ART & Design
Art and Design at DWJS: Vision and Intent
At Darrick Wood Junior School, we believe that artistic expression plays an invaluable role in pupils’ lives and learning as they explore their own ideas and feelings through art, and learn to appreciate artwork produced by others.
We are committed to all pupils seeing themselves as artists and providing all pupils with opportunities to engage in learning through art and design and to express their creativity through a variety of media. We believe that it is important for children to be exposed to a range of artists; through this they can begin to develop the skills and techniques needed to create many forms of art and begin to develop an appreciation of different cultures, artistic movements and styles. Our approach is skills-based, building on the children’s techniques in painting, drawing, printmaking, textiles, collage and 3D form as they move through the school. Our aim is for the children to make informed choices and responses to their own work and that of others.
Through the exploration of their own ideas and experiences, our pupils will produce creative work and record their observations, using sketchbooks to develop and review their ideas. We believe that this process is an essential means of personal expression and allows our pupils to develop their artistic abilities and creativity
Art and Design Curriculum Overview: Implementation
Art and design provides pupils with the skills, concepts and knowledge necessary for them to express their responses to ideas and experiences in a visual or tactile form. It fires their imagination and is a fundamental means of personal expression.
While it is essentially a practical subject, art and design should provide opportunities for reflection and, with increasing sensitivity, pupils should acquire the ability to make informed, critical responses to their own work and that of others. There is great pleasure to be derived from this subject and, through deeper understanding; pupils can gain access to cultural richness and diversity.
We aim to ensure that all pupils:
- produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences and observations. (It is worth emphasising that a sketchbook is not simply a book for sketching, rather a process through which ideas are collected, developed, researched and reviewed)
- become proficient in a range of techniques, through links with the local and wider multicultural community
- evaluate and analyse creative works using the language of art and design
- know about great architects, artists, craft makers and designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms.
Our curriculum for art is based on the CUSP model. The CUSP Art and Design curriculum is an evidence-informed approach which aims to build children's artistic knowledge through a broad range of experiences so that they begin to think, create and communicate like an artist. Each year group's curriculum for art is organised into blocks which cover the key strands of artistic expression, including drawing, painting, modelling and textiles. These strands are revisited each year and the curriculum model is supported by clear sequencing of the knowledge that is taught over time. An explicit focus on retrieval practice supports children's recall of what they have learnt so that, overall, children know more and remember more.
Impact
Our varied and diverse art and design curriculum allows children to see themselves as artists and to become proficient in using a range of mediums to express their ideas artistically. Our curriculum will allow children to develop an appreciation of art in all forms, both inside and outside the classroom, as well as developing their individual creativity. It will expose children to a diverse range of artists and will allow them to respond to their artwork by identifying key artistic techniques. Throughout our art curriculum, in which all children see themselves as artists, pupils will develop a range of artistic skills that will support them as they move through the school.
The document below showcases some of the outcomes that the children have achieved in Art and Design lessons over the course of the 2022-23 academic year.