Art & Design

Intention

 At St John Bosco RC Primary School, we are dedicated to providing our pupils with a comprehensive and adaptable Art and Design curriculum from Nursery to Year 6.  We intend for our children to have a wide experience of art and design enabling them to use the skills they have learnt to represent their work in other curriculum subjects.  Our Art and Design curriculum sets out significant artists for each unit of work, our intention here is that our children are able to have a wider experience, appreciation of knowledge of the art world and its history.  Where possible the ethnic diversity of our school is reflected in the artists chosen. Our Art and Design curriculum units each have a vocabulary element to them; this includes the technical language required and also tier 2 vocabulary which they can understand and use across the curriculum.

At St John Bosco RC Primary School, we consider mental wellbeing to be paramount to the academic success of pupils.  Via Art and Design (and other areas of the curriculum) we intend to foster warm and supportive communication that will enable every child to thrive.  We intend that our pupils will be able to work with confidence across the different areas of the Art and Design.  Some may discover talent; others will gain knowledge as well as skills.  

In Practice

In EYFS, expressive arts and design is related part of the curriculum.  Children are able to access art and craft materials every day through continuous provision both inside and via our outdoor learning area.

From EYFS to Year 6, we use a bespoke curriculum based upon the progression documents provided by Emmaus. This curriculum has been carefully designed to include coverage of key art movements and a wide range of artists, including local artists. It is organised into blocks that cover specific artistic disciplines such as drawing, painting, printmaking, textiles, 3D and collage. Vertical progression within each discipline is deliberately built into the curriculum so that pupils revisit and develop key skills throughout their Primary journey with increasing challenge and complexity.

Our art curriculum is also closely linked to the Catholic Social Teaching principles, ensuring that pupils’ creativity is rooted in reflection, purpose and values. Each year, the final project is based upon addressing one of these principles, enabling children to make meaningful connections between their artistic expression and their role in contributing to the common good.

Art and Design is taught discretely as a subject but the timing of the lesson is at the discretion of the teacher, taking into account the requirements of each piece of work.  For example rather than a weekly Art lesson for half a term, a teacher may teach to do 3 afternoons of Art consecutively. 

Our school grounds are regularly used for inspiration and materials which enhances the children’s enjoyment of Art and enables them to see how their learning could be extended at home.  Teacher organise trips to museums and art galleries where possible and we have visiting professionals to run workshops.  Our afterschool Art Club is free of charge and is well attended.

Cross-Curricular Links: We aim to integrate Art and Design into other subjects.  Skills from Art and Design can enhance Science, History and Geography through accurate labelled diagrams.  It can also be used as a means of expression and worship in Religion and PHSCE.

Homework:

No homework is set for Art and Design, but parental involvement in our annual art and craft challenges is encouraged.  EG World book Day Boxes, Easter Gardens, Pumpkins.

How Parents Can Help

1. Enjoy and notice the beauty around you.  Talk about things you notice that will make interesting pictures (either drawn or photographed).

2. Use household objects creatively

Alternatively, instead of buying materials, let them get creative using things around the house – for example, pasta and pulses to create pictures using glue. You could even experiment with colour-changing art – find out more here.

3. Keep a sketch book

Encourage your child to keep a sketch book. Suggest that they take it with them when they go out so that they can look for things to sketch – a tree, a building, a scene. Alternatively, if they see something they would like to draw, take a photo on your phone and let them sketch from it when they are home.

4. Celebrate your child's art

Praise your child’s creations and encourage them not to get disheartened if they feel they have made ‘mistakes’. Explain that art is about being creative and trying out different things. There is no right or wrong way to do things. You could even ‘frame’ their work using coloured paper or card and create a little gallery on the kitchen wall or in their bedroom to display their work.

5. Discuss and enjoy art together

Find out about local art galleries or museums that you can visit with your child. Encourage them to talk about what they see and to share their opinions – about subject matter, colours, what materials the artist used, and so on.

6. Get messy!

Try to get hold of as many different types of drawing and painting resources as you can to let your child get creative and explore creating art using different materials. Paints, chalk, crayons, pens, pencils, modelling clay and much more can be found in discount shops. Just don’t forget to put lots of newspaper down first!

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