At St David’s Primary School, children learn and further develop technical art skills whilst also having the freedom and opportunity to explore and nurture their inner artist. We believe that a robust, high-quality, well-planned art curriculum focused on; the teaching and learning of the elements of art, manipulation of medium and materials and responding to artists and artwork, empowers children to respond creatively and imaginatively to the world around them and their inner self.

Deepening children’s knowledge of art and design history whilst encouraging them to notice, question and reflect on art establishes a deeper sense of how art and design has shaped their local environment, communities around the world, the lives of people and the culture of a place. This is weaved through our curriculum with attention to interesting artists, architects, architecture, exhibitions and installations locally and globally.

We ensure that children acquire the ability to notice themselves as an audience to artwork and in turn, question, enquire, respond to and delve into the artwork itself. From these experiences, children are enthused and inspired to express and navigate art and design in all its interesting forms themselves. They have opportunity to do this with easy access to high quality resources in each classroom. We believe it is an artist’s right to investigate and explore media of choice with curiosity, enquiry and wonder and ensure our children have opportunity to do this whilst creating artwork for different purposes and effects.  

Across the school, nurturing children’s independent creativity, reflectiveness and sense of pride in their own and other’s artwork is fundamental to our art curriculum. All children succeed because their art is their own interpretation, regardless of age or experience. With this as a thread across the school, our children move from exploring their senses and emotions through using a range of materials, textures, tools and mediums to making more consciously controlled choices with consideration to the viewer. As the children are exposed to the work of more artists, architects and designers during their time with us, they are able to draw upon many more artistic wonders of the world.

Art is taught once a term in half termly units using the Cornerstones Curriculum companion projects linked to the main curriculum theme for the term. The knowledge, creativity and skills taught in each unit is carefully considered using the school’s art progression map and national curriculum document to ensure progression across the art themes and throughout each year group across the school.

Careful planning ensures there is emphasis on exploring, designing and developing understanding of context of the work of artists, architects and designers as well as skills in evaluating, refining and improving own artwork and that of others. Consideration is given to the vocabulary taught across the school linked with the seven elements and principles of art and the way other curriculum areas support artistic vocabulary and discussion in a real-life context and within the local environment.

Our developmental focus on skills means 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, collage and sculpture. Children’s knowledge and skills are built upon over a sequence of lessons, with opportunities given to adapt or develop ideas individually, which lead to a final piece.

In the Early Years, expressive arts and design is carefully considered through the continuous provision and provocations set up to meet artistic and creative interests, develop imagination and explore a wide range of media and materials. Alongside this, adult-led focused groups are planned to focus on learning new skills.