Art & Design

Statement of Intent

At Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust, we recognise that art and design embody some of the highest forms of human creativity and is an important part of the children’s entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum. We have designed a curriculum for Art & Design with the intent that as pupil progress, they should be able to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of art and design that stimulates creativity, risk-taking, problem solving and imagination.

The curriculum also explores how art and design both reflect and shape history, contribute to different cultures and times and how it enriches our lives. There will be opportunities to encourage the exploration of ideas and meaning through the work of a diverse range of artists, craft makers, designers and architects, whilst, also learning about the roles and functions of art.

Art & design teaching will provide opportunities to develop and extend skills. It engages, inspires, and challenges pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design. It helps in their understanding and response to the world, whilst providing an opportunity to express their individual interests, thoughts, and ideas. It will enable the children of all abilities to communicate what they see, feel and think, through colour, texture, form, pattern using different materials and processes.

The National Curriculum has set out the following subject content:

Key Stage 1

Pupils should be taught:

§ to use a range of materials creatively to design and make products.

§ to use drawing, painting and sculpture to develop and share their ideas, experiences and imagination.

§ to develop a wide range of art and design techniques in using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space

§ about the work of a range of artists, craft makers and designers, describing the differences and similarities between different practices and disciplines, and making links to their own work.

Key stage 2

Pupils should be taught to 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.

Pupils should be taught:

•  to create sketch books to record their observations and use them to review and revisit ideas.
• to improve their mastery of art and design techniques, including drawing, painting and sculpture with a range of materials [for example, pencil, charcoal, paint, clay]
• about great artists, architects and designers in history.

Implementation

The Trust have developed a progressive art curriculum that maps each art topics out across each year group, encouraging skills and knowledge to be developed as they move across their schools. This ensures that there is an emphasis on knowledge of the  context of artwork and the social and cultural effects it has on society. Furthermore, children will be exposed to a diverse range of artists, craft makers, designers and architects. This will enable the them to develop a considerable bank of knowledge of the individuals/groups they are studying, as well as their works and art movements.

The Trust is keen to encourage a singular systematic approach to the development of artistic skills, which means that children are given opportunities to express their creative imagination, as well as practice and develop mastery in the key processes of art, drawing, painting, printing textiles and sculpture. This has been applied to mixed group teaching, to ensure that the children receive a sensitive and comprehensive curriculum, that delivers.

The Trusts high-quality art & design curriculum is supported through a range of quality resources, which are used to support children’s confidence in the use of different media. It is also sensitive to the demands of obtaining such resources and offers alternatives to empower teaching staff to maintain a high level of teaching. The Trust’s unique staff team, utilizes the bank of specialised skilled staff to support the implementation of the art & design curriculum, ensuring that a high-quality provision is in place.

Impact

• The structure of the art curriculum ensures that children can develop their own knowledge and understanding of the work of artists, crafts people and designers from a range of times and cultures and apply this knowledge to their own work.

• The consistent use of sketchbooks from Year 1, means that children can review, modify and develop their initial ideas to achieve high quality outcomes.

• Children learn to understand and apply the key principles of art, line, tone, texture, shape, form, space, patter, colour, contrast, composition, proportion and perspective.

• Children will achieve age related expectations in art at the end of their cohort year.

• The opportunity for children to refine and develop their techniques over time is support by effective lessons sequencing and progression between year groups. This also supports children in achieving age related expectations at the end of their cohort.

• School displays opportunities reflect the children’s sense of pride in their artwork, and this is also demonstrated by creative outcomes across the wider curriculum.

• The school environment also celebrate also celebrates children’s achievements in art and demonstrates the subject’s high status in school, with outcomes, including opportunities to enhance the school environment, as well as the indoor environment.

• The art & design curriculum contributes to children, personal development in creativity, independence, judgement and self-reflection.

We aim to build a culture where there is a deep understanding, confidence  and competence in Art & Design which will then produce strong, secure learning and progress both across art but also in other areas of the curriculum. In Art & Design, as in all subjects, we are adamant that children who are at risk of underachieving have their needs skillfully and consistently met to protect them from this risk.

Children's Artwork

Here you will see all kinds of exciting artwork created by the children participating in their art curriculum studies, mindful art sessions, acrylic on canvas workshops and ceramics.