Intent

At Elmlea Schools Trust our Art and Design Curriculum ensures all children have the
opportunity to explore their ideas, record experiences and produce creative, imaginative
work. We aim to develop the talents, creativity, and confidence of children through a fun,
cross-curricular approach which focuses on a progression of artistic skills, extends cultural
horizons, and provides a platform for self-expression. The curriculum has been designed to
ensure that all children’s artwork is celebrated through their own creative journey. Children
will become confident and proficient in a variety of techniques including drawing, painting,
sculpting, as well as other selected craft skills, e.g. collage, printing, weaving and patterns.
Children will also develop their knowledge of styles and vocabulary by exploring and
evaluating the work of famous local and world-wide artists, designers, craft makers.

Implementation/Learning Journey

In EYFS, the curriculum has been designed to give children creative freedom to express
themselves through art, whilst also ensuring children learn specific skills focused around
colour, patterns and texture, drawing and painting, design and making, and learning how to
use tools correctly. Resources are made readily available and whilst support is offered to
those who need it, pupils are encouraged to explore the resources with growing
independence. The class teacher leads the teaching of key skills and children work in small
groups to practise these and produce final pieces of work. Children explore a range of styles
of art by drawing on work of famous artists. With the support of a teacher, they discuss the
work and use specific styles of art to influence their own pieces of work. Children are
encouraged to discuss their work as they go, thinking about what they like about it, or what
they would like to improve. Key vocabulary is modelled by the teacher throughout the
lessons and children are taught how to use the correct vocabulary during their discussions.

In KS1, Art is taught by the class teacher. Each year group works on at least one art project
per term, which often supports the termly year group topic. These projects focus on a
specific skill or skills and allow pupils the opportunity to build on their previous learning.
Included in these projects is work for school displays. For display work, briefs are provided,
which include explicit skills for the year groups to focus on. The displays aim to celebrate the
children’s creativity and allows pupils and staff to see the clear progression through key
stages. Key vocabulary is taught at the beginning of each lessons and referred to
throughout. Sketchbooks have recently been introduced to encourage ownership of work
and creative freedom. They allow children to practise skills and techniques in their own
space and offer pupils a place to record their own unique creative journey. The evaluation of
work is completed alongside the children. At the end of each session, a five to ten minute
circle time allows children to discuss and reflect on the skills and techniques they have learnt
and applied. It is a time to celebrate success and discuss ways to develop their skills. During
this reflection time, the teacher will use questions and sentence prompts to help, and
children are encouraged to use appropriate vocabulary.

Art lessons in KS2 are planned in upper and lower school phases and
are delivered by the class teacher. There is an emphasis on Art supporting other subjects,
for example, enriching descriptive vocabulary or understanding of Literature in English,
complementing History and Geography topics or providing an insight into other Religions
and World Views. Our curriculum is designed to spiral from Years 3 to Years 6, revisiting key
vocabulary and skills for consolidation and then challenging the children to extend their
knowledge and skills. In Key Stage Two, children are encouraged to become increasingly
independent in their use of sketchbooks to develop their self-expression and to explore a
range of mediums and techniques firmly rooted in the visual elements of art and design (line,
tone, texture, colour, pattern, shape and form). Through annotating their reflections in their
sketchbooks, the children demonstrate an increasingly sophisticated articulation of critical
thinking. Art lessons introduce a range of artists’ work across different time periods and
cultures and children are encouraged through discussion, to develop their understanding of
and opinion on an increasingly complex works of art. We recognise that creative
achievement is an important vehicle for building self-esteem and a sense of self, and the
children’s work is celebrated in class during feedback sessions, in whole school displays and
with parents and carers at home.

The units taught coincide with the two-year topic cycle that is implemented at Elmlea which
provides collaborative enrichment opportunities for both lower and upper school. Year 3 and
4 cover Egyptian Art, proportion, clay sculptures, colour mixing, drawing and texture with a
focus on seascapes inspired by famous artists. Year 5 and 6 units cover Greek Pots,
expressions of spirituality in Religion, lino printing, and sketching figures and sculpting
figures.

Across the school, the children are continuously encouraged to be reflective and evaluative
in their work, thinking about how they can make changes to aid their progression. The
evidence of their work is collected within the art sketchbook as well as final pieces of work.
By using sketchbooks, this allows the children to externalise their thoughts, make
connections and deepen their artistic understanding through their own visual creative
journey.

Enrichment
Besides our curriculum lessons, we celebrate Art through our annual ‘Arts Week’. This
enrichment opportunity permits the children to immerse themselves in a week of creativity
alongside artistic workshops conducted by experienced Art practitioners, where all of the
work produced is celebrated at the end of the week. In addition, extra-curricular opportunities
such as Craft Club are available for the children to partake in.