ORCHARD JUNIOR SCHOOL
Growing Together. Branching Out.
Headteacher: Mrs Carol Taylor
Phone: 02380 843162
ART
Intent
At Orchard Junior School, we value Art and Design because it contributes to the development on the whole child’s well-being; it broadens the range of opportunities we provide for children to achieve and is an important part of the children’s entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum.
Our primary intent is to build resilience, confidence and foremost enjoyment of Art by providing an engaging, inspiring and challenging curriculum for all. We intend to address social disadvantage by identifying and narrowing gaps in pupils’ knowledge and skills in order to equip all pupils with the ability to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design.
Through Art, children will be able to communicate what they see and to express their ideas, thoughts and feelings. Our curriculum will enable children to think independently and critically, whilst developing an understanding of how Art and Design, reflects and shapes our history, as well as its contribution to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation.
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Implementation
At Orchard, our Art and Design curriculum is based on the National Curriculum and is incorporated into our topic themed learning where possible and in a number of discreet studies, which is outlined in our Long Term plan. This overview maps out the elements of Art, the focus techniques and the key language to be taught as well as the artists or designers to be studied, ensuring an appropriate balance across both the year and the Key Stage.
Each carefully planned scheme of work follows a detailed progression of skills and knowledge and contains clear and well-sequenced lessons that enable the children to revisit skills and build on prior learning and understanding, ensuring continuous progress in their learning journey.
Through fun, engaging and creative lessons and explicit teaching and modelling of techniques in a variety of media, the children will develop skills and knowledge in drawing, painting, sculpture, collage, textiles, printing and IT. Each unit of work will explore a range of artists and designers, both past and present, from a variety of cultures, to inspire them as a starting point for their own learning and provoke curiosity about the world of art and design. Whilst exploring pattern, line, texture, colour, space, tone and form, in works of art and their own creations, the children will develop an understanding of a specific vocabulary whereby they can analyse, evaluate, and reflect upon their own and others’ learning, acquiring the ability to make informed critical responses with increasing sensitivity.
Ongoing professional development facilitates and supports quality first teaching and the use of formative assessment tools to enable us to address all learning needs, by checking pupils’ understanding, knowledge and skills in order to provide appropriate differentiation and challenge.
Skills are developed in the classroom and enriched using the school grounds; the local environment and through trips to galleries and visits from local artists. Children have a sketchbook each to record their observations and explore media and practise techniques allowing them to revisit their ideas, reflect upon and refine their techniques and review their progress, to show the value of the process of creativity, not just the end product.
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Impact
The children have fun and enjoy learning and applying skills in Art lessons. The children demonstrate growing resilience and greater control of techniques in a variety of media.
Artwork of all abilities is celebrated and displayed around the school, and shared via class blogs.
The children are proud of their efforts and are able to discuss their creations using artistic language.
The work evidenced in personal sketchbooks, which moves with the children throughout the school, records the sequences of learning allowing for assessment of progress of skills, analytical thinking and their final piece as well as the cultural capital they have experienced. This evidence informs assessment against age related expectations, which is reported to parents on the end of year reports.
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