Art is extremely popular amongst the children at Combs Infant School. The children study various artists throughout their time at Combs from Matisse to Mondrian.
Lessons focus on learning about the artists life and influences and investigating their work.
Children get the opportunity to reproduce the work of these artists in a variety of styles and media, whether that is paint, pen or clay! During each project the children are encouraged to evaluate the artists, their own and their peers work.
Throughout the school, high quality art work is displayed on the children’s wow walls to celebrate their achievements and creativity.
At Combs Infant School we also have an extremely popular art and drawing club.
Intent
Our early years expertise at Combs Infant School means that we focus purely upon the child as they move from Nursery to Reception and then onto Year 1 and 2.
We continually use children’s previous artistic skills, their individual talents, their curiosity and fascinations to build upon their learning and ensure they make excellent progress in art.
By placing the child at the heart of all we do, including delivering the most effective teaching and learning of a progressive, creative, challenging curriculum, it will enable the highest standard of behaviour. This impacts on children’s ability to achieve the highest engagement and standards of art. Children will be highly motivated and have a positive attitude towards art and experimentation with different forms of media. We will instill confidence in our children so that they can express themselves through art in individual ways as well as collaboratively. Children will be able to identify their own artistic talents.
Our art curriculum ensures that all children develop the fundamental knowledge, skills and understanding to excel in all aspects of art. Objectives from the EYFS Development Matters guidance and Key Stage One National Curriculum inform our progressive Programme of Study. As part of our curriculum, children learn new skills and processes subject to drawing, painting and sculpture.
Implementation
Teachers ensure that all children will meet learning objectives in the Programme of Study through a discrete or specific approach to teaching and learning, as well as cross-curricular learning as part of our curriculum. Our learning themes provoke questioning, inspiring children to learn about a range of art work. Through our art projects, you will see children:
· producing creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences.
· becoming proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques.
· evaluating and analysing creative works using the language of art, craft and design.
· learning about great artists, craft makers and designers, and understanding the historical and cultural development of their art forms.
· developing their fine motor skills required for all areas of learning across the curriculum.
Art within EYFS is covered within the specific strands of learning: ‘Creating with materials’ and ‘Being imaginative and expressive’.
In Key Stage One, teachers will ensure that the skills children have acquired in EYFS are built upon and utilised to enable children to gain further skills and new knowledge.
Children will be taught to:
v use a range of materials creatively to design and make products.
v use drawing, painting and sculpture to develop and share their ideas, experiences and imagination.
v develop a wide range of art and design techniques in using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space.
v learn about 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.
Impact
Our art curriculum improves the competencies and wellbeing of all children not only through the artistic skills taught but also through the essential values and disciplines that art promotes such as expression, concentration, resilience, self-discipline and evaluation. It ensures that all children have a positive approach to producing and appreciating art. Children will believe in their own ability to produce artwork that they can be proud of in a wide range of media. Our curriculum allows children to develop a lifelong love of art to help them express their emotions, identify their feelings and transfer the skills they learn to the wider curriculum. They will have fine motor skills and a good pencil grip that supports their handwriting and use of tools in the life as a child and later into their adult life. As children leave our school they will have studied the work and techniques of at least 6 famous artists and will include classic artists through to modern artists. They will have responded to and will be able to talk about the work of these artists, their methods of work and will have used the same resources and methods to create their own artwork. Children will leave our school with a cultural awareness and having developed their own style art in a range of materials and forms.
EYFS End Points
By the end of Reception children will know that there are three primary colours and begin to make the secondary colours. They will be able to create lines of different thickness and tone using a range of media. They will be confident in cutting, sticking, joining, wrapping, weaving and ways of applying paint. They will be able to share and talk about what they have made and how they have made it.
Key Stage One End Points
By the end of Key Stage one children will be able to say which art piece they prefer between two pieces and give a reason. They will understand that a variety of colours can be mixed to make different colours, shades and tones. They will be able to control the types of marks made and can explore tone, patterns, shape and space with a range of media. They will be able to use equipment and media safely and successfully to produce a printed image.
Teaching and Learning
Teachers ensure that all children meet learning objectives in our progressive Programme of Study, which encompasses the objectives from the KS1 National Curriculum, through a discrete or specific approach to teaching and learning, as well as through cross-curricular learning opportunities.
Art within EYFS is covered within the specific area of learning: Expressive Arts and Design: Creating with materials and Being imaginative and expressive. It is taught through an integrated topic-based approach, enabling children to make progress towards and meet the Early Learning Goals (ELGs).
In the context of the EYFS, the teaching of art is incorporated into the planned activities and experiences that are designed to promote children’s personal, social, and emotional development. For example, children have opportunities to explore their own preferences and opinions and can express their ideas through different media. They can also learn about different artist and their various techniques through research, experimentation and discovery. By incorporating art into their learning, young children can develop a deeper understanding of themselves and their perspective, other peoples’ views, and the world around them.
