Art

Intent

At Elmwood, we aim to:

  • Equip children with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art
  • Encourage pupils to think critically and make links between different forms of art using the language of art, craft and design
  • Expose children to a wide range of great, diverse and local artists
  • Promote a love for art through engaging lessons and develop their understanding of its value in regards to history, culture and creativity
  • Develop the pupils’ confidence in ensuring that the children can use the skills, styles and techniques from artist exploration to support them in making decisions and expressing themselves
  • Develop a sense of pride through showcasing

Implementation

At Elmwood, we teach two structured, engaging art units every half term as well as an ‘Art Day’ every term to ensure a progression of skills through the years.

  • The lessons are artist-led, meaning that the children are exposed to different styles, skills and techniques through a given context. They then take these skills and apply them in creating their own unique piece of work
  • Class teachers deliver ‘Artist of the Week’, a short weekly PowerPoint where the children reflect on an isolated piece of art from an unfamiliar artist
  • A new framework of lessons has recently been implemented across the school, providing children with rich, engaging and relevant lessons
  • The Art Blog on the school website is regularly updated, acting as a bridge of communication between home and school, giving the children the opportunity to feel proud of their work
  • An Art Exhibition at the end of the year showcases the efforts of the children across the school as well as increasing motivation and love for the subject
  • The ‘Sketchbook Help Sheet’ supports both teachers and children in using the correct artistic terminology and coverage of the National Curriculum
  • The children understand that the term ‘artist’ is broad, due to the lessons consisting of painters, architects, fashion designers, photographers, disabled artists etc.
  • Arts Week ensures that the children are given the opportunity to be fully immersed in the subject and draw cross-curricular links

Impact

The impact of our Art curriculum is that the children have the space to make decisions, express themselves and be confident in their individuality. The children are exposed to many artists from all over the world through the lessons and ‘Artwork of the Week’ meaning they are able to confidently make links between different art forms and feel represented through the Art curriculum. The children are given the opportunity to feel proud of their efforts in Art through various showcasing, for example the Art Blog and the end of year exhibition. The children’s confidence when discussing art is high as well as their use of artistic terminology being strong through the use of effective questioning linked to the visual elements of Art, supported by the ‘Sketchbook Help Sheet’.