Art

Intent

At Somerset Bridge, our intent for Art and Design is for our children to understand that Art and Design is a means of communication and plays an important part in their creative and physical development and that it forms an essential part of their understanding of the world around them.

We recognise that children need to develop certain skills, with an understanding and appreciation of the visual world. The Art and Design curriculum is designed with the intent that our children will, from the early years, develop a sense of creativity, self-expression and find confidence in themselves as an artist. They will start to understand that Art is more than just drawing and that there are a number of different art forms and ways to express art. Children will become confident and proficient in a variety of techniques including drawing, painting, sculpting, as well as other selected craft skills, e.g. collage, printing, weaving and patterns. Children will also develop their knowledge of famous artists and designers.

Implementation

Children will develop their interest and curiosity about Art and Design through a series of discrete and cross-curricular lessons that offer a progression in both knowledge and skill as well as the opportunity for children to ask questions and demonstrate their skills in a variety of ways.

We aim to develop the children’s artist skills in the following areas:

• Develop and stimulate children’s imagination and creativity by providing a range of visual, tactile and sensory experiences.
• Develop children’s aesthetic sensibilities and enable them to make informed judgements about Art.
• Develop children’s understanding of colour, form, texture and pattern. Provide particular activities that give children the ability and skills to realise their ideas in drawing, painting, sculpture and other craft techniques.
• To learn about great artists, craft makers and designers, to be immersed in their artwork and understand the historical and cultural development of their artwork.
• Develop skills in observation and analysis and critical responses to their own work and those of others.

In line with National Curriculum programmes of study, children will develop knowledge, skills and understanding through a range of carefully planned and sequenced practical tasks which will include:

• Drawing
• Painting
• Print making
• Collage
• Sculpture, 3D construction, using clay

Through these, children will develop a wide range of Art and Design techniques in using colour, pattern, line, shape, form, texture and space. These can be taught as discrete skills but are mostly implemented in a cross-curricular way.

• Children at Key Stage 2 are taught to use sketch books as a working record of their ideas and skill development.
• The school has an expanding bank of materials and equipment to enable children to learn how to master a range of mediums while developing their artistic skills.
• Opportunities to work with local artists, such as Peter Stevenson, collaborating on group projects such as murals and other inspiring pieces of artwork and paintings that can be seen in the corridors of KS1 and KS2. 
• An ongoing working relationship with Somerset Film and Somerset Partnership Art Education Agency (SPAEDA), who provide the school with CPD opportunities and visiting artists who provide Art workshops at the school for the children.