Intent

Our Art and Design curriculum has been specifically created for the children of Springhead Primary School. This academic year, our arts offer has undergone a full overhaul to ensure that our pupil offer is relevant, exciting and ambitious. Our new curriculum broadens learning experiences both on and off site and makes the most of what we have locally, including the use of experts within our community. 

We have identified the fundamental concepts of the Art and Design National Curriculum and developed a set of unique ‘progression of skills’ documents for each strand. These clearly outline the skills and knowledge a child will be taught during each school year and how these will be built on in the years to come. Our aim is to engage, inspire and challenge all pupils by equipping them with the skills and knowledge needed to experiment, imagine and create individual and collaborative works of art. Ultimately, our end goal is to develop passionate, curious and resilient individuals who are aware of the possibilities of art in the real world. 

Implementation

The school promotes Art and Design as a vital part of the wider curriculum; knowledge and creativity are at the heart of our teaching programme. Our teaching provides pupils with the skills and knowledge to experiment, invent and create their own works of art; individuality in the arts is actively encouraged.  

Our Art and Design projects follow a skills-based approach and cross curricula links are made as and when they are deemed meaningful. Teachers are actively encouraged to seek opportunities to upskill themselves through access to the National College Training Programme, inset days, external CPD, working closely with local artists as well as liaising with art companies and also school governors. The named governor with responsibility for standards in the art education at Springhead is Rachael Allgood. 

As pupils progress through the school, they build on their prior knowledge and show personal progression through documenting their art experiences within art journals. Each year, pupils build on the concepts taught previously aiding them to become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques. This is carefully monitored through our school’s ‘progression of skills’ documents which create the base of our long-term plans and therefore ensure full curriculum coverage across the school.  

Within each project, pupils are given opportunities to experiment with new media, skills and techniques, express their own ideas creatively and to make their own choices. As a school, we recognise that the process of being creative is equally about the developmental journey and not just the final product. Throughout a child’s time at Springhead, they will engage in a variety of professional led workshops, learn about a range of artists and designers and have the opportunity to participate in extra curricula enrichment activities. Teachers are responsible for exposing children to subject specific vocabulary (as detailed in our knowledge organisers) and pupils use this to analyse their own work, that of their peers and that of famous artists.  

Our arts offer provides a vast range of first-hand learning experiences, develops interpersonal skills, builds resilience and encourages creative and critical thinking.