At Ash Green it is our aim that the Art curriculum fuels pupils’ curiosity and develops learners which are eager to learn new art skills and techniques. Through experimentation, creation and invention pupils will develop a rigorous and critical understanding of art. They will learn how art and design reflect and shape our own history. Pupils will critically reflect on their own work and the work of famous artists to develop a wider understanding of how techniques and skills can create meaning behind art. Our knowledge-rich, skills-based Art curriculum reflects Development Matters and the National Curriculum and delivers knowledge and skills which reflect the needs of our school community. The programme of learning is clear, sequential and structured. This has been carefully and coherently planned to meet the needs of all pupils at Ash Green from when they join us in our Just Three provision right through to when our pupils leave us in Year 6. The use of whole-school Progression Grids ensure that art and design skills are taught progressively throughout all year groups. Our content is taught through discrete units of work. Our clear, sequential, and structured Art curriculum allows for art and design skills, knowledge, and techniques to build on what has been taught before and towards clearly defined, agreed end points. We use half termly Knowledge Organisers in Early Years and unit-based Knowledge Organisers in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 to support the clear development of skills and knowledge throughout our school. These Knowledge Organisers identify key knowledge, skills and vocabulary for each discrete Art unit and are shared with all stakeholders, including links to the school website on ‘Class Dojo’ for Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 and ‘Evidence Me’ for Early Years in order to maximise home-school learning opportunities, and encourage parents and carers to take an active role in their child’s learning. Throughout their time in school, we provide our pupils with many different artistic experiences. We develop art and design skills through memorable experiences, visits, visitors, events and enrichment activities, which take place both in an outside of the classroom. In our school community there are a high proportion of disadvantaged pupils and therefore these experiences further fuel our pupils’ curiosity, but also support our pupils to develop a critical understanding of how art has shaped our own history and continues to do so.
We recognise that the pupils need both a sense of valuing themselves, and developing aspirations for their future, therefore a primary focus of our curriculum is to raise ambitions and dreams, engender a sense of personal and collective pride in achievement, and provide a purpose and relevance for learning. Implementation: Please refer to the Art Policy and Scheme of Work for a comprehensive break down of how the Art Curriculum is implemented at Ash Green from Early Years to Year 6. Impact: Leaders in school, including the Art Manager regularly measure the impact of our Art curriculum through Deep Dives and the monitoring of teaching and learning, assessment and on-going self-review. We survey staff, pupils and parents, undertake learning walks, carry out both formal and informal monitoring in order to sample typicality, and also scrutinise samples of work produced by pupils both in school, as well as remotely. We have an established system of Governor review with a Standards and Effectiveness Committee who oversee our curriculum. Governors on this committee receive regular reports, and discussions are held at this committee meeting on successes and upcoming priorities. Based on monitoring and Deep Dives, clear next step priorities for Art are agreed as part of an Art action plan. The impact will be that our pupils will be academically prepared for the next phase of their education, are motivated to succeed and achieve, and are equipped with all the personal skills to do this. The Art curriculum will be rooted in excellence and enjoyment which will promote achievement, collaboration, individual and collective pride, confidence and high standards of behaviour for learning.
See our Knowledge Organisers below.
Overview