Art and Design at Hillmorton Primary School
Intent
Art is a way of stimulating children’s creativity and imagination through visual, tactile and sensory experiences. It allows children to explore different ways in which mood can be expressed and the chance to study life in different cultures and times. It gives children the opportunity to understand and respond to the world in a unique way and develop their own interpretations.
At Hillmorton Primary School, the children will develop an awareness of the key elements of art: line, shape, colour, texture, form, space and value. The children will then improve their ability to identify these elements through researching and appraising a wide range of artists and designers. Skills demonstrating these elements are then practised and honed and the children are given the opportunity to apply them, using a variety of media. This approach gives the children the subject knowledge and confidence to make autonomous decisions when creating their finished projects.
The key threshold concepts we aim to develop are:
- Develop through an artistic process.
- Respond to ideas and starting points.
- Explore ideas and collect visual information.
- Explore different methods and materials as ideas develop.
- Develop ideas from starting points throughout the curriculum.
- Collect information, sketches and resources.
- Adapt and refine ideas as they progress.
- Explore ideas in a variety of ways.
- Comment on artworks using visual language.
- Develop and imaginatively extend ideas from starting points throughout the curriculum.
- Collect information, sketches and resources and present ideas imaginatively in a sketch book.
- Use the qualities of materials to enhance ideas.
- Spot the potential in unexpected results as work progresses.
- Comment on artworks with a fluent grasp of visual language
- Developing a skill set when painting
- Mix primary colours to make secondary.
- Use a number of brush techniques using thick and thin brushes to produce shapes, textures, patterns and lines.
- Use the qualities of watercolour and acrylic paints to create visually interesting pieces.
- Develop a personal style of painting, drawing upon ideas from other artists.
- Developing a skill set with collage
- Use a combination of materials that are cut, torn and glued.
- Use coiling, overlapping, tessellation, mosaic and montage.
- Use ceramic mosaic materials and techniques.
- Developing a skill set with sculpture
- Use techniques such as rolling, cutting, moulding and carving.
- Use clay and other mouldable materials.
- Use frameworks (such as wire or moulds) to provide stability and form.
- Developing a skill set for print
- Use objects to create prints (e.g. fruit, vegetables or sponges).
- Make printing blocks (e.g. from coiled string glued to a block).
- Use a range of visual elements to reflect the purpose of the work.
- Developing a skill set for textiles
- Join materials using glue and/or a stitch.
- Use basic cross stitch and back stitch.
- Show precision in techniques.
- Developing a skill set with digital media
- Use a wide range of tools to create different textures, lines, tones, colours and shapes.
- Create images, video and sound recordings and explain why they were created.
- Enhance digital media by editing (including sound, video, animation, still images and installations).
- Learning from an artistic process and techniques of great artists and artisans throughout history.
- Describe the work of notable artists, artisans and designers.
- Use some of the ideas of artists studied to create pieces.
- Replicate some of the techniques used by notable artists, artisans and designers.
- Create original pieces that are influenced by studies of others.
- Give details (including own sketches) about the style of some notable artists, artisans and designers.
- Show how the work of those studied was influential in both society and to other artists.
- Create original pieces that show a range of influences and styles.
We return to these threshold concepts throughout a child’s journey in our school, each time building on their prior knowledge, extending their confidence and understanding. The development of these key artistic concepts is the cornerstone of our art and design teaching here at Hillmorton.
Our art and design curriculum strives to provide each child with cultural capital, giving them the skills and vital background knowledge required to be informed and thoughtful members of our community who understand and believe in British values.
Implementation
- Taught as part of a half-termly learning theme
- Taught in a clear sequence of appraisal, skills practise and final piece
- Key vocabulary is taught and referred to throughout the sequence
- Use of knowledge organisers to support learning
- Building on children's prior learning
- Children study artists and designers from a range of time periods, countries and cultures
- Children are supported in using a wide range of media
- Creating whole school pieces of art with a local artist during Art week every year.
Impact
To measure impact we assess the children’s understanding of the underpinning threshold concepts. Their ability to apply these to their learning allows them to access the curriculum with increasing confidence and artistic skills
Assessment for learning is continuous throughout the planning, teaching and learning cycle. It is supported by use of the following strategies:
- Observing children at work, individually, in pairs, in a group and in class during whole class teaching.
- Using differentiated, open-ended questions that require children to explain and unpick their understanding.
- Providing effective feedback, including interactive marking through targeted questions where appropriate, to engage children with their learning and to provide opportunities for self-assessment, consolidation, depth and target setting.
Book moderation and the monitoring of outcomes of work, to evaluate the range and balance of work and to ensure that tasks meet the needs of different learners (with the acquisition of the pre-identified key knowledge and key skill development of each topic being evidenced through the outcomes). We also compare work from different year groups and key stages to ensure the threshold concepts are being built upon each year and children have regular opportunities to recall learning from previous topics.