Our Intent

At St John’s CE Academy, we value Art and Design as an important part of our children’s entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum. We want our children to know the joy of creation and appreciate how art can give pleasure and enjoyment in various forms. We firmly believe that all learners, regardless of age or background, should experience an art and design curriculum that inspires creativity, knowledge and an appreciation culture. We know art and design in our school will help our children to understand themselves, build confidence and self-esteem, as well as contributing positively to their own wellbeing. Our children will understand how, through art, they can develop their communication skills to help them communicate their preferences. Whilst developing key skills, our curriculum also develops an understanding of how art has provided us with information about the past and is used in the present to communicate priorities and beliefs. Our children will develop new and enjoyable ways of thinking, seeing and doing in order to enjoy and appropriately respond to our ever-changing world. Our curriculum will help children to understand the constant impact visual arts has on our cultures and how it can directly impact our lives. Our aim is to nurture happy children who are active consumers of the world around them and understand the opportunities art can provide them. All our children will experience art of accomplished artists through visits from local artists or to different art settings. Our art and design curriculum aims to develop children’s ability to think critically and imaginatively in order to develop an empathetic understanding to our culturally diverse country and world.

Implementation

The teaching and implementation of art and design at St John’s CE Academy is based on the National Curriculum and linked to other areas of the curriculum where possible. We follow a broad and balanced Art and Design curriculum that is structured to build on previous learning and provide support and challenge for learners as they progress through school. In addition to our structured curriculum, art and design is embedded in our whole school curriculum and opportunities for enhancing learning through art are always taken. The curriculum has been designed to revisit many formal elements of art including line, shape, form, tone, texture, pattern, colour and composition and develop a range of skills within drawing, painting, printing, sculpting, collage, textiles and digital media. Through our topics, children are provided with many opportunities to develop their skills using a variety of media and materials. The work of famous local, national and international artists, architects and designers is explored. Where possible, artwork studied and observed has been selected from different cultures, backgrounds and periods to enhance the children’s learning and to allow them to develop their own artistic style, ideas, experiences and imagination. Children are encouraged to describe the differences and similarities between the works of artists, and to make links to their own work. This will therefore help them to be able to reflect, evaluate and manipulate their own work to create a desired outcome. Children are encouraged to make their own decisions, be adaptable and able to explain their choices. Throughout school, sketchbooks are provided to give children a place to explore, develop and craft their ideas. They will be used to record observations, to explore different media and techniques, and to review, reflect and revisit ideas.