Art

Vision

And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.’ Micah 6:8

Through the teachings of Jesus, all can flourish spiritually, emotionally and academically throughout life, living out love and justice for all. Our Christian values of love, justice, compassion, wisdom, forgiveness and friendship underpin the life of the school community and impact on our daily lives. Guilden Sutton Church of England Primary School strives to provide the best possible education for our children. We aim for excellence within our happy, secure school where each individual’s achievements are valued and celebrated. By using a holistic approach we will provide a curriculum that offers a diverse and challenging environment to inspire and motivate every child in our care.

Intent

At Guilden Sutton Church of England Primary School, we value the importance of art and design. By providing a diverse and engaging art curriculum, we aim to inspire and challenge children, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to participate in, experiment with, and create their own works of art. Children are given the opportunity to think creatively and critically, examining their own work as well as that of their peers and focus artists. We create a safe space for children to be able to share and express their individual creativity, independence, resilience, and self-reflection. Through carefully selected worldwide artists both historical and contemporary, children are exposed to a wide range of cultures and periods of historical importance. For example, Year 2 children study Da Vinci, an artist from the Renaissance period, while Y6 study the work of Jill Pelto, a 28-year-old American artist. We understand the importance of celebrating diversity in artwork, inclusive of gender, time periods, cultures, and places. At Guilden Sutton, we place as much importance on the process as the end product. We want our children to enjoy the process of producing art, in an environment where they feel safe, secure, and happy, to produce their most creative work.

Implementation

The teaching and implementation of the art curriculum at Guilden Sutton Church of England Primary School is based on the National Curriculum in KS1 and KS2 and Development Matters in EYFS. We teach a skills-based art curriculum, which allows pupils to express their creativity as well as providing opportunities to practice and develop mastery in the key processes of art. All children receive the same curriculum offer. Our ambitious, broad and balanced curriculum is adapted to ensure learning for all our children is never narrowed. Art resources and additional support are available and utilised where appropriate to further enhance first quality teaching. A whole school progression plan ensures children are taught key art techniques and skills are revisited throughout their time at school. Each term an artist is chosen as a focus, and this often makes links to other areas of the curriculum. For example, in Year 5 pupils study the work of Andy Warhol, an American artist. This links to their USA topic in geography; they also learn about Motown in music lessons and study Queen of the Falls, an American novel, in English lessons. This cross-curricular approach ensures children are enveloped in the culture of a particular time or place, consolidating their learning. Children in KS1 and KS2 record their process of work in individual sketch books. These contain plans, rough drafts, practice work, and key learning about their focus artist. These sketchbooks clearly show how skills progress from Year 1 to Year 6. Art is taught in a cross-curricular way, linking to topics in other subjects such as English, history, and geography. In long term planning, important links are made to help children see the integral role art plays in our society, in history and in the wider world. Staff and the art subject leader are provided with up-to-date training and professional development which enables them to provide a consistently high standard of lessons. Learning walks are undertaken to monitor and review art lessons, giving children the opportunity to share their voice.

In EYFS children have daily access to a variety of media and materials which they can explore to produce their own creative work. Provision is planned carefully to meet the interests of the children, whilst developing the necessary skills they are working on.

Art is promoted throughout our school through a variety of platforms. We hold an after-school art club, art competitions, visits to art galleries and whole school art days. We take pride in displaying the children’s artwork around our school corridors and children and staff show genuine excitement and interest when new work is displayed.

Impact

At the end of each key stage, children will be able to understand and apply the skills, knowledge and processes they have been taught so that they are proficient in the key areas of the art curriculum (drawing, painting, collage, sculpture, textiles, digital art, and printing). Teachers use informal assessments to record the progress of children against the National Curriculum expectations. This information is used to inform future lessons ensuring children are always supported and challenged appropriately. Pupils will have gained an increased understanding of famous artists and works of art from a variety of places and time periods, expanding their cultural capital. They will celebrate differences and see the beauty that can be found in diversity. Children will be inspired to love and immerse themselves in art in their personal lives, seeking out processes and pieces which continue to extend their creative thinking. Children will leave Guilden Sutton feeling comfortable trying new things and making mistakes throughout the creative process, showing an ability to think for themselves, and will be able to reflect on their own pieces of work and work processes in an evaluative way. Here at Guilden Sutton Church of England Primary School, our children are confident artists and understand the purpose of art and how it can prepare them for the wider world. The vast majority of pupils reach end of year expectations.

Impact is measured through:

Lesson observations and learning walks
Pupil voice surveys and discussions with children
Marking of written work (KS2)
Dialogue between teachers and members of staff
Pupils’ self and peer critique of work

"Being an Artsmark school demonstrates that through offering a broad, balanced and creative curriculum, young people have the opportunity to develop character and talent and increase their knowledge, curiosity and skills that will remain with them as they go through adult life."

The silver level award celebrates the schools' ongoing commitment to arts and cultural education, and the opportunities emerging across the whole setting. It also celebrates that, at Guilden Sutton, young people are offered equal opportunities to participate in a broad range of arts; that the school recognises the importance of development opportunities for staff; understands the value of working with arts and cultural organisations; and that pupils, in addition to being able to develop skills and knowledge, are also confident and have self-belief.