Chacewater Community Primary School

Curriculum

Curriculum Intent, Implementation and Impact

Early Years

Subjects

Art @ Chacewater

Art and Design at Chacewater School

Intent

Through Art, we want to engage, inspire and challenge our children by introducing them to a broad range of techniques, materials and artists, craftspeople and designers. We want to equip them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, explore, take risks, invent and create. It will enable them to be authentic and explore their own identity as well as being curious about respecting and connecting with others. Most importantly, we want our children to foster a positive, life-long relationship with the subject and have fun. When considering the content of our art and design curriculum we thought carefully about our locality, both Chacewater, Cornwall and our wider heritage. We have made deliberate choices about studying a range of significant artists, some of who were born locally and these are referred to throughout our curriculum.

Art is a subject that gives children the opportunity to express ideas, attitudes and values. It is a means of communication that plays a significant role in their lives and which children will have used from a very early age. All of our children use sketchbooks to document their learning and creative journeys; where they have the opportunity to record, review and revisit their ideas. We feel these are a vital part of developing our children to work as artists, craft makers and designers.

The foundation of our art and design curriculum is taken directly from the Early Learning Goals and the National Curriculum. Pupils require sufficient time to develop mastery of skills and opportunities to create learning outcomes. We support this by using Access Art as a scheme of learning in Reception to Year 6. All lessons begin by introducing the Artist and follow a sequence of lessons that give opportunities to: generate ideas, make, evaluate and develop knowledge. All children evidence their artwork in their own sketchbook.

Implementation

At Chacewater School, Art is taught alongside DT. To ensure high quality teaching and learning outcomes, Art is sequenced into six lessons and taught three times a year in Early Years – Year 6. In order to secure progression, we focus on the three statutory requirements: drawing, painting and 3D sculpture from the National Curriculum. Teachers create lessons using high quality resources from ‘Access Art’ to plan and sequence lessons. Art is a practical, and creative subject. Through active participation, children learn to explore their imagination, generate ideas, acquire skills and apply judgement. They are taught about the materials and techniques they use and about the world of art, craft and design, recognising the achievements of artists, designers and craftspeople from many different times and cultures. All lessons are evidenced in a sketchbook, which progresses with the child as they move up through school.

Where suitable, opportunities are taken to make links across whole school learning and visits to The Tate Museum, St Michael’s Mount, The Eden Project and local Art galleries to ensure children are exposed and learn about local heritage.

Impact

The impact of this broad and balanced art curriculum will be children who can demonstrate a range of artistic skills and reference artists who have influenced their work. Our focus on skills will ensure that the curriculum is not ‘end product’ driven but, moreover, celebrates technique, experimentation, creativity and inventiveness.