At Thornbury Primary School, we aim to engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design. As pupils progress, they will be able to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of Art and Design.
We aim to provide every child, regardless of need or barrier, to be given a high-quality art curriculum, which develops creativity, sets challenges, engages and inspires children and equips them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design. We see art as a vehicle for creativity and individual expression.
We aim to give all children, regardless of need or barrier, the confidence to express themselves through a range of chosen mediums. Our curriculum provides children with an opportunity to experience all art forms: drawing, painting, 3D design, textiles and print making. Pupils are encouraged to experiment with a range of different materials and techniques to bring their ideas to life. Opportunities to practise using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and tone are embedded across the Art Curriculum through the use of individual sketchbooks.
We aim for all children to know how Art and Design has contributed to our culture and understanding of our history and the world. As they progress through the school, the children will explore a variety of artists and their styles. Our children will focus on a variety of key artists and they will begin to understand the development of their particular art forms. The children will have opportunities to take inspiration from these key artists and create their own artworks in their particular styles. Children are given the opportunity within lessons to work on their own and collaborate with others, on projects in two and three dimensions and on different scales. We also expect children to be able to look at an image or a piece of art and to have an understanding of it, not just react to it. We equip them with the skills required to have an understanding of the language of Art and Design. This enables them to describe what they see in detail and to provide evidence for their observations.
Across the school, the children will embark in one intensive art unit every term. Here they will focus on one art form and complete their in-depth artist or movement study. In addition, all children will participate in fortnightly ‘Keepie Uppie’ sessions where they will continue to develop their understanding of the elements of art (line, colour, tone, texture, shape, pattern and form).
What art forms are taught across the school?
Our curriculum provides children with an opportunity to experience all art forms: drawing, painting, 3D design, textiles and print making. For more information, please see our progression document (right hand side of this page). Here you will see how the children build on these skills as they progress through the school.
Here is an example of some of the wonderful artwork that has been created this year:
Self-portraits:
Every year the children will create their own self-portrait.
The children in Foundation being by exploring mark making to create their own self-portrait. The children in Foundation have opportunities throughout the year to develop drawing and mark making skills during their continuous provision.
Inspired by the artist Henri Matisse, Year 1 and 2 have been exploring using different lines to create a self-portrait.
Inspired by the artist Pablo Picasso, Year 3 and 4 have been exploring using charcoal and cross hatching to create tone in their self-portraits.
Inspired by Pablo Picasso's blue period, Year 5 and 6 have been exploring tints, shades and tone in their self-portrait. They have also been thinking about how colour can represent a mood.
Painting:
The children in Foundation have been exploring the artwork of Jackson Pollock to create their own splatter paintings of fireworks in the night sky. The children in Foundation have opportunities throughout the year to develop painting skills during their continuous provision.
Year 1 and 2 have been exploring how Vincent Van Gogh uses line, pattern and shape to create movement in his painting 'The Starry Night'. They then explored using different brushstrokes to show line, pattern and shape in their own space scene.
Year 3 and 4 have been exploring the work of different well-known artists who have painted water. They studied the artwork of Claude Monet, David Hockey, William Turner and Katsushika Hokusai and thought about how these artists captured the movement of water with paint. Then they explored using different brushstrokes and combing tone, tint and shade to create the sense of moving water.
Year 5 and 6 have been exploring how the artist Georgia O'Keeffe uses perspective and proportion when painting flowers. They then explored using different brushstrokes to show line, tone and texture in their own poppy painting.
Textiles:
During their 'Meadow Monday' sessions, the children Foundation have been weaving with natural materials. The children in Foundation have opportunities throughout the year to develop their weaving and fine motor skills during their continuous provision.
During their enrichment sessions on a Friday afternoon, Year 1 and 2 have been practising their sewing skills and created their own bookmarks.
Year 5 and 6 have been investigating how they can embellish fabric to tell a story of a journey. They have been practising different types of stitches, using appliqué, and embellishing fabric to create a mixed media collage of a journey.
Sculpture
The children in Foundation enjoy exploring sculpture during their 'Meadow Monday' session. This year, they have made clay hedgehogs and clay faces. Inspired by the artist Andy Goldsworthy, they have also created sculptures using natural objects such as leaves and sticks. At Christmas they made clay decorations. The children in Foundation have opportunities throughout the year to develop their sculpture skills during their continuous provision.
Year 1 and 2 will embark on their sculpture project in the summer term.
Year 3 and 4 will embark on their printing project in the summer term.
What are the elements of art?
Elements of Art
The elements of art are tools used by artists to create their work. There are seven common elements: line, shape, form, colour, space, texture and tone. Opportunities to practise these elements are embedded across our Art Curriculum. For more information, please see our progression document (right hand side of this page). Here you will see how the children build on these skills as they progress through the school. We also practise these skills every fortnight in our Keepie Uppie sessions.
What is Art?
During the first week of a new school year, all children will complete a 'what is art?' lesson. Here they will create a concept map of their prior learning. In addition, they will create an 'elements of art' guide. Here are some examples from this year.
What artist are taught across the school?
As they progress through the school, the children will explore a variety of artists and their styles. Our children will focus on a variety of key artists and they will begin to understand the development of their particular art forms. The children will have opportunities to take inspiration from these key artists and create their own artworks in their particular styles.
We pride ourselves on developing an art curriculum that exposes the children to a range of artists and craftspeople. Throughout their school journey, the children will explore a variety of Traditional, Contemporary and Modern artist. They will learn about both male and female artist. In addition, each double year will explore one culture study (for example: Year 1 and 2 will learn about Inuit printing, Year 3 and 4 will learn about Egyptian sculpture and Year 5 and 6 will learn about Mayan tiles).
How is art recorded and assessed?
Assessment and Recording
Art learning is recorded in sketchbooks across the school. We encourage children to treat their sketchbooks like journals and their thoughts and learning are recorded in a format that they would like to use, for example, using thought bubbles. Each child is unique and each sketchbook should be unique, enabling children to develop their independence and creativity.
Teachers assess children’s knowledge, understanding and skills in Art by making observations of the children working during lessons. Feedback given to children by their peers or teachers and children are encouraged to be critical of their own work, highlighting their own next steps. In the summer term, subject assessment grids are completed by class teachers, showing children’s attainment in the following four areas: Generating ideas, Making, Knowledge, Evaluation. The school’s banding system is used to do this. After the assessment grids have been updated, the Curriculum leader analyses the data and provides feedback in order to inform and improve future practice.
How do we ensure that all pupils have equality of access to the full curriculum?
Inclusion
Lessons and activities are planned to include all children, regardless of need or barrier, by using a range of approaches. This includes: questioning, use of equipment, and mixed ability grouping to enable children to offer peer support. Widgit symbols are used to introduce new vocabulary. These symbols are used consistently across the school to support retrieval. Lessons are tailored to individual needs and lessons are planned to facilitate the best possible outcome for all children within the class.
