Art & Design

Curriculum Intent

At Model Village Primary School, we value the contribution the Arts make to the quality of life for our children and the unique opportunities offered by the Arts for imaginative self-expression.

Therefore, at MVPS we are an Arts rich school (achieving an Artsmark Gold Award-Jan 2024) providing essential varieties of creative activities whilst continuing to channel the golden thread of communication.

Our School Motto is as follows:

A is for aim- We want to encourage creativity and individuality.

R is for rich- In terms of the environment, having frequent access to a variety of resources and arts instruction.

T is for time- For children to develop their skills and reflect upon different work, cultural influences and their own outcomes. 

S is for skills- The children will develop skills and knowledge whilst advancing through the school.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

We believe quality art and design education should engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design. As pupils progress, they should be able to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of art and design. They should also know how art and design both reflect and shape our history, and contribute to the creative culture of our nation. (Inspired by National Curriculum 2014)

Our curriculum is based upon the National Curriculum 2014. It aims to ensure that all pupils:

• produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences
• become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques 
• evaluate and analyse creative works using the language of art, craft and design 
• know about great artists, craft makers and designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms. 

Teaching and learning

At MVPS, free exploration within Art and Design activities is a key principle that allows pupils to learn at their own pace about the materials and possibilities that might exist. Reflection upon this aspect will then help to develop this aspect of Arts pedagogy. For pupils of all ages working in the Arts, we believe free exploration time encourages the creative process and allows for individual pupil development which is an important aspect of differentiation within the teaching and learning process. However, it is recognised that allocation of time for exploration needs to be carefully organised and structured in the classroom.

In every year group the children will have opportunities to explore and make art in a wide variety of media. There will also be time for incorporating Art with other subjects which will increase students' abilities to make cross-curricular links.

At our school we understand that the presentation of children’s work needs to reflect the process of creation that took place as well the end products to showcase the educational value and journey.  We know how important it is to encourage this reflective practice within pupils themselves at every stage of the creative process.

Curriculum Implementation

Art and Design will be taught using activities and approaches that are appropriate for learning the different creative elements. Each year group will be able to build upon the skills, knowledge and understanding of prior learning. Teacher planned lessons based on our Curriculum Map, will help develop ideas, master techniques and take inspiration from Artists.

The children will have opportunity to explore and learn about the characteristics of an Artist. These will include:

• The ability to use visual language skilfully and convincingly (for example, line, shape, pattern, colour, texture, form) to express emotions and interpret their observations.
• The ability to communicate fluently in visual and tactile form.
• The ability to draw confidently and adventurously from observation, memory and imagination.
• The ability to explore and invent marks, develop and deconstruct ideas and communicate perceptively and powerfully through purposeful drawing in 2D, 3D or digital media.
• An impressive knowledge and understanding of other artists, craft makers and designers.
• The ability to think and act like creative practitioners by using their knowledge and understanding to inform, inspire and interpret ideas, observations and feelings.
• Independence, initiative and originality which they can use to develop their creativity.
• The ability to select and use materials, processes and techniques skilfully.
• The ability to reflect on, analyse and critically evaluate their own work and that of others.
• A passion for and a commitment to the subject.

Our curriculum is enriched by a range of creative experiences during each year. This includes:

• Whole School Art Projects- such as ‘collaborative poppy displays’ commemorating Remembrance Sunday. Most recently, using children’s individual designs to form a whole School outcome. This project helped unite the School in process and display, made a link with a famous wartime artist ‘Paul Nash’ and connected the local community through borrowing our artwork for display at the Shirebrook Church Hall. We then proudly display our Remembrance Day art in the main School Hall.
• Whole School Arts Weeks two/three times per Academic Year- resulting in a Summer time Gallery for parents/carers and the wider community to visit.
• Black istoryHHistory Arts Weeks or Black History themed weeks-have been a focus for one of the main Arts weeks within the last couple of years and it has enriched our school’s development of exposing the children to a range of Arts from diverse cultures (including some British Arts).  
• Work linked to a variety of Artists scanning across all years EYFS-Y6 =up to 27 Artists in total.
• Wider opportunities to build on children’s ‘Cultural Capital’.                                                                  We will be forming greater links with a local Gallery-The Harley Gallery of the Welbeck Estate, Nottinghamshire. Our School, will be able to send groups of children or classes for different workshops and exhibitions to help inspire their personal work and development.

Observing and having tutorials from Artists within their workshops on site or from staff within the Gallery to discuss different career paths within the Arts.

Curriculum Impact

Art experiences help foster critical thinking skills with its open-ended approach. It provides challenges for learners at every level. At MVPS we are really trying to build up the variety of children’s experiences so that they will have participated in many exciting, creative and fun art projects to enhance their learning. We also take pride in our students' work and display it prominently around our school. Our special ‘Art Weeks’ work ranging from the EYFS including Mini Models (2yrs) up to Year 6 (10/11 yrs.) will form the School’s central art display. This central display will not only showcase a variety of mediums and techniques influenced by different Artists but also how the children’s skills develop through the years. We also document and add children’s thoughts and feelings about the impact of the featured ‘Art Weeks’ and Artists on the whole School display.

Within Art and Design, we strive to instil an appreciation and enjoyment of the Arts enriching the children’s learning experience. Our Art and Design curriculum is high quality, well thought out and is planned to demonstrate progression of knowledge and skills.

We measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:

• Assessing children’s understanding of ‘Art’ or ‘Artist’ linked vocabulary.
• Summative assessment of pupil discussions about their learning.
• Images of the children’s practical learning (tracking their creative journey and outcomes).
• Interviewing the pupils about their learning (pupil voice) at different points within the school year to analyse the children’s ‘sticky’ knowledge about featured Artists or themed worked. Do they have any preferences or particular types of creative work they have memorised more clearly?
• Marking/reviewing of work and or sketch books. Teachers to moderate in Year group clusters for discussion. Can we see progression in skills and outcomes, quality or variety of work, including research about Artists or craftsmanship?
• Teachers to highlight individual success against hierarchical Year group ‘Milestones Skills Grids’ in ‘Art ideas and techniques’. This will then help inform the following teacher and strengthen the starting points for the next Art mediums.
• Art Lead to gather evidence and guide Teachers to deliver and assess all of the above, monitoring teaching, team-teaching if requested, suggesting websites/resources or supporting with advice.   

Rachel Edwardson-updated 2024

(Art & Design Subject Lead)