Intent

Here at Idle C of E Primary School, we want children to flourish and benefit from a well-organised, accessible and creative art curriculum.  We believe that all children should have the opportunity to develop their independent talents and skills.  Our school vision statement is Jesus’ promise of life in all its fullness (John 10v10) and we believe that a broad and balanced curriculum supports our children in achieving this fullness. 

We design our art curriculum and teach art in order for pupils to explore the work of other artists as well as to broaden their toolkit. Our hope is that pupils will enjoy exploring new knowledge and techniques which they are then able to use, making decisions on their own personal preferences and style along the way. Where pupils love art and know how to express their selves this can support them in growing as individuals in so many ways.

Implementation

Throughout their time at Idle, pupils will have opportunities to explore and create art using a wide range of techniques, media and resources.  We are fortunate to have a large dedicated art space which can be enjoyed by all pupils.  The art room has been developed to be an inviting, immersive learning environment, well-stocked with resources which can be used by all classes.  Staff encourage children to use the art room responsibly, ensuring that they have ample opportunity to get messy and creative, but equally learn to respect the learning environment and resources.   

Pupils are taught and reminded to explore their own ideas in art, whilst developing their personal interests and talents.  Our art curriculum has been designed to allow pupils to become proficient artists, who have the opportunity to develop key skills in drawing, painting, printing and sculpture. National curriculum outcomes have been carefully considered within the design of our own curriculum to ensure a breadth of skills and knowledge development. 

We are developing our own personalised scheme of art, tailored to fit our thematic curriculum and meet the needs of our pupils.  Lessons are designed to be sequential, ensuring pupils have the opportunity to explore inspirational artwork, discuss ideas and develop key skills before producing a final outcome. Skills progression has been carefully considered from year group to year group to ensure pupils are obtaining skills and building upon them throughout their time with us. 

We are keen to raise the profile of art and make sure it has a visual presence within our school.  Each term, classes are asked to produce a specific piece of artwork linked to one of our key Christian values.  These are displayed in our link area for school community to enjoy.   

We are keen to inspire our children and offer opportunities for them to learn about a variety of established artists and comment on their work.  We want children to view art as a purposeful subject with skills which can be used every day.   

Staff have opportunities to develop their own skills to enable them to understand the processes they are then teaching pupils. CPD at Idle includes practical hands-on skills development workshops for staff, who are then able to more confidently impart their knowledge on pupils. 

Children also have the opportunity to attend weekly after school art club sessions. These sessions provide an opportunity for pupils to deepen their understanding of art and to further develop and refine their skills. Art club sessions are carefully thought out and delivered by a very knowledgeable and skilled member of our staff team.  

Impact

We want children to develop a passion and enjoyment for art, and to use this as an outlet for their personal expression.  We wish for children to leave our school having developed a love of art, secure artistic knowledge and a variety of core skills which they can further develop at secondary school. We hope they will be passionate about art and the work of artists and the history and development of art.  We want our pupils to recognise art as a valuable subject with transferable skills which can be used in everyday life or even their future careers!  

Children’s art work decorates and enhances our school environment, allowing our whole school community, as well as visitors and parents, to see how much art is valued in our school. This also has a positive impact on pupils’ self confidence and pride in their work. 

As art is such a powerful tool for expression we are also preparing pupils with tools for successfully communicating their ideas and equipping them with the skills to do so. By promoting creativity, expression and uniqueness in art and in our pupils we hope to enable them to embrace the individuality of their own work and an appreciation for the work of others.