Art and DT
Art and Design
Intent
At Our intent is to provide our children with art and design projects that are well sequenced to provide a coherent subject scheme that develops children’s skills and knowledge of visual elements, art forms, artists and art movements.
Our intention is for the children to leave Year 6 with a lifelong love of art. Children from EYFS to Year 6 are encouraged to develop an appreciation of art in all its varied forms which will enhance their future lives.
We provide our children with projects that are well sequenced to provide a coherent subject scheme that develops children’s skills and knowledge of visual elements, art forms, artists and art movements. Children will be able to evaluate and appreciate their own and others work by proudly sharing their creations and showcasing the skills and progress they have made.
Implement
The teaching and implementation of the Art and Design Curriculum at St Mary’s is supported by the Cornerstones Scheme plans. This ensures high standards of teaching and learning in art and design, in addition to a curriculum that is progressive throughout the whole school.
Cornerstones scheme allows us to enquire projects are placed alongside other subject projects where there are opportunities for making meaningful connections. For example, Beautiful Botanicals has been placed in the same teaching sequence as the science project Plant Nutrition and Reproduction.
Seasons are also a consideration for the placement of art and design projects. For example, if children are required to work outdoors, these projects have been placed in either the latter part of the spring or summer term.
Key Stage 1
In Key Stage 1, each autumn term begins with essential skills and knowledge projects (Mixing Colours in Year 1 and Exploring Colours in Year 2). Teaching these projects enables children to be introduced to and then revisit colour mixing and the colour wheel with plentiful opportunities for the children to explore primary and secondary colours and hues.
In Year 1, children explore themes directly related to the children themselves, such as their facial features, the surrounding natural world and their local community. In Year 2, the projects expand children’s artistic horizons to study a more comprehensive range of artists, artistic movements and creative techniques.
Lower Key Stage 2
In Lower Key Stage 2, each autumn term begins with essential skills and knowledge projects (Colour Theory in Year 3 and Warm and Cool Colours in Year 4). Teaching these projects enables children to build on their previous understanding of colour and further develop their expertise by studying tertiary, analogous and complementary colours with many opportunities for the children to explore warm and cool colours.
In Year 3, children expand their experiences to study a broader range of art forms, artists and genres. They also begin to study art from specific and diverse periods of history, including prehistoric pottery and Roman mosaics. Other genres studied in Year 3 build on previous techniques learned in Key Stage 1 and include more complex techniques in printmaking, drawing, painting and textiles.
In Year 4, children develop more specialised techniques in drawing, painting, printmaking and sculpture. They explore ways in which ancient cultures have influenced art and crafts by studying, for example, medieval weaving techniques and the religious significance of Islamic art.
Upper Key Stage 2
In Upper Key Stage 2, each autumn term begins with essential skills and knowledge projects (Colour in Landscapes in Year 5 and Colour and Style in Year 6). Teaching these projects enables children to build on their previous understanding of colour theory and develop further expertise with colour by studying tints, shades and tones and more complex colour palettes.
In Year 5, children develop and combine more complex artistic techniques in a range of genres, including drawing, painting, printmaking and sculpture. Children continue to build on their understanding of other historical periods and cultures by studying the ancient Chinese art form of taotie and the significance of the Expressionist movement.
In Year 6, children are encouraged to work more independently in projects like Environmental Artists and Distortion and Abstraction. Such projects require them to consider more conceptual representations of personal, environmental, social or political messaging. Children explore diversity in art by studying the projects Inuit and Trailblazers, Barrier Breakers.
Throughout the art and design scheme, there is complete coverage of all national curriculum programmes of study. CurriculumPRO allows you to interrogate the sequencing of curriculum aspects and concepts, vocabulary and connectivity of the art and design scheme with other curriculum subjects.
Impact
Through following a clear and comprehensive scheme of work in line with the National Curriculum, it expected that teaching and learning will show progression across all key stages within the strands of Art and Design. Subsequently, more children will achieve age related expectations in Art at the end of their cohort year and Key Stage. It is our aim that children will retain knowledge and skills taught within each unit of work, remember these and understand how to use and apply these in their own art work, whilst beginning to understand what being in ‘artist’ means.
At St Mary’s, we are able to measure the impact that Art and Design has had for all children by:
- Determining the extent to which objectives are met within each lesson and overall, at the end of each unit.
- Summative assessment of pupil discussions about their learning.
- Images of the children’s practical learning.
- Interviewing the pupils about their learning (pupil voice).
- Moderation staff meetings where pupil’s books are scrutinised and there is the opportunity for a dialogue between teachers to understand their class’s work.
- Annual reporting of standards across the curriculum.
By the time children leave St Mary’s Primary School, we want them to have developed a passion for art and creativity, working both independently and collaboratively. They will have grown in confidence when using a range of tools and techniques, becoming artists that can apply the skills and knowledge that they have developed throughout the years and respond critically to their own and other’s work.
