"Creativity takes courage."

- Henri Matisse

Intent

At Firs Primary School we are committed to ensuring all children are able to access a knowledge-rich, broad and balanced, art and design curriculum.  Our curriculum aims to be bold, free thinking and rigorous, with a creative edge. 

An essential element of our knowledge rich curriculum is the development of a broad and rich vocabulary, and the ambitious and explicit teaching of this.  A focus on speech and language is a key driver of the curriculum and this is supported by the Voice21 scheme to develop Oracy in the classroom.

Our chosen vehicle for delivering the art and design programmes of study is Curriculum Maestro – Cornerstones.

Our Art and Design Overview

Implementation

Our Art and Design curriculum (Cornerstones) offers a broad range of experiences designed to provide pupils with a clear progression of understanding, skills and knowledge. It links to the Art and Design National Curriculum which outlines the four aims for pupils:

• produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences

• become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques

• evaluate and analyse creative works using the language of art, craft and design

• know about great artists, craft makers and designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of    their art and design forms.

At Firs Primary School, we encourage creative work in the foundation stage classes.  Expressive Art & Design (EAD) is one of the four specific areas of learning in the EYFS framework. It involves supporting children to explore and play with a wide range of media materials, as well as providing opportunities and encouragement for sharing their thoughts, ideas and feelings through a variety of activities. 

These foundations are built upon in Key Stage 1 and further developed in Key Stage 2.  The units of work ensure that pupils are able to research and find out about great artists, develop critique skills, experiment with a variety of skills, painting, drawing, sculpting, sewing, collaging and working with fabric, make decisions by developing sketchbooks, imitate the work of artists, create high quality art pieces and reflect, evaluate and critique their own work.

Impact

How we measure the success of our Art and Design Curriculum:

Children will demonstrate:

• their use of sketch books to record their observations and use them to review and revisit ideas.
• their mastery of art and design techniques, including drawing, painting and sculpture with a range of materials.
• their knowledge of great artists, architects and designers in history. 

By the time pupils leave Firs Primary School, they will have developed the skills, knowledge, and creativity to succeed as artists, with a passion for art and design, in secondary education and beyond.