ART AT NORTHWAY
We value art and design as an important part of the children’s entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum. Art and design provides the children with the opportunities to develop and extend skills and to express their individual interests, thoughts and ideas. Our curriculum promotes an understanding and enjoyment of art and design. It engages, and inspires pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art and design. We want pupils to be able to think critically and develop an understanding of art and design, knowing how they both reflect and shape our history, and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation.
Our curriculum meets the requirements of the National curriculum and is alternated with Design and Technology each half term. Units are taught on a two-year cycle to meet the needs of our mixed age classes. Lessons are adapted to meet the needs of individuals and build on prior knowledge and skills. As well as discrete units of work, some units are carefully planned to coordinate with content from other curriculum areas.
EYFS
In the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), art is part of the specific area of learning and development called Expressive Arts and Design (EAD). Within this area, children have regular opportunities to explore and engage with different media and materials. Children begin to develop their art and fine motor skills through a variety of creative activities, including painting, drawing, experimenting with colour, exploring texture, joining materials, cutting and manipulating clay.
Through hands-on exploration, children learn how different materials work and how they can be used to create unique outcomes. Children are encouraged to be imaginative and creative, experimenting with new ideas, discovering possibilities, and expressing their own individidual creativity.
KS1
In Key Stage 1, pupils use a range of materials creatively to design and make products and use drawing, painting and sculpture to develop and share their ideas, experiences and imagination. They develop a wide range of art and design techniques in using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space and learn about the work of a range of artists, craft makers and designers, making links to their own work.
KS2
Pupils develop their techniques, including their control and their use of materials, with creativity, experimentation and an increasing awareness of different kinds of art, craft and design. They create sketch books to record their observations and use them to review and revisit ideas. They improve their mastery of art and design techniques, including drawing, painting and sculpture with a range of materials and learn about great artists, architects and designers in history.