creative ideas.

Children will be introduced to a range of works and develop knowledge of the styles and vocabulary used by famous artists. The skills they acquire are applied to their cross-curricular topics, through IPC and allowing children to use their art skills to reflect on and explore topics in greater depth; for example, by sketching historical artefacts in detail, researching geographical locations to support their work on landscape painting or using art as a medium to express emotion and thought to enhance their personal, social and emotional development.

Many areas of art link with mathematical ideas of shape and space; for example, when printing repeating patterns and designs and thinking about 3D shapes to support structures. It is important that art work be purposeful; be this as a means of expression or to explore the styles of other artists that inspire our own work. Pupils should be clear what the intended outcomes are and have a means to measure their own work against this.

In Art, children are expected to be reflective and evaluate their work, thinking about how they can make changes and keep improving. This should be meaningful and continuous throughout the process, with evidence of age-related verbal and written refection. Children are encouraged to take risks and experiment and then reflect on why some ideas and techniques are successful or not for a particular project.

Implementation:

Teachers are supported to plan an inspiring curriculum which asks ‘big questions’ to motivate our pupils into becoming enthusiastic artists. As part of the planning process teachers will plan for

• Knowledge and vocabulary that the children will need to master.
• A cycle of lessons for each subject, which carefully plans for progression and depth;
• Challenge questions for pupils to apply their learning in a philosophical/open manner;
• Trips and visiting experts who will enhance the learning experience;
• Focus Art teaching with resident artists in Year 4 through a Delight Project, with artwork exhibited in a Gallery as well as in the school.
• A means to display and celebrate the pupils’ artwork in their class.

Impact:

Our Art Curriculum is high quality, well thought out and is planned to demonstrate progression. The impact of our curriculum is demonstrated by:

• A reflection on standards achieved against the planned outcomes;
• Pupil discussions about their learning; which includes discussion of their thoughts, ideas, processing and evaluations of work.
• An appreciation of the work of artists, craftspeople and designers from a range of times and cultures and the ability to apply this knowledge to their own work. 

By the time children leave Pyrcroft Grange they will have received a solid grounding in the skills and techniques in each of the disciplines of the art curriculum areas.