Creative Artists
What We Intend To Do
“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.”
- Pablo Picasso, artist
Art, craft and design embody some of the highest and most ancient forms of human creativity. At Sherborne we believe that a high-quality art and design education should engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design. As pupils progress, they should be able to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of art and design. They should also know how art and design both reflect and shape our history, and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation. They should take pleasure in being creative and using the imagination and freedom to express themselves that every child possesses. They should be encouraged to retain this inner artist throughout their lives.
We aim for all our children to make substantial progress in Art and Design through ensuring that teaching:
• enables pupils to produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences
• delivers opportunities for pupils to become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques
• regularly builds in time for evaluation and analysis of creative works using the language of art, craft and design
• provides knowledge about great artists, craft makers and designers, and deepens understanding of the historical and cultural development of their art forms
How We Teach Art & Design
Teaching and learning takes place through high quality weekly Art & Design lessons, delivered by a class teacher and supported by a classroom assistant. The time given to Art & Design may vary depending on the project, but it is highly valued and enough time is always provided to achieve high-quality outcomes and pieces of work that all children can be proud of.
Children are taught to:
• use a range of materials creatively to design and make art-works
• use drawing, painting and sculpture to develop and share their ideas, experiences and imagination
• develop a wide range of art and design techniques, using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space
• improve their mastery of art and design techniques, including drawing, painting and sculpture with a range of materials (for example, pencil, charcoal, paint, clay)
• research the work of a range of artists, craft makers and designers, describing the differences and similarities between different practices and disciplines, and making links to their own work
• develop their techniques, including their control and their use of materials
• work independently and also collaboratively
• use or create sketch books to record their observations and use them to review and revisit ideas
In addition, pupils' art and design skills are developed through:
• provision of after school clubs which promote art in all its forms (for example craft, photography, animation)
• a curriculum which provides opportunities to create art in the environment
• linking their art to other subjects (such as illustrating maps for geography)
Resources and environment:
Classrooms at Sherborne are all equipped with a sink and paints, and papers of different types are available to all pupils along with a wide variety of craft items.
Every child has a sketch book, but final pieces of art may be produced on specialist papers or on canvasses as appropriate.
Art resources vary by topic, but all children will have the opportunity to experience learning through:
• Drawing using pencils, charcoal and pastels
• Painting using watercolours, other water-based paints and acrylic paints
• Relief printing with ink and/or paint
• Clay modelling
• Collage with papers, fabric materials and natural items
• Crafting with paper, fabric, and small craft items such as beads/sequins etc.
• Sculpture using a wide range of materials (cardboard, wood, clay, found items, Modroc for example)
• Natural art inspired by the environment
• Photography
• Animation
• Digital art
Each class will feature pupils’ artwork on display in each term and opportunities for collaborative art are sought each term also.
How We Know Children Are Learning Well
The impact of teaching and learning Art & Design is shown through confident artists who enjoy all aspects of Art & Design and who demonstrate excellence in their attitudes to practising their skills and developing their creativity.
We recognise and assess how successfully the school's aims are met through lesson monitoring carried out by class teachers and teaching assistants. This is done through observations, feedback and discussions with the child, aswell as through final piece assessment.
The Art & Design subject leader will monitor standards through lesson observations, pupil conferences, and planning audits.
Three times a year (Autumn Term, Spring Term and Summer Term), teachers make formal judgements of the children's attainment and progress in Art & Design. These are submitted to the Subject Leader for review.