Art and Design & Technology
At Birch Hill we aim to support the development of both those talented in the arts and those who use art to broaden their understanding of other areas of the curriculum as well as a platform to improve their wellbeing. The process of engagement in the arts results in increased confidence and improved self-esteem for children.
Art and Design
Intent
Art and Design has a very important place in our curriculum, we see it as a vehicle for creativity and individual expression. Art and Design both reflect and shape our history, and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation. Our curriculum for Art and Design aims to ensure that all pupils can:
- Produce creative work, explore 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, craft and design.
- Know about great artists, craft makers and designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of their art form.
Art and design activities enrich children’s learning and enables them to communicate their thoughts, ideas and observations in a practical and expressive way. In talking about art and evaluating their own and others’ work, children are encouraged to develop their visual language, ideas and feelings. Through experience of a variety of materials, tools and techniques children have the opportunity to record creatively the world around them.
Implementation
At Birch Hill we ensure that sufficient time is given to Art and Design, in order to enable pupils to meet the expectations set out in the National Curriculum programme of study. The Art and Design curriculum shows progression, allowing time for children to take inspiration from the greats, develop ideas and master techniques. We have participated in programmes such as ‘Take One Picture’ which have proved to be extremely successful and we are looking at other programmes to help our school support the arts further.
Impact
In order to help the children achieve their goals and meet the expectations of the curriculum we ensure our teaching gives the pupils :
- The ability to use visual language skilfully and convincingly to express emotions, interpret observations, convey insights and accentuate their individuality.
- The ability to communicate fluently in visual and tactile form.
- The ability to draw confidently and adventurously from observation, memory and imagination.
- The ability to explore and invent marks, develop and deconstruct ideas and communicate perceptively and powerfully through purposeful drawing in 2D,3D or digital media.
- An impressive knowledge and understanding of other artists, craft makers and designers.
- The ability to think and act like creative practitioners by using their knowledge and understanding to inform, inspire and interpret ideas, observations and feelings.
- Independence, initiative and originality which they can use to develop their creativity.
- The ability to select and use materials, processes and techniques skilfully and inventively to realise intentions and capitalise on the unexpected.
- The ability to reflect on, analyse and critically evaluate their own work and that of others.
- A passion for and a commitment to the subject.
Art in action (Take One Picture Exhibition)
At EYFS: Children will be introduced to a range of skills and artists, where they will use different materials to express their imagination, ideas and experiences.
At Key Stage 1: Children learn drawing, painting and sculpture to develop and share their ideas, experiences and imagination. They develop a wide range of art and design techniques in using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space. They learn about the work of a range of artists, craft makers and designers, describing the similarities and differences and making links to their own work.
At Key Stage 2: Children are taught to develop their techniques, including their control and their
use of materials with creativity, experimentation and an increasing awareness of different kinds of art, craft and design. They use sketchbooks to record their observations and use them to review and revisit ideas. They improve their mastery of art and design techniques, including drawing, painting and sculpture with a range of materials. They learn about great artists, architects and designers in history.
National Curriculum Art
Design and Technology
At Birch Hill, we provide children with opportunities to use their creativity and imagination to design and make purposeful products. Our DT curriculum is carefully created to equip all children with practical skills and knowledge of different techniques and an understanding of the characteristics of a range of materials. Through a variety of activities and projects, children work individually or as part of a team to apply their knowledge and understanding to design, plan, make and evaluate, considering any interlinked social, cultural and environmental issues.
We teach the National Curriculum with the intent that DT should be taught in all year groups through at least one topic per term, including cooking and nutrition activities.
Children develop basic skills in the Early Years, such as cutting and joining, which are built on and developed in Key Stages 1 and 2.
At Key Stage 1, children learn how to design, plan and communicate their ideas effectively to design a product with purpose, which they achieve through drawing, talking, templates and mock-ups. They learn how to select and work with different tools, equipment and materials, giving them shape using simple finishing techniques and mechanisms. During these processes, children often work together to evaluate existing products and use critical thinking to identify what could be done differently or how they could further improve their work. In cooking and nutrition activities, children gain knowledge about the basic principles of a healthy diet and an understanding of where the food comes from.
At Key Stage 2, children build on existing skills and use research to create their own design criteria, develop models and communicate through annotated sketches, cross-sectional diagrams, patterns and computer-aided design. They can select from a wider range of tools to perform practical tasks and technical knowledge is further developed. Children apply their understanding of how to strengthen and reinforce more complex structures, for instance when building with wood, and evaluate their work against their own criteria. The use of mechanical and electrical systems gives opportunities to explore movements and circuits using pulleys, cams and bulbs, with some projects using computing to program, monitor and control. In cooking and nutrition, children follow safe food procedures to create dishes with a focus on seasonality of products.
National Curriculum Design & Technology
National Curriculum Design & Technology