Art
At South Wellfield First School, it is our intent to empower children to shine brightly in order to produce their most creative work in a safe, secure and happy environment.
The purpose of our Art and Design curriculum is to provide opportunities to explore many different aspects of creating, helping pupils understand the ways art connects us with our past, helps us to embrace the present and contributes to shaping the future.
As we explore the relevance of art to all of us, we aim to ensure that children feel both comfortable and entitled to develop their own individual creativity and understand their place in the world as creative, confident people. Pupils are taught a balance of experiential and declarative knowledge, building self-knowledge and nurturing traits which will support them whichever direction their learning takes them. Our curriculum aims to:
- Inspire the next generation of artists and designers through providing a range of experiences so the children can be creative find something that resonates with them
- In the Early Years, the children have daily access to a variety of media and materials; this continues through our art curriculum developing their skills in drawing, painting, sculpture and other design techniques
- develop a vocabulary which enables them to discuss, analyse and critically evaluate art
- understand the impact of great artists or artistic movements
Our school uses the Access Art Curriculum. This scheme’s content is broad, rich, contemporary and diverse. Weekly lessons aim to provide as many different kinds of opportunities as possible covering different disciplines, techniques, materials and approaches. We are confident that by following the Access Art Curriculum, we are providing balanced yet rich lessons, with a progression of knowledge and skills intertwined.
Staff regularly reflect on what is being taught and adapt teaching content to suit the needs of different cohorts. The richness and relevance of experience is what makes learning memorable and impactful.
Children’s work is not marked. Instead, verbal feedback is given throughout lessons, giving advice on how to improve. Where possible, examples are shown to give students ideas and inspiration. Opportunities for self-evaluation and peer assessment are expected. Pupils are assessed against the criteria on the Experience Pathways for each unit.
"Every child is an Artist, the problem is staying an artist when you grow up." Picasso
Good Art and Design teaching happens in our school when:
- Lessons are inclusive, adaptive and of a high standard
- Curriculum content covers Theoretical Knowledge, Practical Knowledge (skills), Creativity (processes and outcomes) and Reflection (ongoing as it informs progress made and influences future actions)
- Self-expression in art is used to support children’s mental health and their wellbeing
- Pupils’ sketch books demonstrate continual progress in skills, creativity and variation in conjunction with clear objectives which reflect the National Curriculum aims, targets and subject content
| Well-nurtured |
At SWFS, Art:
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| Well-rounded | Artistic projects give many children a sense of achievement and pride, focus, self-expression; they are a way of memorising pattern, of encouraging relaxation and communication and best of all, of learning a craft. All of these skills are transferable and makes all of us well-rounded, questioning, lateral-thinking adults and children. |
| Well-equipped | We equip children by developing motor, language and social skills, decision-making, risk taking and inventiveness; boost critical thinking teaching children to be more careful and thorough in how they observe the world; develop proficiency in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques. |
| Well-read | We are curating an Art Book Library and will be adding to this as more high-quality texts are discovered. These books will add value to the children’s practical Art and Design lessons by encouraging children to take, look and read as they please. They can pique their interest and are a great connection between Art and Literacy. It is a positive way for students to exercise choice. We currently have, amongst others, these amazing titles – The Noisy Paint Box, Hundertwasser’s House of Happy Spirits and Yves Klein Painted Everything Blue and Wasn’t Sorry. |
| Well-connected | Art is everywhere so we aim to connect students with their own culture as well as with the wider world, showing them how Art and Design shapes our history and contributes to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation. Art is a world-making activity, transcending languages and cultures. We introduce children to artists that connect with and inspire people globally. There is a pressing need for artists and educators to confront the environmental crisis and promote a more environmentally responsible and ecologically literate culture. The Arts industry is one of the biggest employers in the world – we highlight this to the children when the opportunity presents itself, anywhere from fashion designers to architects, graphic artists to sculptors. |
To find out more about our Art Curriculum click on one of the tabs below.
