At Crudgington Primary, art, craft and design has a significant and valuable role to play in the overall ethos of our academy. Art is an ongoing process through which all children are given opportunities to develop specific skills, knowledge and understanding to enable them to work in various media, styles and forms. It enables children of all abilities to use their creative imagination to achieve their potential with guidance and given criteria. Children work individually and within a group to develop social and personal skills.

Wherever appropriate, it is linked to other areas of the curriculum and gives pupils opportunities to develop specific art skills and reinforces skills already established.

Art, craft and design embody some of the highest forms of human creativity. Our Art and Design curriculum will give all pupils the opportunity to become successful learners, through exploring the breadth and depth of the national curriculum and to learn within a coherent, carefully sequenced and progressive framework which will engage, inspire and challenge them. They will develop a rich and deep subject knowledge, and will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design, through a variety or interesting contexts, which will enable them to see clear links between different aspects of their learning. Our children will develop and demonstrate their creativity and will experience the challenge and enjoyment of learning. “Children will be helped to understand the purpose and value of their learning and how art and design both reflect and shape our history, and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation.”

Children will:

• Produce creative work, exploring their ideas and record their experiences;
• Become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques;
• Evaluate and analyse creative works using the language of art and design; and
• Know about great artists, craft makers, designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms;
• Explore different beliefs, experiences, faiths, feelings and values towards art;
• Enjoy learning about the art work of others around them and the surrounding world;
• Use imagination and creativity when producing art and will use art to help them to reflect on experiences.
• Learn to appreciate cultural influences in art and will create art influenced by other cultures; Understand,
• accept, respect and celebrate diversity in art.

Our Art and Design curriculum will:

• Give children the opportunity to use a range of social skills to make a positive contribution in the local community and beyond through the artwork they create;
• Allow children to appreciate diverse viewpoints about art pieces and art movements; participate, volunteer and cooperate when working collaboratively; and resolve conflict, when it arises;
• Show children how to respect and tolerate the opinions of others;
• Be part of a system where everyone will be free to express views and ideas.
• Will give children the opportunity to learn in a peaceful and supportive environment where they will get to work in a range of groups and settings, build respectful friendships and recognise that people are good at different areas in across the art spectrum. Children will learn how to respect themselves and others and to develop their self-esteem and confidence in their abilities. They will reflect and think mindfully about their learning and will be encouraged to follow their own interests and to be themselves;
• Give children the opportunity to express their opinions on a range of different artists and art movements. They will take part in age-appropriate discussions and make choices about the artwork that they produce. Children will be asked to share what they like and dislike about their artwork and will be invited to contribute to the planning of their own learning. All children will be encouraged to make a positive contribution to the school and local community and explore ways of using art to become a responsible global citizen;
• Be taught through a pedagogy that excites, promotes and sustains children’s interest, enabling and fostering their natural curiosity. They will be offered a memorable experience at the start of every topic and will learn how to problem solve, how to be creative and how to communicate. Our curriculum will enable the children to reflect on and evaluate their learning and will promote their innovation;
• We will enrich our curriculum by using quality resources in and out of the classroom as well as offering opportunities for the children to learn outdoors. We will provide on and off-site subject or topic related activities and hold specialist Art and Design days. It is important for us to welcome parents and carers to take part in children’s learning and experiences, and we will develop partnerships with external providers that extend children’s opportunities for learning.