Design Technology
Intent
At St Mary’s Primary School, we recognise that design technology develops children's skills and knowledge in design, structures, mechanisms, electrical control and a range of materials, including food. It inspires children's creativity and encourages them to think about important issues.
By fulfilling the requirements of the National Curriculum for design technology, pupils will be able to build on what they already know, understand and can do. This will be achieved through the teaching of a broad and balanced curriculum that ensures the progressive development of knowledge and skills.
Pupils will be taught how to develop creative, technical and imaginative thinking skills and to develop confidence to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world. Alongside this they will learn how to talk about how things work and to develop their technical knowledge, thus supporting the application of pupils’ reading, writing and mathematical skills, using subject specific vocabulary.
Following the process of design, make and evaluate, pupils will learn how to take risks, becoming resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens. This sequence of learning will be consistently revisited to embed learning and enable pupils to reach expected level in design technology by the end of the Early Years, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 milestones.
We will foster enjoyment, satisfaction and purpose in designing and making things, through experiential learning, using the local environment as a context for learning in design technology.
At St Mary’s Primary School, design technology is fully inclusive for every pupil. All pupils with SEND are fully supported and more-able technicians will be challenged accordingly.
Implementation
Design Technology is planned through the Cornerstones Curriculum 22. All projects contain focused, practical tasks in the Develop stage to help children gain the knowledge and skills needed to complete their Innovate tasks independently.
Throughout Key Stages 1 and 2, children build up their knowledge and understanding of the iterative design process. They design, make, test and evaluate their products to match specific design criteria and ensure they fit their purpose. Throughout the projects, children are taught to work hygienically and safely.
Key Stage 1
In the autumn term of Year 1, children begin to learn about structures in the project Shade and Shelter before designing and making a shelter. In the spring term project Taxi! They learn the term ‘mechanism’ and assemble and test wheels and axles. In the summer term, children begin to learn about food sources in the project Chop, Slice and Mash and use simple preparation techniques to create a supermarket sandwich.
In the autumn term of Year 2, children learn more about food in the project Remarkable Recipes, where they find out about food sources, follow recipes and learn simple cooking techniques. In the spring term project Beach Hut, children develop their knowledge of structures further, learning to cut, join and strengthen wood for the first time. In the summer term, children begin to develop their understanding of textiles in Cut, Stitch and Join. They learn to sew a simple running stitch, use pattern pieces and add simple embellishments. They also continue to learn about mechanisms in the project Push and Pull by using sliders, levers and linkages in products.
Lower Key Stage 2
In the autumn term of Year 3, children continue to learn about food, understanding the concept of a balanced diet and making healthy meals in the project Cook Well, Eatwell. In the spring term project Making it Move, children extend their understanding of mechanisms by exploring cams and using joining and finishing techniques to make automaton toys. In the summer term project Greenhouse, they continue to develop their knowledge of structures, using triangles and braces for strength. They design and build a greenhouse, using their understanding of opacity and transparency and the needs of plants from science learning to inform their design.
In the autumn term of Year 4, children continue to develop their understanding of food in the project Fresh Food, Good Food. They learn about food safety and preservation technologies before designing and making packaging for a healthy snack. During the spring term project Functional and Fancy Fabrics, children continue to explore textiles, learning about the work of William Morris before designing, embellishing and finishing a fabric sample. In the summer term project Tomb Builders, they build on their knowledge of mechanisms, learning about six simple machines and using their knowledge to create a lifting or moving device prototype. They also explore and use electrical systems and IT monitoring and control in the science project Electrical Circuits and Conductors for the first time.
Upper Key Stage 2
In the autumn term of Year 5, children deepen their understanding of mechanisms by studying pneumatic systems in the project Moving Mechanisms. They learn about the forces at play and create a prototype for a functional, pneumatic machine. In the spring term project Eat the Seasons, children continue to explore food and nutrition, learning about seasonal foods and the benefits of eating seasonally. In the summer term, they learn more about structures in the project Architecture, studying the history of architecture and developing new ways to create structural strength and stability. They use computer-aided design and consolidate their making skills to produce scale models. They also explore the electrical conductivity of materials before making products incorporating circuits in the science project Properties and Changes of Materials.
In the autumn term of Year 6, children learn about processed and whole foods in the project Food for Life, creating healthy menus from unprocessed foods. In the spring term project Engineer, children consolidate their knowledge of structures, joining and strengthening techniques and electrical systems by completing a bridge-building challenge. In the summer term project Make Do and Mend, they extend their knowledge of textiles by learning new stitches to join fabrics and using pattern pieces to create a range of products.
Impact
Design and Technology learning is enjoyed by teachers and pupils across school. As a subject, Design and Technology combines skills, knowledge, concepts and values to enable children to tackle real life problems. They learn to take risks, be reflective, innovative, enterprising and resilient. Through the evaluation of past and present technology they can reflect upon the impact of Design and technology on everyday life and the wider world. This is a collection of skills that they can take into their future and have a significant positive impact on their development and the communities that they are part of.