At Elsley Primary School, we aim to provide an Art and Design curriculum that inspires our pupils to share and express their individual creativity and imagination through the use of colour, texture, form, pattern and different materials and processes. Our Art and Design curriculum aims to provide pupils with the knowledge, skills and understanding to become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques. We expect that our pupils will be equipped to make informed aesthetic and practical decisions about their work, based on its intended purpose and the work of others. Through the study of a wide variety of artists, craft-makers, designers and techniques, we aim for our pupils to glean inspiration for their work. We aim for our pupils to not only ‘know’ artists and their work, but to recognise the influence they have had on culture over time. By doing so, our pupils will develop a greater understanding and appreciation of the historical development of art forms and the variety of modes and mediums that Art and Design ideas express meaning. We aim to ensure that all pupils access our Art and Design Curriculum and know and value the artistic process which culminates into their final product. We desire that our pupils will have a love of Art and Design, a strong sense of pride and accomplishment and reach their full potential.

Our curriculum allows pupils to develop the following disciplinary skills within the domain of Art & Design:

• Art & Design knowledge
• Exploring & developing ideas
• Investigating & making
• Working safely
• Evaluating
• Communicating as an artist

At Elsley, our Art and Design curriculum is taught in 3 blocks across the year in order for our pupils to achieve depth in their learning. Where possible, Art and Design is contextualised within our humanities topics, providing purpose and an enriching context to extend and consolidate learning, as pupils explore the world of Art and Design. Lessons are knowledge and vocabulary rich in order to support our pupils to build upon what they already know and make links to new learning. At the heart of the teaching and learning in Art and Design, is guiding pupils through the creative process of developing and applying their acquired skills, knowledge and understanding of:

• Art and Design knowledge: including artists, their work, context and influence
• Generating ideas: The skills of designing and developing ideas
• Making: The skills of making art, craft and design
• Evaluating: The skills of judgement and evaluation

Throughout their time at Elsley, pupils will study artists, crafts men and women, and designers from a range of diverse backgrounds and artistic styles as they relate to their topic of learning. The key knowledge, skills and understanding that pupils require to make progress has been carefully sequenced and planned systematically to ensure that skills and knowledge are built on year by year and maximise learning for all children.

We take a collaborative approach to the evaluation of the impact of our curriculum where this process is not ‘done to’ our staff, but ‘with them’.  In order to judge how successful our curriculum has been designed to promote the learning of the Art and Design National Curriculum, pupil outcomes are evaluated against our skills progression maps, pupil exemplification materials and pupil voice. These have been formulated in line with the National Association for Education in Art and Design (NSEAD). We also evaluate our Art and Design curriculum and practices against evidence based education research, leading subject associations and welcome cross school collaboration to ensure that our curriculum design successfully meets and challenges our pupils.

We aim for our pupils to:

• Know, understand and apply the artistic process which culminates into their final product and appreciate both the process and final outcome
• 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
• Value both collaborative and independent aspects of the learning process they have acquired
• Be resilient, collaborative and flexible learners
• Enjoy Art and Design learning and be both confident and competent in the application of the skills
• Appreciate the purpose that Art and Design plays in enriching everyday life and potential careers