Art

'Before a child speaks, it sings. Before they write, they paint. As soon as they stand, they dance. Art is the basis of human expression' -  Phylicia Rashad
At Tywardreath School our vision is to create a safe and stimulating environment where all children feel they belong and are able to challenge themselves, take risks and flourish both academically and socially. To develop our children so that they value and respect their own and others individuality, culture and heritage. We are committed to providing a place of excellence with high standards.


To achieve our vision all our children should:

Enjoy their primary school years and develop high self-esteem regardless of ‘academic’ ability.

  • Feel safe and secure and have a passion for learning and experience success.
  • Develop perseverance, flexibility, independence in a wide range of learning skills.
  • Be well mannered, respecting themselves, others and the environment.
  • Make a positive contribution to the school and the wider community.
  • Enjoy equal opportunities to succeed
  • Develop lively, inquiring minds and become confident communicators.
  • Experience teaching of the highest quality and develop core skills to a high level.
  • Appreciate the beauty, the diversity of the world and their duty to protect it.
Intent

At Tywardreath School, art is a crucial part of our curriculum. Children will be supported to explore, discover and appreciate artists from all cultures including their own local area. Children will learn a range of skills using many materials and mediums in order to replicate, imitate and innovate the art they study. With their skills and knowledge, children will be given freedom and opportunity to work alone, to express their own creativity and flare as well as working collaboratively to create, evaluate and discuss their own and others art.

Children will learn types of art they can create and link this with art they have already learnt. With a focus on materials, children will be taught to make choices in relation to their art such as ‘what paint type to use’? or ‘which sketching utensil to choose’? Children will have time to explore the various ways in which they can use materials and mediums to create different effects and outcomes. This will be taught alongside more formally recognised techniques to give children a wide ranging skill set to apply their own work.

Children see art as all around them and will be able to talk about different types of art they have created e.g. sculpture, paint, sketching. By UKS2, children should be able to see the link with their own pieces and to those of others.
Implementation

The skills and knowledge that children will develop throughout each art topic are mapped across each year group and are progressive throughout the school. This ensures skills, knowledge and practise is built systematically and progressively through the school enabling the children to use each year as a building block to the next. Use of knowledge organisers help to scaffold, support and inspire the children within the art topic and help to imbed the technical language and knowledge required.
Our art curriculum and programme of study also considers how information is stored within the long-term memory. By carefully planning sequences of lessons where there is a clear progression of skills, knowledge and vocabulary pupils are able to build on previous learning by making explicit links and so remember more.

Prior knowledge is activated at the beginning of each art topic and  at the start of each lesson so that pupils can build upon what they know. By sharing and discussing  the sequence of learning with the children and the end point of the topic we are able to be incorporate the pupil's interests and so enhance their engagement. 

Tasks are selected and designed to provide appropriate challenge to all learners, in line with the school’s commitment to inclusion. At the end of each topic, key knowledge is reviewed by the children and rigorously checked by the teacher and consolidated as necessary.

By the end of year 6 our children will have taken their innate creativity and expressive nature and honed their abilities through the direct teaching of skills and knowledge to become artists.
They will have the ability to use visual language skilfully and convincingly (for example, line, shape, pattern, colour, texture, form) to express emotions, interpret observations, convey insights and accentuate their individuality. They will be able to communicate fluently in visual and tactile form. Draw confidently and adventurously from observation, memory and imagination. They will explore and invent marks, develop and deconstruct ideas and communicate perceptively and powerfully through purposeful drawing in 2D, 3D or digital media. Children will hold a knowledge of famous, influential artists across many world cultures as well as an in depth knowledge of local artists to Tywardreath and Cornwall and the rich heritage in the county around them. Children will have the ability to think and act like creative practitioners by using their knowledge and understanding to inform, inspire and interpret ideas, observations and feelings.
We believe it is important for children to also gain greater independence, initiative and originality within their art which they can use to develop their creativity. Children will have the ability to select and use materials, processes and techniques.  Children will develop a critical eye for art both their own and that of others, with the language to express their opinion.

Impact

Art is assessed at the end of each topic. We use a range of assessment for learning strategies including:

  • Questioning, feedback and peer assessment
  • Teacher assessment
  • Low stake quizzing.
  • Formative assessment during lessons.
Monitoring by our Art lead includes:

  • Pupil voice
  • Teacher consultation/questionnaires
  • Work scrutinies
  • Evidence of workshops/staff meetings.
  • WOW Days and Fantastic Finales.