Art

 

In Art lessons and workshops at Southridge we want to give our children the skills, concepts and knowledge necessary for them to express their responses to ideas and experiences in a visual or tactile form. We think that Art can fire our children’s imagination and is a fundamental means of personal expression.

Art is essentially a practical subject, but we also provide opportunities for reflection and as our children mature we help them to make critical responses to their own work and that of others.

Most importantly there is a great deal of pleasure that comes from Art and Design and it can also help to develop access to cultural richness and diversity. We really feel that the appreciation and enjoyment of the visual arts enriches all our lives.

Aims The aims of our Art and Design curriculum at Southridge are:

• To enable all children to have access to a varied range of high quality art experiences

• To provide an imaginative, innovative and co-ordinated art programme which will foster enthusiasm for art and design amongst all the children

• To foster an enjoyment and appreciation of the visual arts and a knowledge of artists, craftspeople and designers, through links with the local and wider multicultural community.

• To stimulate children’s creativity and imagination by providing visual, tactile and sensory experience

• To help children explore the world at first hand, using all their senses and experimentation, and so gain knowledge and understanding of the world in which they live

• To develop children’s understanding of colour, form, texture, pattern and their ability to use materials and processes to communicate ideas, feelings and meanings

• To teach children to express their own ideas, feelings, thoughts and experiences • To enhance children’s ability to value the contribution made by artists, craft workers and designers and respond critically and imaginatively to ideas, images and objects.

Through Art and Design, the children learn a range of skills, concepts, attitudes, techniques and methods of working.

Early Years During the Early Years, young children will be given the opportunity to explore colour, texture, shape and form in two and three dimensions. The children will have access to a wide range of constructions, collage, painting and drawing activities, using appropriate tools and art materials. In order to tap into[1]  their artistic potential, the children will be encouraged to develop their own creative ideas. The Outdoor Area is carefully organised to enable the children to access art opportunities outside and outdoor sheds have been purchased to allow materials to be stored that the children can access independently.

Key Stage 1 During Key Stage 1, Art and Design is about expanding children’s creativity and imagination through providing art, craft and design activities relating to the children’s own identity and experiences, to natural and manufactured objects and materials with which they are familiar, and the locality in which they live.

• Children explore the visual, tactile and sensory qualities of materials and processes and begin to understand and use colour, shape and space, pattern and texture, to represent their own ideas and feelings.

• Children focus on the work of artists, craftspeople and designers by asking and answering questions, such as: ‘What is it like?’ ‘What do I think about it?’

Key Stage 2 During Key Stage 2, Art and Design is about fostering children’s creativity and imagination by building on their knowledge, skills and understanding of materials and processes, through providing more complex activities. Children’s experiences help them to understand the diverse roles and functions of Art and Design in the world around them.

Progression and Continuity The school uses a variety of teaching and learning styles in art and design lessons. We ensure that the act of investigating and making includes exploring and developing ideas, evaluating and developing work. We do this through a mixture of direct teaching and individual/ group activities. We give children the opportunity within lessons to work on their own and collaborate with others, on projects in two and three dimensions and on different scales. Children also have the opportunity to use a wide range of materials and resources including other artists’ work, educational visits and computing.

We recognise the fact that we have children of differing ability in all our classes, and so we provide suitable learning opportunities for all children by matching the challenge of the task to the ability of the child. We achieve this through a range of strategies which are differentiated by task, expected outcome and/or support from peers or adults.

Art and Design curriculum planning at Southridge is taught mainly through a topic approach alongside Design & Technology, History and Geography. Our curriculum is carefully planned to engage and excite all our learners. Our long-term and medium-term plans map out the themes covered each term for each key stage. These plans define what we will teach and ensure an appropriate balance and distribution of work across each term. They also enable links to be made across other subjects e.g. poetry and texts are explored through art.

An Arts Festival week is planned for alternate years with a wide range of activities planned across the week for each year group. Visiting artists deliver an assembly and work with different year groups e.g. Northern Print, Laing Art Gallery, Bitesize Art, Picollo. The children also produce a piece of art work which can be purchased at an Art Exhibition.

Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development The teaching of art and design offers opportunities to support the social development of our children through the way we expect them to work with each other in lessons. Groupings allow children to work together and give them the chance to discuss their ideas and feelings about their own work and the work of others. Their work in general helps them to develop a respect for the abilities of other children and encourages them to collaborate and co-operate across a range of activities and experiences. The children learn to respect and work with each other and with adults, thus developing a better understanding. They also develop an understanding of different times and cultures through their work on artists, designers and craftspeople.