Art and Design at South Harringay School aims to inspire our pupils to be creative thinkers who have the confidence and skills to experiment and produce their own works of art. Our curriculum is designed to enthuse the children, instilling a passion for art from an early age. It provides ongoing opportunities for the children to showcase their artwork and contribute collaboratively to projects, thus encouraging a shared appreciation for art and creativity within our school community. As the children progress through our school, they build upon a range of skills which develop their ability and nurture their talents and interests. The children take inspiration from a range of artists, reflecting upon their contribution to the culture of the British Isles and beyond. Our curriculum is supported by ‘Kapow Primary’, a scheme written by experts in the field of art, designed to ensure all children have the opportunity to meet National curriculum end of key stage attainment targets through enjoyable and practical lessons.
Art and Design lessons at South Harringay engage and challenge the children as they become increasingly competent across a range of creative techniques. In every year group the formal elements of art (line, shape, tone, texture, pattern and colour) are revisited and a range of creative skills are taught discretely. Skills in drawing, painting, collage, textiles, sculpture, print and digital media progress from year to year, allowing the children to revise these skills and build upon their previous learning. During every lesson, the children are explicitly taught ‘key vocabulary’ which relates to the skill being explored.
Throughout our curriculum the children learn about and respond to the work of various artists and designers, taking inspiration from these individuals when creating their own works of art. Our Art and Design units have been intentionally sequenced to align with other subject areas, creating cross- curricular links and providing the children with a more wholistic approach to learning.
In all year groups, Art and Design lessons are taught weekly, alternating termly with Design and Technology units. The lessons taught are practical in nature and encourage experimental and exploratory learning, with the children documenting their ideas through the use of sketch books. Lesson objectives and steps to success are clearly outlined for the children and lessons are scaffolded to ensure that all children have the opportunity to succeed in their learning. The high quality of work evident in the children’s Art and Design sketch books reflect the value and importance we place on Art and Design at South Harringay School.
Our curriculum is designed to involve the children in the evaluation, dialogue and decision- making processes. The children reflect on the quality of their outcomes and suggest improvements that could be made. By taking part in regular discussions and decisions, the children not only know facts and key information about art, but they are able to talk confidently about their own learning journey. To ensure that our curriculum aligns with national curriculum objectives, our teachers constantly monitor the children’s understanding through formative assessment opportunities. Teachers use questioning techniques throughout lessons to check for understanding and the work recorded in sketch books is closely monitored.
Children at South Harringay will leave primary school equipped with a range of skills and creative techniques, as well a comprehensive understanding of and appreciation for Art and Design. We ensure that our curriculum forms a strong foundation for Art and Design learning at Key Stage 3 and beyond.
The expected impact of our Art and Design curriculum at South Harringay School is that children will:
- Produce creative work, exploring and recording their ideas and experiences in their sketch books
- Be proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques
- Evaluate and analyse creative works using subject-specific vocabulary
- Know about great artists and the historical and cultural development of their art
- Meet the end of key stage expectations outlined in the National curriculum for Art and Design
