Art
Art Curriculum Statement, Knowledge and Skills Progression
Subject Vision: “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” - Pablo Picasso
The vision for our Art and Design curriculum is to encourage and enable our children to develop their creativity and skills by exploring a range of media and materials over time. As they progress through the school, children learn the skills of drawing, painting, collage, sculpture, textiles, printmaking, photography and graphic design and are given the opportunities to explore and evaluate their ideas. Children will be introduced to a range of different artists and will have opportunities to broaden their knowledge and understanding about the differences and similarities between these artists, alongside making links to their own work.
Statement of Intent:
Our principal aim is to develop the children’s knowledge, skills and understanding and to weave a creative thread through everything the children do. We aim to ensure that the act of being creative includes exploring and developing ideas and evaluating and developing work. Using art in the ‘real world’ such as making Christmas cards and taking part in opportunities to publicly exhibit will bring the children’s art outside their schools and into their communities, and provide meaning to what they are learning in school. Art and Design is fundamental to the personal development of children. At Whimple School, we encourage children to create, enjoy and value different forms of art. We aim to teach and develop art in a meaningful way, allowing children to explore a range of skills, artists, styles and genres. Our aim is for children to understand that art is made by all sorts of people, in a variety of ways. We encourage children to not only experience the arts but to explore and create pieces; to learn about themselves as individuals and to learn from meaningful experiences linked to their own lives. Art and Design provides children with opportunities to use their creativity and imagination, whilst also contributing to the development of the child emotionally, spiritually, intellectually, and socially. A child exploring their environment through art develops confidence and skills that are transferable to other subjects when they engage in group work, as well as developing and extending skills to express their individual interests and ideas. Art and Design promotes diversity and respect by showing that making mistakes can open up new opportunities, journeys and challenges and it encourages children to develop a sense of ownership of their work and reflect on their experiences. This in turn, encourages children to explore these opportunities in detail and also critically evaluate their work and that of others. Studying work by a diverse range of artists can increase their skills and show how creative people see or have seen their landscape, culture and history.
Whimple has chosen a knowledge-engaged curriculum.
This means following a skills-progression curriculum model with knowledge underpinning the application of skills. The 2002 Education Act requires schools to provide a ‘balanced and broadly based curriculum’ which promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of children at our schools and prepares them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life. We intend to deliver the 2014 National Curriculum in a purposeful, engaging and creative way by providing a broad curriculum that ensures that there are enough subjects on the timetable and a balanced curriculum that ensures that each subject is given sufficient space on the timetable to deliver its distinct contribution. The school curriculum is broader than the National Curriculum and our intention is to give children a richer and deeper experience that is not limited by the National Curriculum.