Art

Intent 

Art provides children with opportunities to develop and extend their skills and gives them the opportunity to express their individual ideas, interests and thoughts.

Our intention is for children to explore different art forms and develop a more rigorous understanding of art. We want our children to challenge their thinking and know that possibilities are endless by equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design.

Art in our school is about engaging, inspiring and challenging pupils by exposing them to high quality artists, architects and designers. The staff at Willowbrook Primary School ensure that all children are exposed to high quality teaching and learning experiences, which allow children to explore different materials and art forms.

We aim to immerse our children in different cultures through art to aid their knowledge and understanding. Understanding what it is to be British and the values of our nation are central to our work and through art, we intend to play a role in this by developing a knowledge and appreciation of the traditions of British artists and the ways in which art has been central to our culture throughout history.

Implementation 

In ensuring high standards of teaching and learning in art, we implement a curriculum that is progressive throughout the whole school. Art is taught as part of a half-termly topic focusing on knowledge and skills stated in 2014 Primary National Curriculum in England and, ‘Expressive Arts and Design’ in the Early Years Foundation Stage.

We ensure that art is given high importance, as we feel this is helpful in enabling all children to gain ‘real-life’ experiences. The art curriculum at Willowbrook is based upon the 2014 Primary National Curriculum in England, which provides a broad framework and outlines the knowledge and skills to be taught in each key stage. Teachers plan lessons for their class using our progression of knowledge and skills documents. We do, however, adapt this planning to ensure it teaches the knowledge and skills that our children need as well as responding to their interests and linking to topics.

Impact 

Art will develop an understanding and respect of culture and history, both in relation to the children individually and in relation to ethnicities from across the world. They will also be able to articulate the part British art plays in establishing our national identity and enhancing our culture. Children will ultimately understand what being an ‘artist’ means.

We measure the impact of our curriculum through moderation in staff meetings where pupil’s books are scrutinised and there is the opportunity for dialogue between teacher’s to understand their class’s work. Learning walks will also be completed where pupil’s will be interviewed about their learning (pupil voice).