Art Intent
At Ridgeway Farm CE Academy, we value Art and Design as an important part of the children’s entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum.
Our art and design curriculum engages, inspires and challenges pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art. As pupils progress, they are taught to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of art and design. They are taught how art and design both reflects and shape our history and culture.
The children will develop their understanding of the visual language of art through studying different media within the various disciplines of Art (drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, illustration etc). They will achieve this through effective teaching and considered sequences of lessons and experiences. They will also develop an understanding of the visual elements of Art and Design (line, tone, texture, colour, pattern, shape, 3D form) as we provide a curriculum which enables our children to reach their full potential.
We see art and design as a means to support learning in a range of ways. The skills that are developed in these subjects can be transferred across the curriculum and thus aid learning.
As Pablo Picasso famously said “All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” We aim to engage our children and show them like all other lessons Art is not just a natural flair, it is a set of knowledge and skills that can be developed with a can do attitude.
Art Implementation
As a school and in accordance with the National Curriculum’s expectations, we aim to ensure that all pupils:
- 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.
- The school’s Art and Design curriculum is supported through the availability of a wide range of quality resources, which are used to support children’s confidence in the use of different media.
Art Impact
Our Art and Design curriculum contributes to children’s personal development in creativity, independence, judgement and self-reflection. This can be seen in the children’s work on display and their sketchbooks.
Further information is gathered through pupil questionnaires; highlighting strengths and achievement and any improvements, knowledge and skills that still need to be embedded. The children are keen to learn new skills and work hard to perfect those shown to them. The children’s art is sometimes cross-curricular, and helps them to express feelings and emotions in art, as well as show their knowledge and understanding in history, geography and science.
Teachers make formative assessments against objectives and use this information to inform future lessons; ensuring children are supported and challenged appropriately. Children are given an assessment on their end of year reports and this is shared with parents.
Children in Foundation Stage are assessed within Expressive Arts and Design and age related expectation levels are reported to parents at the end of the reception year.