St Anne's Catholic Primary School

ArT

At Saint Anne’s, our intention is to provide an Art Curriculum which allows children to explore their imagination, generate ideas, acquire skills, apply judgements and rejoice in their learning and offer opportunities to recognise and be inspired by the awe and wonder of God’s creation through studying the work of artists and consequently use their talents to communicate their appreciation of God’s world.

We want the children to develop as critical and creative thinkers and enrich, extend and consolidate learning in a variety of contexts. Through systematic and progressive planning, we intend to encourage the children to express, explore and celebrate ideas, feelings, attitudes and values. We aim to foster originality and creativity using Art as a means of communication.

The aims of teaching art and design in our school are:

• To 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 children progress through school, they should begin 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 culture, creativity and wealth of our nation.
• To produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences.
• To become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques
• To evaluate and analyse creative works using the language of art, craft and design.
• To know about great artists, craft makers and designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms.

Rationale for Curriculum Design at Saint Anne’s

We teach art as part of a topic. This is in recognition, of the interconnectedness of our world and school community highlighting, recognising and valuing the diversity of the school community and creativity that all children have. We understand the value of art in helping children to understand and interpret their world, their role in it and the responsibilities that come with it.

Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development;

Spiritual Development-

In Art the work of children becomes a spiritual encounter as it develops from the initial learning of skills. They are introduced to the work of great Artists and experience wonder and awe at the achievements of these great works of art. They also experience great admiration and respect for their peers’ work when they see the level of achievement and progress.

 Moral Development-

Throughout the year, children are encouraged to look at work that will often pose a moral question. The children’s outcomes are supported with a rationale or a meaning that will often convey a message. Children are encouraged to show compassion when assessing the work of others. Understanding how their comments can build or destroy another’s self -belief. Displays around the school and in classrooms show a variety of different art work from different age groups and abilities. This promotes children to be positive about their work and increases self-esteem.                        

Social Development-

Art and Design frequently requires all children to work in pairs, groups or teams. Children often work collaboratively requiring cooperation and communication linking to the values of trust, compassion and service. Children discuss and research a range of artists from different cultural backgrounds and art work, encouraging and developing communication skills.

Cultural Development-

All units of work explored at Saint Anne’s link with contextual themes involving various cultures and civilizations from around the world. They lead to a greater understanding of different ways of life and a respect for cultures that are very different from our own; how they can enrich our own lives. The fusion of art work between our own and other cultures leads to children incorporating designs, patterns and motifs in their own work developed by a deeper understanding of the culture. All key stages ensure that Art is taught as part of a topic and alongside other subjects to gain a greater understanding of different cultures.

Rights Respecting in Art

Article 29-  I have the right to an education which develops my personality, respect for others’ rights and the environment.

Article 31- I have the right to relax, play and take part in a wide range of cultural and artistic activities.

Reading in Art 

Art gives a number of opportunities for our children to develop some essential reading skills. These include:

• Pupil evaluate and reflect critically on their own work, supporting this by displaying the work of other pupils and artists, discussing and comparing the techniques and approaches used.
• Pupils express opinions about their own and others’ work, helping them to move from colloquial to more formal language, using an aesthetic and technical art vocabulary.
• Pupil study different kinds of art including ‘Christian Art’ as a starting point to develop some of the essential skills including comprehension, inference and reasoning skills.
• Pupils research the artists that they are studying using a range of media including online research and non-fiction books.