The Hill Primary Academy Astrea Academy Trust
Art
Our Vision
At The Hill Primary, we believe that art stimulates creativity, imagination and inventiveness. We believe that art gives our pupils the skills, concepts and knowledge necessary for them to express responses to ideas and experiences. It fires their imagination.
“Art is not just a subject to learn, but an activity that you can practice with your hands, your eyes, your whole personality.” Quentin Blake
To develop children who have the confidence to express themselves through a range of chosen medium
- To develop children who love art, regardless of ability.
- To develop children who have an understanding, critical awareness and inspiration of art and design
Intent:
At The Hill Primary Academy, the art curriculum is a knowledge-rich curriculum. Knowledge, in the realm of art, means knowledge not only of artists, designers, architects and their work but of the artistic concepts that relate to their work shown in different types and styles of art, how these relate to each other in a historical context and how this affects the children’s own use of materials and development of skills. The curriculum is designed to enable children to learn by making connections between the work of artists, architects and designers (which they study critically) and their own work, which they evaluate and relate back to the works they have studied.
Implementation:
The art curriculum is based upon the Primary Knowledge curriculum (PKC) which has been adapted to suit our whole school curriculum. The knowledge and skills that children will develop throughout are mapped across each year group and throughout the school to ensure progression. The PKC has a strong emphasis on the learning of knowledge of artists from different time periods, in different countries and using different mediums. This enables links to other curriculum areas, including humanities, with children developing a considerable knowledge of individual artists as well as individual works and art movements within their geographical and historical contexts. A balanced focus on skills ensures that children are given opportunities to express their creative imagination, as well as practice and develop mastery in the key processes of art: drawing, painting, printing, textiles and sculpture. An enquiry-based approach across the school encourages the children to ask questions about the artwork in front of them, to discuss what they observe, analyse skills and techniques and to critique using a considered perspective. Enrichment opportunities are provided for children to further develop a love of the subject e.g. Barnsley art competition, artist visits, and sculpture park visits.
Impact:
By the end of their time with us, children have learned, improved and embedded a range of artistic skills. They have an awareness of a broad range of artists and craftspeople and be able to consider and discuss the artworks they come across. We want our pupils to be confident to explore, experiment and take risks, placing value on the process and journey that they take, not just on the finished product. Most importantly, we want children to have found and enjoyed a creative outlet – a means of self-expression and enjoyment.