Intent

At Petham primary our Art and Design curriculum is designs to engage the children and equipping them with the knowledge and skills to participate in life outside of their school environment. The children create their own individual art pieces as well as whole school creations for different events throughout the year.

The Art and Design curriculum is built around essential knowledge, understanding and key skills, as well as a focus on inspiring and engaging the children’s interest in a whole range of creative processes.  Our aim is that all pupils are given ample opportunities to 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. 

Our school core values are interwoven through the art and design curriculum.  Our pupils are actively encouraged to demonstrate leadership by having opportunities to share their knowledge and skills with less experienced peers and younger pupils.  Organisation is demonstrated through the expectation that children can select, access and organise their own resources.  The children are encouraged to be resilient and use their initiative by persevering and considering adjusting techniques or using alternative methods if their first attempts do not go to plan.  Children will be able to communicate their ideas and creations through a variety of means including annotating sketchbooks, verbally explaining their work and discussing what they have learnt and produced with others.   

Implementation

Our Art scheme of work is designed with four strands that run throughout our whole school building on previously learnt skills;
Drawing
Painting and mixed media
Sculpture and 3D
Craft and Design
Within these strands the children learn a range of skills, generating new ideas, pulling from knowledge and experiences they have had. Use of a sketchbook, given time to explore ideas and different ways in which to use range of different mediums. Making skills where the children explore that art work does not always have to be flat. Evaluating their own work as well as others, including artists and their own classmates, gaining a good knowledge of artists past and present.

We give children the opportunity to have clear dialogue and decision making about their own artwork as well as others. Time to produce creative work, exploring ideas, become confident in drawing, painting and sculpture alongside other techniques.

Lessons are always practical in nature allowing children to lead themselves to explore and develop their skills, helping each other build confidence and skill in the creative arts.

Impact

At Petham Primary School every child has a sketchbook which follows their creative journey from Reception to Year 6, this allows the children to see their own progression throughout their time at Petham. The children take pride in their work and standards are set with high expectations. Children are given verbal feedback by staff members to strengthen their understanding and knowledge from each session.

The children are given opportunities to show their artwork as church and community school events, showing them that all artwork can we enjoyed by everyone. In children’s artwork can be seen in every classroom and around the school environment, allowing the children to share with older and younger children that they have been learning.

Our children are actively encouraged to develop creatively both within and beyond the confines of the curriculum, and our continual and passionate engagement with The Arts is evidenced in our Silver ArtsMark Award, which underpins the school’s commitment to providing an enriching and inspiring creative experience for all pupils.  

In the spring of 2023 we were awarded a Silver Artsmark Award in recognition of the emphasis we place on the value of the arts across our school, both as part of the curriculum and as a large part of the wider opportunities that we offer the children.