Art and Design Intent and Progression
Over time at St Johns, our children will appreciate that Art, Craft and Design embody some of the highest forms of human creativity. We aim to provide a high-quality art and design education that provides opportunities to explore inspirational art work whilst equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment safely using a variety of materials, tools and techniques. The children invent and create their own works of art, craft and design, thinking critically about their products. As the children learn to express themselves through art, they will also know how art and design both reflect and shape our history, and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation.
We aim to ensure all pupils produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences, becoming proficient in drawing, painting and sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques. The children evaluate and analyse creative works using the language of art, craft and design, learning about great artists, craft makers and designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms.
Christian Values, Cultural Capital and Pupil Premium enhancements
At St Johns, we are committed to broadening the horizons of our pupils. Through our art and design provision, children have the opportunity to learn about artists and designers that are male and female as well as coming from a range of backgrounds, some of which are from our local area, England or from a range of countries from around the world. We aim for our children to develop their understanding of artists in the community and the value of art itself. We want our children to understand this value is not monetary, it is a sense that having this creativity and spirituality makes you a better person.
Our Art and Design curriculum provides our children with many opportunities that they may not have outside of school. This includes collaboratively with others, meeting artists, visiting galleries and developing hobbies and interests which aids their positive mental health and well-being.
We aim to nurture and celebrate each child’s spirituality and individuality by ensuring we provide opportunities for the children to express themselves as they reflect on the sort of people they are, their morals and consider the people they wish to be in the future, representing this through their own, original pieces of art. Through our use of sketchbooks, we aim for each child to have a place where they can express themselves freely.
Our Art and Design curriculum aims to make a difference in each pupil’s life through developing their ability to preserve and demonstrate resilience as, like many artists and designers, they will have to learn from mistakes and learn to celebrate what they have gained from them. Our children will also be able to develop pride in themselves and their own artwork as it will be valued on displays and in our school art gallery. Pupils will also develop a deeper understanding of our local area through the study of local artists, designers and architects. By comparing the work of local artists to the work of others around the world, we hope pupils will develop a sense of pride in the area they are from.
Visits to museums, galleries and places that will inspire the children’s own products are organised to ensure all children develop their sense of belonging and knowledge of the wider world. For some of our pupils, their sense of belonging is superficial. We strive for each child’s sense of belonging to deepen because feeling that you belong is most important in seeing the value of life and coping with intense emotions. Our curriculum ensures children learn about artists who have faced their own challenges and how they have used these experiences to create something new, something positive, just as we hope our children will do in their lives.
The specific skills and knowledge taught in Art and Design are detailed in our Skill Progression and Knowledge Progression documents. If you wish to see these, please ask your child's class teacher.
