Intent for Art

At Newtown Primary School, we value Art as a subject, to inspire and develop our children into artists.  We take inspiration from our topic artist, learning more about them and their styles, which we then apply to our own work.  We plan and teach sequenced art lessons based on skills, using a range of media, and give our children the opportunities to apply the skills learnt in other areas of the curriculum, making the lessons relevant and meaningful.

Implementation

At Newtown, we teach Art through a skills-based curriculum.  The skills are developed and built upon each year so that progression can be seen clearly across the school.  All children are exposed to a range of media each year, giving them the opportunity to explore, develop and embed their skills and understanding of that media, from our youngest children in Early Years to our eldest in Year 6.  By starting with sketchbooks in Year 1 and continuing with them through their years with us, it allows children to be aware of the skills they are developing and will be able to look back on what they have achieved before.  Through self and peer evaluation, the children will discuss what they have done well and what they will need to continue to practise and develop in order to continue to improve their skills in that particular area.  As this is important, we also encourage our children to feel empowered and open to making mistakes. Our approach of being open and accepting of mistakes will not only help to develop our children’s creativity within Art but will extend to other areas of their lives.  This resilience is a key skill which our children will need throughout their lives.