Art

Intent

At Bede Community Primary School, our Art curriculum aims to inspire creativity, imagination, and a lifelong appreciation of visual arts. We are committed to providing a high-quality art education that aligns with the 2014 National Curriculum and promotes the development of skills, knowledge, and self-expression.

We aim to:

Develop Creativity and Expression: by encouraging all pupils to express themselves freely through different forms of visual art. We aim to nurture imagination and original thinking, helping children to use art as a powerful means of communication.
Build Skills and Techniques: by ensuring that pupils develop key artistic skills, techniques, and understanding of formal elements such as colour, form, line, texture, and pattern. Our pupils will learn to use a range of materials and tools confidently and effectively.
Foster Appreciation of Art: by helping children develop an appreciation of art and artists from diverse cultures, historical periods, and backgrounds. Our pupils will encounter and explore a range of famous artists and art movements to understand how art reflects and influences the world around us.
Promote Personal Development: by supporting pupils in developing resilience, patience, and problem-solving skills through the artistic process. Art encourages personal reflection and a sense of achievement as pupils learn to evaluate and improve their work. We want our pupils to see art as a way to express themselves as well as a way to foster good mental health.
Prepare for a Visual World: by equipping children with visual literacy, allowing them to interpret, respond to, and critique the visual elements of the world around them. The ability to be able to have a grasp upon how images are presented to them and to be able to respond critically and with understanding is vital in an increasingly image-focused world.

Implementation

Our art curriculum is carefully structured to provide progression in knowledge, skills, and creativity from Early Years to Year 6. The following key aspects are integral to our implementation of art:

Curriculum Structure: The curriculum is based on the 2014 National Curriculum, focusing on developing skills across different artistic disciplines such as drawing, painting, sculpture, and mixed media. Each term, pupils engage in projects that explore a specific medium or theme, ensuring breadth and depth of artistic experience.
Progressive Learning: We ensure that artistic skills are built progressively, with each year group developing more advanced techniques and knowledge. For example, in Early Years and KS1, children explore basic mark-making and colour mixing, while in KS2, pupils experiment with more sophisticated techniques like shading, perspective, and sculpture.
Exploration of Artists and Cultures: Each year group studies a variety of artists from different time periods, cultures, and artistic movements. This not only enhances pupils' understanding of different art forms but also helps them see how art is influenced by and reflects different societies and values. Pupils explore the lives, influences, approaches and styles of different and diverse artists within each topic area that is covered, and they are encouraged to understand that the world can be represented in many amazing ways, none of which is the ‘right’ one! Our subject matter also includes non-Western art traditions, and we make every effort to introduce and explore art forms from all across the world and from different epochs.
Hands-On Learning: Art lessons are highly practical and hands-on. Pupils have regular opportunities to work with different materials such as pencils, pastels, paint, clay, and textiles. They are encouraged to experiment, make creative choices, and explore new techniques.
Cross-Curricular Links: We integrate art with other areas of the curriculum such as history, geography, and literacy. For instance, pupils may create landscapes linked to Geography topics, historical portraits in history, or design illustrations for their own stories in literacy but in these instances, it is always the art that takes centre stage.
Display and Celebration: Pupils’ artwork is displayed throughout the school, providing opportunities for the whole school community to celebrate creativity. We also organise art exhibitions, inviting parents and the wider community to view and appreciate the pupils' work.
Inclusivity and Differentiation: We ensure that art lessons cater to all abilities, providing differentiated tasks and tools where needed. Every child is encouraged to explore their creativity and express themselves through the art-making process.

Time allocation

Art is taught for approximately 8-12 hours each half term, depending on the pathway being undertaken.

Teachers use their own discretion when deciding how each pathway is taught. For example, pathways could be taught for two afternoons per week in a three- week block or every afternoon for a week. Teachers will use the best option to give greater coherence to children’s learning.

Planning

The Access Art website provides our framework for learning and teaching in art. (See yearly overview attached). This was introduced in September 2023.
One pathway of work is planned and undertaken each term. (3 pathways per year group)
Teachers use the suggested ideas from the pathway imaginatively, whilst ensuring the learning objectives remain the same in order to ensure progression.
In the EYFS regular art activities are planned into their topic coverage; some are initiated by children and some led by adults.

Assessment, recording and reporting

The art subject leader collects selected examples of children’s work from the pathways across the year. These are used for identifying progression and expectations.
Children in Key Stages 1 and 2 use sketchbooks to record their artwork (black books) and these are intentionally not ‘marked’ in order for us to encourage greater creativity and risk-taking and greater sense of ownership. These books will follow the child into the next year group.
Photographs will be uploaded on Earwig to be used for assessment of coverage and also for monitoring progression.
Teachers make their own notes at the end of a pathway on children who are significantly above or below expectations, any problems encountered, any resources needed; this will inform their future planning. Where children are noted to show particular talent, we try to find ways to foster and encourage and to signpost them to outside agencies.
Through discussion, children are encouraged to make personal assessments of their own art-work and identify what they need to do to improve as well as to view the work of their peers and to be able to talk about the pieces of work using good technical vocabulary.
Teachers final assessments are recorded on our whole school tracking document.

Impact

As with all of our subjects, our Super Learning Powers are intertwined throughout our art curriculum, ensuring that our children are curious, confident, empathetic and motivated learners. We measure impact through the following:

Artistic Knowledge and Skills: By the end of Year 6, pupils will have a strong understanding of the formal elements of art, including colour, line, shape, texture, and form. They will be proficient in a range of artistic techniques such as drawing, painting, printmaking, and sculpture, and will know how to use a variety of materials and tools safely and effectively.
Creativity and Self-Expression: Pupils will leave us in Y6 with the confidence to express their own ideas and emotions through art. They will be able to experiment with different artistic styles and approaches, understanding that art is a means of personal expression.
Appreciation of Art and Artists: Pupils will have a broad appreciation for different artistic styles, cultures, and movements. They will be able to talk about famous artists and their work, making connections between art and the world around them. Pupils will develop critical thinking skills through discussing and evaluating their own work and the work of others.
Cultural Awareness and Diversity: Through exploring a wide range of artists from different cultural and historical contexts, pupils will develop an understanding of how art reflects cultural values, traditions, and perspectives. They will appreciate diversity in artistic expression and be able to draw inspiration from a variety of sources.
Personal Development: Art contributes to pupils’ overall well-being, fostering perseverance, resilience, and a sense of achievement. Pupils will have developed their ability to solve problems, take creative risks, and reflect on their learning process. This will also support their broader personal, social, and emotional development.
Assessment of Progress: Progress in art is assessed through formative and summative assessment, including sketchbook work, finished pieces, and class discussions. Teachers use these assessments to identify next steps in learning and provide constructive feedback.

By embedding these principles of Intent, Implementation, and Impact, we ensure that every child at Bede is given the opportunity to develop their artistic skills.

Art Curriculum Overview

Art Vocabulary