ART AND DESIGN
Intent
At Crawford, we believe that every child can succeed at art and design with sufficient practise and high-quality, well-sequenced planning and teaching. Our curriculum develops and nurtures children’s creative, artistic and technical skills in an engaging and inspiring way. We believe that art and design can improve wellbeing, oracy, perseverance and critical thinking skills. We champion children’s individuality and unique imagination when designing, making and collaborating on artistic projects across a variety of artistic mediums and design methods.
Drawing and mark-making are at the heart of our art and design curriculum as these allow children to record their experiences and communicate, develop and test their creative ideas. We teach formal elements of art and design (such as colour theory, form and perspective) in a practical way that encourages children to apply their knowledge to their art and design projects. Children also learn about a range of local, historical and contemporary artists and designers from a diverse range of backgrounds. We teach children how to ‘look’ at works of art and design, discussing and justifying their opinion through constructive talk with their peers and evaluating and analysing their own work and that of others.
Implementation
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The art and design curriculum at Crawford follows the National Curriculum closely and is linked to the children’s topic for the term. Art is taught over three blocks a year and children focus on a different art medium each term. Curriculum objects are divided into themes (such as making skills, knowledge of artist and evaluating and analysing skills) and children apply their skills each time they encounter new artists and artistic mediums. Children revisit drawing every year and study painting, sculpture, collage and printing every other year. During each block, children will begin by studying, exploring and analysing and the work of established artists. Oracy is key at this stage teachers use exploratory talk to introduce children to works of art. Children will then generate their ideas, using the artist they studied and their knowledge of their current topic as inspiration. Sketchbooks are used to communicate design ideas through drawing and allow children to develop and improve their designs and practical making skills. Children will finish each art block by producing a final outcome which allows them to consolidate their newly acquired skills.
D.T is also taught over three blocks each year and children study a range of Design and Technology disciplines such as structures, cooking & nutrition, electrical systems and mechanical systems. Lessons are structured around the design cycle: design, make, evaluate and children use design and technology to solve real-world problems. Children create products with a purpose for a range of users and are required to problem solve
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Children begin their D.T projects by evaluating the work of existing and historical designers, using real-world designs as inspiration for their own work. They are then taught the required technical knowledge for their topic (such as levers and pivots in mechanical systems) before designing their product. They test out their ideas and develop their products through drawing before using their newly acquired technical knowledge to make their designs. Children finish each D.T block by evaluating their work, reflecting on their design brief or comparing their work to others.
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In the EYFS, children explore the foundational skills required to succeed as an artist and designer. Children are encouraged to explore and play with a range of resources, making mistakes and finding solutions to problems. They are encouraged to select their own tools and resources to develop creative projects and have access to books and artworks to use as inspiration. EYFS pupils develop their gross and fine motor skills and are taught to develop their accuracy and precision when using a range of artistic tools. They learn about the foundations of colour theory such as colour mixing and explore the work of existing and historical artists and designers in their topic work.
Impact
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Children leave Crawford in Year 6 with an appreciation for the creative industries and their positive impact on the world we live in. Collaborative projects on Global Arts Day, links with local galleries and artist run workshops allow children to see the real-world benefits of art and design. Previous projects include creating a whole school exhibition with large scale collaborative works, workshops with university students creating and designing play spaces and numerous workshops with practising artists and designers.
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Children are given opportunities to practise and revisit their making skills from early years through to year 6, allowing them to refine their art and design skills in a range of different mediums. In KS2, children are encouraged to research and plan their projects with increasing independence and our focus on individual progress in art and design ensures pupils leave Crawford having developed their own personal, artistic style. In their first topic each year, Know Me To Teach Me, pupils create a self-portrait in different artistic mediums, reflecting on their work from previous years and developing their making skills. Carefully sequenced art and design objectives ensure children have strong foundational knowledge in a wide range of art and design skills.
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Teachers use sketchbooks and topic books to track children’s progress in art and design. Reflecting the subjective nature of art and design, children’s work is not compared to their peers but to the individual progress they make against our curriculum. This ensures that pupil’s learning journeys are personalised and tailor to the unique talents of all our pupils.
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We ensure that the artists and designers studied at Crawford reflect our local and school community and pupils learn about historical and contemporary creatives from a diverse range of backgrounds. Therefore, pupils leave Crawford knowing that anyone can succeed in art and design regardless of their background with persistence, practise and a passion for the creative industries.
