Art and Design  

Why is Art important? - Our Curriculum Intent

The ethos of Art and Design at Paddocks is to inspire pupils, and develop the confidence to experiment and invent works of art. We aim to give every child the opportunity to experience and participate in art culture. Our intention is to develop ability, nurture talent and interests, and allow the freedom to express ideas about the world. Within this, children learn about the heritage and culture of Great Britain. The foundation of our Art and Design curriculum is taken directly from the Early Learning Goals and the National Curriculum.

Our Vision

Art is all around us and we are all entitled to have our own opinions on what we see. At Paddocks, we strive to give children the opportunities to see art created by a variety of artists. They use similar skills to create their own pieces of art through a variety of subjects especially topic. There is no right or wrong art! Every piece of art is individual and celebrated. Through art and design, children have an excellent opportunity to communicate their inner thoughts and feelings through a range of media. It is a known fact that art is a therapeutic experience for many, enabling children to express themselves as well as promoting physical co-ordination and well-being. It allows children of all ages and abilities to participate and express themselves in a safe, stimulating environment.

What does Art look like at Paddocks? - Our Curriculum Implementation

At Paddocks, we implement Art and Design through The Kapow Primary Scheme focusing on four strands, these are: making skills, the formal elements of art (line, tone, shape, form, colour, pattern, texture and composition), knowledge of artists and evaluating. Through the scheme, these strands are revisited in every unit taught. In the units of work focusing on skills and the formal elements of art, pupils have the opportunity to learn and practice skills discretely. The knowledge and skills learnt here are then applied through the other units in the scheme. Key skills are revisited again through the year groups with increasing complexity in a spiral curriculum model. This allows pupils to revise and build on their previous learning.

The curriculum used develops pupils' knowledge and understanding of key artists and art movements through specific units and links to artists through practical work. The units fully scaffold and support age-appropriate learning, SEND consideration, and are flexible enough to be adapted to form cross-curricular links. We support learners to make their own creative choices and decisions so that, whilst still knowledge rich, they are unique to the pupil. Lessons are always practical in nature and encourage experimental and exploratory learning.

All pupils from year 1 use sketchbooks to document their ideas. We use sketchbooks in three fazes: 'Taking in', this is the knowledge area of their learning; 'testing out', this develops the skills based on the knowledge and finally, 'reflecting', this is where pupils evaluate their current work or revisit previous ideas.

At Paddocks, we use the Kapow progression document as the bases of all the learning within Art and Design. 

What do our pupils think? - Our Curriculum Impact

‘I love using different mediums in art, especially when we used chalk.’

‘I liked using different materials within one picture when we made our Narnia artwork.’

Progression