Our Art and Design Subject Leadership is shared 

Intent

At West Coker Primary School, we place a great emphasis on the importance of Art and Design. It enables children to express themselves in a creative, imaginative manner and through exploration. We intend to teach the children a skills-based curriculum, with individuality and creativeness flowing through everything they do.

Children will have the opportunity to experiment, invent and create works of art, craft and design based on their interests and experience. During their time here, children will have the chance to study a range of artists, makers and designers from a diverse range of backgrounds to understand the development of their art forms and so inspire their own work. They will look at how these artists have contributed to our history, culture and the world around us.

Implementation

 We achieve this by making use of:

• An ambitious curriculum design which ensures that while at West Coker, pupils experience and develop skills in drawing, painting, sculpture, print, textiles and other art techniques.
• A curriculum which explores work by a variety of artists from different backgrounds and cultures, developing cultural capital for all learners.
• Teaching of well-planned and structured lessons to ensure progress, where knowledge builds as children move through school and is retained and recalled for independent work.
• A positive and inclusive attitude to the teaching of Art, which ensures that all learners, particularly the most disadvantaged and those with Special Educational Needs develop the skills and knowledge to enjoy art and express themselves.
• Ensuring that each year group completes a task informed by our work on Growth Mindset, modelled on Austin’s Butterfly, where they analyse and improve their work through peer assessment.

Impact

Children will be become creative learners, who have a web of knowledge about the great artists of the world. Creativity and uniqueness will be celebrated and children will become astute at editing and improving the pieces they have created. As teachers, there will be an emphasis placed on individuality and children will be given the freedom to explore art using their imaginations. 

As a result of our inspiring Art curriculum, all children will be confident and enjoy using a broad range of techniques to express their ideas, feelings and emotions. They will have the skills they need to complete this work and are articulate, analysing and discussing their own and other artists’ work.