In Key Stage One, in cycle A, children begin the autumn term by studying the project ‘Mixing Colours’ moving on to ‘Funny Faces and Fabulous Features’. These essential skills and knowledge projects teach children about basic colour theory by studying the colour wheel and colour mixing. Mixing colours includes an exploration of primary and secondary colours and how artists use colour in their art work. They will also study the concept of the portrait and how the collage technique can be used to make a portrait.
In the spring term, children study the project ‘Rain and Sun Rays’. This project teaches children about collagraph printing including how to develop a motif to make single and repeated prints.
In the summer term, children study the project ‘Street View’. This project teaches children about art work depicting streets and buildings and focuses on the work of the American pop artist, James Rizzi. They create a 3D mural based on Rizzi’s work.
In the autumn term of cycle B, children study the project ‘Exploring Colour’ and ‘Still Life’. This essential skills and knowledge projects teach children about colour theory by studying the colour wheel and colour mixing. It includes and exploration of primary and secondary colours, hues and how artists use colour in their art work. The children will find out about the work of significant still life artists and still life techniques. They will explore a wide variety of still lifes and learn about the use of colour and composition. They create still life arrangements and art work.
In the Spring term, children study the project ‘Flower Head’. This project teaches children about the visual elements of flowers, including shape, texture, colour, pattern and form. They also explore various artistic methods, including drawing, print making and 3D forms, using paper and clay.
In the summer term, children study the project ‘Portraits and Poses’. This project teaches children about portraiture. They analyse the portraits of Tudor monarchs and compare Tudor portraits and selfies today. They use photo editing software to create royal portraits.
Educational visits
Throughout the year, the children partake in educational visits with a focus and cross curricular links to the art curriculum. These visits take place in areas of our locality and enable the children to make first hand observations of the world around them. Children will be able to develop their understanding in a way that is impossible in the classroom.
Role of Subject Leader
The role of the subject leader
• Ensure high quality art lessons are taught across EYFS and Key Stage 1 through our agreed broad and rich art curriculum.
• Provide subject specific guidance/CPD to colleagues.
• Monitor the art curriculum delivered to children across the school highlighting strengths and areas for further development through end of project assessments
• Monitor the progress and attainment of children in school in art.
• Manage resources including maintaining/replenishing art stock e.g. paint brushes, pallets, clay etc to support delivery of a high quality curriculum.
• Stay up to date with changes, new initiatives and research that would enhance and support the development of art at Combs Infant School.
Reasonable Adjustments
In all classes there are children of differing abilities. At Combs Infant School we recognise this fact and provide suitable learning opportunities for all children. Teachers make reasonable adjustments through adaptive teaching, including; flexible grouping, level of support, equipment available (including technology), questioning and scaffolding. The SENCO and class teacher work closely together to ensure reasonable adjustments are made for all children.
Equality Statement
The art curriculum adheres to our school Equality Policy. It is the responsibility of all staff to ensure that all children are treated equally, regardless of their background, gender, race or ability. We are an inclusive school and teach art to all children respecting individual needs. The art curriculum takes into account issues of difference including: gender, race and ethnicity.
SMBC
Opportunities to promote children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is threaded throughout our art curriculum.
Opportunities for children to work collaboratively on art work supports children’s on-going social development. Researching at least 6 artists from different backgrounds, cultures and periods encourages the children to begin to appreciate the diversity within the field of art.
SMSC in Art lessons
During Art lessons children will:
• have opportunities to be curious about the world in which they live through exploring artists from around the world
• Develop their sense of personal enjoyment of art.
• Learn about artists from the past, present and what future possibilities art may offer.
• Researching a broad range of artists from the past and present allows children to develop an understanding of the diversity of those who work within the field of art.
• Have opportunities to reflect on the influence of artists - locally, nationally and globally, developing their understanding of how artists have shaped and impacted the world they live in today and may live in in the future.
• Work collaboratively to investigate and learn from the thoughts and ideas of others
How can you help with your child’s learning at home
Art within EYFS is covered within the specific area of learning: Expressive Arts and Design: 'Creating with Materials' and 'Being Imaginative and Expressive', with an understanding that each area of learning is impacted by children achieving the statements related in each of the prime areas of learning within the Development Matters Framework.
As our children progress to KS1, teachers ensure that the skills children have acquired in EYFS are built upon and utilised to enable children to further their skills and new knowledge by following the National Curriculum.
Expressive Arts and Design and art are taught through projects following our Cornerstones Curriculum. These projects are sequenced to develop children's substantive and declarative knowledge, and if possible, make meaningful links to other projects. These links allow for children to embed their substantive knowledge and vocabulary in new and often real-life contexts, to comprehend subsequent projects fully.