Art and Design Statement

Art and Design

Our Goal                                                     Passion for Learning...

 At Bentley St Paul's, we want our all our children to have a passion for learning where they gain life – long learning skills; a sense of adventure; the ability to enquire and make emotional connections.  

Our Christian Values

Friendship, Forgiveness, Trust, Peace, Wisdom, Responsibility, Respect and Reverence underpin all that we do and are the foundations of our drivers.

Our Tools

What we want the children to know… 

At Bentley St Paul’s C of E Primary School we place great value on the development of children as individuals and providing them with the skills, knowledge and understanding they need to prepare for future experiences. We therefore believe in providing a broad and balanced curriculum that delivers high quality and meaningful art experiences; which engage, inspire and challenge all children, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment and produce their own creations through a variety of mediums. As pupils progress, they should begin to evaluate and think critically whilst developing an appreciation of art and design. They will explore and develop an understanding of how art and design both reflects and shapes our history and contributes to the culture, creativity and wealth of our vast and ever changing world.

In the words of Pablo Picasso- “Every child is an artist”. It is our aim to nurture children who are imaginative, resilient, happy, confident and creative individuals that are proud to share and discuss their creations and opinions with others.

How we teach…

At Bentley St Paul’s C of E Primary School the teaching and implementation of the art and design curriculum is embedded from Early Years through to Class 6. It is underpinned by a robust knowledge and skills framework that builds upon the national curriculum programmes of study, whereby projects are carefully sequenced and interconnected to support children’s learning, helping develop coherence of visual elements, art forms, artists, art movements and artistic concepts; ensuring all pupils are challenged in line with their year group expectations and are given the opportunity to build on prior knowledge. For those requiring additional support, specific provision and strategies are well thought and put into place to meet the needs of each child. Art and design projects are purposefully placed alongside other subject projects where there are opportunities for making meaningful cross-curricular links through specific year group historical, geographical and scientific contexts.

Throughout their Bentley journey, every child is given the opportunity to learn the skills of drawing, painting, collage, printmaking, sculpting, textiles and digital art as well as exploring a range of great artists, craft makers and designers; discovering how their work has shaped historical periods and cultures. Every child is given the opportunity to develop their ideas and artistic skills, expressing their individuality and creativity in their own sketch book showcasing and celebrating the process of art alongside their final piece. Emphasis is placed upon teaching and learning key vocabulary, ensuring it is reinforced so it becomes familiar to our children as they progress through school and address different artistic concepts. The children are encouraged to use this key vocabulary to support them when comparing and discussing art pieces and when critiquing work of their own and others.

Impact...

Through following a clear and comprehensive art and design framework in line with the national curriculum, it is expected that from each of their starting points, all children will make good progress. They will retain knowledge, and secure and embed skills taught within each unit of work that they can apply in a range of contexts but also further develop supporting them in reaching their full potential. They will begin to understand what being an ‘artist’ means and that everyone is capable.

• They will be respectful communicators; who are able to evaluate and analyse creative work using the language of art, sharing their thoughts and ideas in a courteous way whilst listening respectfully and with tolerance to the views of others.
• They will be aspirational learners; who are ambitious and take pride in all that they do, always striving to do their best.
• They will be resilient individuals; who have the ability to persevere when they encounter challenge and are able to discuss their successes and failures drawing on their experiences as a learning opportunity.
• They will be global citizens; who are kind, respectful and honest, demonstrate inclusive attitudes and have a sense of individual identity in our wider society.