Art and Design Curriculum
Intent
Our North Ealing Primary School Art and Design curriculum has been designed, in line with ‘Development Matters in the EYFS’ guidance and the national curriculum. It will stimulate creativity, imagination and individuality. We allow our children in KS1 and 2 to study areas of art in extensive detail to develop knowledge, understanding and skills to confidently investigate, create and evaluate their own works of art.
We aim to inspire, challenge and provide our children with a clear purpose for creating their artwork and provide them with a good understanding of how art reflects and shapes our history and contributes to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation.
Implementation
The skills and knowledge that children will develop throughout each art topic are mapped across each year group and are progressive throughout the school. The emphasis on key skills and knowledge ensures that children understand the context of the artwork, as well as the artists that they are learning about and being inspired by.
The development of artistic skills means that children are given opportunities to express their creative imagination and practise and develop mastery in the key processes of art: drawing, painting, printing, textiles, mosaic, collage and sculpture.
Children receive either a weekly art lesson or a 2.5-day block of lessons in which they learn the key skills of drawing, painting, printing, sculpture and collage. They have been exposed to a wide range of media as well as a diverse range of artists. Our school’s locality easily allows for planned opportunities for learning outside the classroom, as well as the involvement of adults with specialist skills from the local and wider community.
Impact
The structure of the art curriculum ensures that children are able to develop their knowledge and understanding of the work of artists, craftspeople and designers from a range of times and cultures and apply this knowledge to their own work.
The consistent use of children’s sketchbooks means that children are able to review, modify and develop their initial ideas in order to achieve high-quality outcomes. The opportunity for children to refine and develop their techniques over time is supported by effective lesson sequencing and progression between year groups. This also supports children in achieving age-related expectations.
Displays reflect the children’s sense of pride in their artwork and this is also demonstrated by creative outcomes across the wider curriculum. The Art curriculum at NEPS contributes to children’s personal development and is underpinned by our school Learning Values.