Art
Intent
The Arts are highly respected at Carlton Miniott Primary Academy as a tool to bring learning to life and are essential in delivering a broad and balanced curriculum to every child in school, irrespective of ability. We intend Art to allow our children to develop creatively by having the opportunity to experience the world of art and design ensuring they are immersed in works of art from throughout history to the modern day. Our children are able to invent and create their own works of art, as well as respecting and being inspired by existing artists and art works. Through high quality teaching, we endeavour to provide experiences with a variety of artists, processes, skills, media and inspirations to enrich their learning journeys, providing them with purposeful skills with which to be creative citizens. Carlton Miniott respects the importance of The Arts in celebrating diversity and individual passions. Boosting creative learning has a profound impact on our children’s passion for learning, confidence, self-esteem and attainment across the curriculum.
Implementation
How we teach Art at Carlton Miniott Primary Academy.
Across the school, our Art teaching and learning is planned around the three themes of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture. Art is often planned alongside our design and technology, meaning each half term, each class will have an art or design and technology focused project. Staff are able to design the structure of lessons according to priorities for learning. Some art projects may present as a build-up of weekly skills lessons, culminating as a finished piece. However, some units may be delivered as an ‘Art Week’ or day. Our school is well-resourced to provide experiences across art teaching in order to create purposeful projects linked to wider-curriculum learning.
Showcasing
At Carlton Miniott, we passionately display works of art created by all classes. As you walk around our school building, you will see a huge range of different art projects created by our pupils. Displaying art works gives our children a genuine feeling of achievement and demonstrates the high quality of our teaching and learning in art. We are proud to be able to showcase a differing celebration of artists, media and topics. Classrooms are also a canvas for commending work completed in other curriculum subjects accompanied by inspirational art works.
Recording
Our teaching and learning for art is presented in Art books and as final pieces. Whether a project is taught weekly or across a themed day, skills learning and practice will be visible within sketchbooks. As final pieces are often created outside of our sketchbooks for display, these works are photographed to showcase the result of the project learning. Learning objectives are clearly stated throughout the units to give context to the learning and allows us to appreciate the progression a child makes in being creative across the topic.
A Love of The Arts
Alongside learning in the classroom, our pupils are given the opportunity to celebrate and practise art across other experiences.
For example:
- Extra-curricular Art clubs
- Topic-themed launch and landing days
- Visits from established, local artists
- Competitions
EYFS
Children in our Foundation Stage unit have endless opportunities to absorb themselves within the Arts. Learning through their environment, they are constantly exposed to opportunities to be creative with different materials. Within the classroom, there are always artistic materials and tools available to the children which they are able to access during free-flow periods. Again, EYFS consistently displays and celebrates the children’s works of art and use it to inspire the children’s writing. Our children are encouraged to build their imaginations, thinking creatively about the processes which are involved in producing everything we experience in the world. Teachers regularly share existing artworks and work of artists with the children when approaching a topic in order to enhance their understanding and inspire them to be creative themselves.
KS1
Throughout Key Stage 1, children are given the opportunity to experience designing and making using a range of materials. They are encouraged, through quality teaching and learning, to use their imaginations and a range of art forms to present their experiences of learning. They are exposed to a plethora of art works and artists to inspire them to practise many strands of art in order to develop their skills. They are also supported in comparing and evaluating both their own works and those of others. Throughout Y1, alongside formal art skills teaching, the children are also able to select materials and activities from a self-service art station during free-flow/continuous provision opportunities.
KS2
Building upon their learning throughout Key Stage 1, our pupils continue to strengthen their artistic skills, building progressive control within their practice. Art lessons continue to be an inspirational tool used to enrich our pupils’ immersion in their themed topic. Our teaching and learning aims to develop an increasing awareness of contexts and styles of art, allowing children to practise their mastery of skills including: drawing, painting and sculpture. Learning about the ‘greats’ of The Arts world allows children to develop the skills of analysing art and comparing their own works in order to constantly progress.
Pupil Feedback
Carlton Miniott’s ‘Keep Up Not Catch Up’ approach also encompasses our art teaching. Direct and immediate feedback is given to pupils in order to foster progression throughout the session. Reflecting on their own achievements and comparing with existing artworks is paramount in ensuring children strive for growth in skills. Opportunities are also planned in for children to evaluate each others’ work, helping them to develop another important skill for their future.
Planning for Progress
Staff use the Elevate Progression Document in order to plan blocks of learning. This provides a learning focus and purpose for the different projects across the year, ensuring skills are covered reliably, teaching is correctly pitched and progression across different year groups is built upon.
Teachers use Insight to assess children against year group objectives and skills, evidencing coverage and ensuring ‘gaps’ are used to inform planning and make judgements.
The subject leader can then use Insight data and evidence in Art books in order to monitor curriculum coverage, skills progression and pupil attainment. The subject leader is a point of call for staff in terms of subject knowledge and providing ideas for teaching.
Art Progression
