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Art

Art is a vital part of our curriculum at Emmbrook Infant School: It provides a means of expression and communication for all children, regardless of their attainment in other subjects. Its practical nature stimulates creativity and develops imagination, giving children the opportunity to regularly rehearse techniques and skills that build over time, through careful observation of the work of other artists, and develops critical thinking of how art and design reflect and shape history and contribute to the culture and creativity of our nation. Our art curriculum equips children with the knowledge and skills to invent and create their own works of art, and inspires them to take risks in their learning and experience success, while developing an understanding of key skills that underpin Art and Design:  It gives them the belief that they are artists, and begins a journey of appreciation for all forms of art.

The delivery of our Art and Design curriculum not only focusses on key skills to be taught, learnt and mastered over time, but lends itself well to being cross-curricular: Children can deepen their understanding of a period in time through the work of artists or study of primary and secondary sources (for example portraits of Samuel Pepys).

‘Every child is an artist’. – Pablo Picasso

The 2014 National Curriculum for Art aims to ensure that all children:

  • 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 forms.

Art and Design in the Early Years is taught through the Specific area of Expressive Art and Design and is enabled through:

  • Using children’s interests as a springboard for learning, taking opportunities to build on their understanding and skills and allow them to express themselves creatively
  • Teaching specific skills through structured adult-led activities and giving opportunities to move learning and understanding on through exploratory play
  • Creating an enabling environment which allows children to access a range of materials to explore and develop creations.
  • Experimenting with different techniques and methods – for example mixing different colour paints, using different tools when joining models.
  • Building in daily opportunities to develop gross and fine motor skills, in order to have an impact on the development of Art and Design-specific skills such as sketching.
  • Introducing the work of key artists so children can explore the techniques used by them in their own creations.

Implementation

We understand that in order for children to become creative thinkers and have a greater depth of understanding of art they must first master basic skills, which takes time, which is why we ensure skills-based teaching and learning underpins our curriculum. Sessions are carefully planned to introduce new skills, but also allow children to practise previously learnt techniques, so they can build up proficiency over time and know how skills can be transferred and used in subsequent pieces of work.

Teachers create a positive atmosphere to learning in Art, where all children have the opportunity to enjoy art, express themselves artistically, with staff having high expectations for progress and attainment. The curriculum is carefully planned to cover the requirements of the National Curriculum, with each unit of work driven by an enquiry focus and is underpinned by skills-based learning. This inspires children to ask questions about pieces of art they study, the work and methods of artists, and make links in their learning to periods of time in History. Our whole school approach to the teaching and learning of art involves the following:

  • A spiral scheme of work which covers the National Curriculum requirements and builds on knowledge, skills and understanding year-on-year. Learning is facilitated through the study of pieces of art by key artists which will allow enquiry-based questions to be explored, and a range of styles experienced. Lessons are of a practical nature which allow children to practise and rehearse skills, develop creative thinking and have high aspirations for Art outcomes.

Each unit of work contains a list of art-specific vocabulary we expect the children to be:

  • exposed to, and over time, to understand and use this in their own work.
  • This approach is reflected in our planning. We ask insightful questions, which encourages pupils to think critically and objectively about pieces of art, valuing their ideas and opinions. Teachers model how to take time observing an artist’s work, and how to adopt and experiment with the techniques they use to achieve different effects. Because of the range of artist’s work we study, and the time taken to learn about style and form, children are able to make links in their learning and know how to compare the work of artists.
  • Children have the opportunity in each lesson to practise specific skills, which can be built on over time, and find links between the effects that different artists achieved, knowing how this can be developed in their own work.
  • Lessons are carefully planned to allow time for new skills to be taught, and previously learnt skills to be practised, allowing for mastery over time.
  • Artists that are chosen to be studied are selected because they are significant in the world of art, represent the culturally diverse world we live in today and represent a variety of different artistic genres.
  • We ensure a range of art is displayed from different key groups of children; we have a school gallery board that shows progression in skills over time, as artwork is displayed from Foundation pupils through to children in Year Two.
  • We have found ways of supporting our More Able and Talented artists by inviting them to take part in a workshop each Summer at our feeder secondary school. This allows children to practise their skills and develop new ones in a challenging but in an engaging environment.
  • Each academic year we have a focus on ‘British Artists’ where we study and celebrate the work of current British Artists. This is also supported through the study of ‘International Art’ during our whole school ‘International Week’.
  • We have had visiting artists teach children new techniques (for example printing) and offer the opportunity for children to practise this technique and build on skills, it also exposes children to a possible positive career path for the future.
  • Cultural Capital is developed through the study of both past and present, global and British artists and their work.

Impact

Because learning is a change to long-term memory we assess the impact of our Art teaching and curriculum over time. This is done in a variety of ways: through skill development in a sketch book scrutiny (children have these books from EYFS) which allow for comparison in a child’s work over time), analysing work on display, pupil conferencing and capturing pupil voice during lessons. We are then able to identify pupils who are working beyond expectations, or those working below, and adjust our teaching and provision accordingly.

Our Art curriculum and its delivery allows for children to recognise themselves as artists, to experience success, to develop skills over time and to explore the work of great artists, all of which will encourage a lifelong appreciation of Art.