Art
At Wistaston Academy, we aim to nurture a love of art and to inspire a delight in creativity in all forms. As they progress through our school, children will develop their artistic knowledge and skill and will leave WA with a broad, balanced and coherent understanding of artistic techniques rooted in reflection upon works created by celebrated artists, designers and craftspeople from the locality and wider world, both contemporary and historical. The art curriculum has been designed to be ambitious and meet the needs of all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. Art lessons are designed to develop the long-term memory of our children, fit within the wider curriculum and build upon skills taught in other subjects. Art lessons utilise the skills, knowledge and cultural wealth of the community while supporting the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development to improve the children’s culture capital and understanding of the world. We have designed the art curriculum at WA with the intent that our pupils will:
- Progress sequentially through a carefully planned, broad curriculum that encompasses six areas of art (drawing, painting, textiles, printmaking, collage and 3D) in every year group, to build on skills and knowledge to ensure success at every stage.
- Derive inspiration for their work through exposure to a rich breadth of current and historical artists across the world and from the locality.
- Discover techniques through experimentation, practice and reflection, allowing opportunity for personal choice and individual expression.
- Develop confidence in applying skills learned in order to produce work of outstanding quality.
- Be given opportunities to express their unique ideas and feelings visually and to recognise the validity of their contribution, engendering personal development.
- Grow in aspiration as they are exposed to art of excellent quality, in many contexts, in a manner which is accessible.
- Develop pride in their abilities and achievements through the showcasing of work within the school and wider community context.
- Discover the wonder of different artistic processes and progress in their ability to choose methods that will produce the most effective results.
Implementation
The curriculum is led and overseen by the Art lead who teaches all year groups apart from Year 1, providing a specialist provision which is enhanced by the use of a designated art space. To ensure school-wide excellence, the Subject Leader has developed a regular programme of monitoring, evaluation and review and the celebration of good practice, all of which contributes to the ongoing commitment to evolve and improve further.
The teaching, learning and sequencing of the Art curriculum follows:
- A curriculum approach that focusses on 6 areas of learning in every year group which enables a breadth and gradual building of skills.
- A progression in the challenge posed by a widening spectrum of artists examined.
- A progression of skills introduced and a broadening level of understanding of co-operatively generated success criteria.
- The repetition of learning within each year, and year on year, to secure long-term understanding.
- A progressive level of personal choice regarding tools, media and methods selected to achieve a successful outcome.
- The regular expression of tier 2 and 3 vocabulary used effectively and purposefully and on working walls and displays.
- Exhibition opportunities which engender pride, passion and aspiration.
- Regular teacher, self and peer assessment which works together to produce excellent outcomes, a deepening of understanding and the monitoring of progress.
- SMSC is threaded through the Art curriculum to link Art to their lives and explore their cultural capital.
Impact
The impact of the Art curriculum can be clearly seen through the outstanding level of work evidenced around the school in striking displays and in sketchbooks.
Children evidence an increased ability to express the steps necessary to produce successful outcomes, demonstrating the impact of regularly generated and discussed success criteria and the retention of learning. A love of the subject is evidenced through pupil voice surveys and discussions with pupils, showing the impact of a rich curriculum passionately taught. A high level of achievement is monitored through individual assessment of each child for the foci of the curriculum and is collected in feedback from external sources, such as visitors to the school and through inter-school events. Children are increasingly confident in their art abilities and readiness to try new things. They will have participated in high-quality visits and events to further increase the impact of art and will have experienced opportunities for self-expression and analysis, deepening their personal development. Pupils will have an increased understanding of famous artists and artworks from various genres, places and time-zones, widening their cultural capital. Children will have been inspired to pursue further learning and experimentation of their own choice at home and through reading within school. They will be well prepared for transition to the next stage of learning.
