Art and Design
Our Intent
We want every child to grow as a confident, imaginative and knowledgeable young artist.
Our curriculum develops pupils’ practical, theoretical and disciplinary knowledge, as highlighted in Ofsted’s Art & Design Research Review, ensuring they learn not only how to create art but also how to understand, respond to and talk about it with increasing confidence.
The key elements of our intent are to:
- Build strong practical knowledge, developing technical proficiency across materials, tools and processes, including drawing, painting, sculpture and mixed media.
- Develop theoretical knowledge of artists, craft‑makers and designers from a wide range of cultures and periods, understanding the evolving nature and purpose of art.
- Strengthen disciplinary knowledge by learning how art is judged, discussed, and valued, using an increasingly precise visual vocabulary.
- Build upon strong artistic foundations in the Early Years, where high‑quality play, exploration and practice (into colour, texture, form and pattern) nurtures children’s imagination and interest in materials and media.
- Understand that creativity emerges from knowledge, enabling pupils to make original, meaningful contributions within the subject.
Our Implementation
Our curriculum is carefully sequenced using a spiral approach, ensuring that key skills—such as drawing, painting, sculpture and mixed media—are revisited, strengthened and deepened over time. This supports a coherent, knowledge‑rich progression from year to year.
Sketchbooks are central to our practice. They provide a safe space for experimentation, allow pupils to practise and refine techniques, and help them reflect on the development of their ideas and skills.
Throughout the curriculum, children study a wide range of artists, craft‑makers and designers. This builds cultural understanding, broadens artistic horizons and inspires pupils’ own creative outcomes. Achievement is celebrated through exhibitions, displays and portfolios.
Our Impact
By the end of primary school, pupils will:
- Demonstrate clear progression across practical, theoretical and disciplinary knowledge.
- Confidently talk about art, using disciplinary language to evaluate the work of others and articulate their own intentions.
- Produce personal, meaningful work that reflects both knowledge and individual creativity.
- Show a strong understanding of the formal elements in their artworks and an ability to revisit and refine these elements.
- Have confidence to take creative risks and experiment with materials, techniques and ideas.
Our curriculum ensures that pupils move on to Key Stage 3 well‑prepared, with the strong foundations, confidence and artistic fluency they need to thrive as thoughtful, skilled and reflective young artists.
