At St Leonard’s Lower School, we are growing and learning together with God’s Love. Our Christian values are embedded in all that we do.

We recognise that every child is a unique individual within God’s creation and our aim is to provide the rich soil (the learning environment and curriculum) that enables our children to develop deep roots, flourish and grow in their own unique way.

We aim to provide a relevant, creative, exciting and challenging curriculum to support all learners to achieve their full potential and to be prepared for their future.

We will provide an inclusive education for all, enabling each child to learn and develop the skills and knowledge they need to thrive.

We aim to promote spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding through appropriate curricular opportunities with particular reference to equality and diversity.

Intent

We believe that Art, Craft and Design contributes an essential element to a well-balanced curriculum. It stimulates creativity, imagination and provides sensory experiences that give a unique way of responding to and understanding the world around us.

Through Art and Design, children can enjoy exploring and communicating their own ideas and feelings, and also come to appreciate the work of other artists, designers and craftspeople both from the present and different times and cultures.

Through art all pupils will be given opportunities to:-

• experience different approaches to art, craft and design, including working individually, in pairs, groups and as a whole class.
• develop their own visual and tactile perception by using a wide range of materials, techniques and processes, including ICT.
• find ways of expressing, developing, interpreting and communicating ideas and feelings.
• record observations, including the use of sketchbooks, and to design and make artefacts.
• explore both two and three-dimensional media, including the opportunity for experimentation, and to work on a variety of scales.
• be able to make choices both with materials, tools and techniques, and to work with these safely.
• develop an understanding and appreciation of the work of artists, designers and craftspeople from different times and cultures.
• have first hand experience of original and reproduced art, craft and design work, and whenever the chance arises, to meet the artist, designer or craftsperson themselves.
• develop interest, confidence and enjoyment in their own ability as artists, designers and craftspeople.
• encourage children to actively search and contribute towards resource materials to help start and develop their work.
• develop their vocabulary and to evaluate and form opinions about their own and other peoples work in a constructive way, and in the light of what was intended.

Implementation

The teaching of art will follow the requirements of the Early Years curriculum and the National Curriculum at Key Stages 1 and 2. Approaches will vary in organisation from a formal approach, working individually, in pairs, groups, as a whole class and on a one to one, but will adhere to the aims set out. Consideration of the work set will be given to account for the varying abilities, needs and interests of the children. Every effort will be made to ensure that each child is given equal opportunities to develop to their full potential. A whole school knowledge and skills map will make sure there is continuity and progression. Children will have access to a variety of equipment, resources and materials which they should learn to respect and use according to Health and Safety guidelines. They will be encouraged to show this in sensible preparation for and clearing away after art lessons.

Pupils own work will be displayed and labelled.

When appropriate and possible local people with particular skills will be invited in to demonstrate and share their talent.

Children will be given the opportunity to look critically at their own and the work of the rest of the class and to express opinions in a constructive way.

Art will also be used to enhance and support other areas of the curriculum, for example English, Music, Science, Geography, Technology and History.

Children will be encouraged to use ICT as a resource and as an art form in its own right.

Impact

We aim to help the children:-

• appreciate and enjoy art, recognising its importance in the world around us.
• gain knowledge and understanding of artists and how artefacts and images are made.
• be confident at having a go at making and producing art, craft and design pieces themselves, acknowledging their own strengths and weaknesses.
• to make satisfying progress in a practical and cognitive sense.
• nurture an independent desire to ‘find out more’, and hopefully, to actively seek out galleries and artworks and to continue their own personal artistic development out of school and into their future lives.