Why is Art important?

At Lingham Primary school, we want our curriculum to inspire all pupils and foster a real love of learning. We value every individual, and aim to deliver a high-quality art curriculum which will equip every child with the tools they need to express themselves confidently and creatively while developing their motor skills. We have consequently chosen to develop our curriculum through Kapow Primary. Our chosen Art and design curriculum aims to inspire pupils and develop their confidence to experiment and invent their own works of art. We aspire to give pupils opportunities to develop their ability, nurture their talent and interests, express their ideas and thoughts about the world, as well as learning about art and artists across cultures and through history. Throughout their journey as artists, our pupils will be supported to meet the national curriculum end of key stage attainment targets through inclusive, accessible and engaging learning opportunities.

How do we teach Art?

The art curriculum is designed with key strands that run throughout. These are: generating ideas, using sketchbooks, making skills, including formal elements (line, shape, tone, texture, pattern, colour), knowledge of artists and evaluating and analysing. Units of lessons are sequential, which allows children to build their skills and knowledge, going on to apply them to a range of outcomes. The units are organised into four core areas: drawing, painting and mixed-media, sculpture and 3D and craft and design.

At Lingham, we value each child as an individual and believe that art is a wonderful subject in which children should have the opportunity to express their individuality. Creativity and independent outcomes are embedded into each unit, supporting children to make their own creative choice and decisions. This ensures that their art outcomes are unique to the pupils. 

Art is taught discreetly throughout one half term per term. In addition to this, we aim to teach additional art through themed days and weeks at various points throughout the school year. This allows children to have the opportunity to apply their skills, knowledge and creativity in different ways, both individually and through collaborative learning. Our lessons are practical in nature and encourage experimental and exploratory learning with pupils using sketchbooks to document their own ideas. At Lingham Primary we are always inclusive and ensure that lessons can be accessed by all pupils, with opportunities to stretch pupils’ learning when required.

How do we measure the impact of Art?

Our curriculum ensures that children are involved in the evaluation, discussion and decision making about the quality of their art. We aim to foster confidence in our pupils and encourage them to identify what they have accomplished as well as improvements they need to make. By engaging in regular discussions and decision-making processes, children will be able to talk confidently about their learning journey.

Teachers will monitor the impact of our art curriculum through both formative and summative assessment opportunities. This may be done through carefully planned retrieval activities linked to previous learning. This information is then used to inform future learning, ensuring that teachers can support and challenge pupils appropriately. By the end of Key Stage 2, we aim for our pupils to leave Lingham Primary equipped with a range of techniques, skills and the confidence and creativity to form a strong foundation for their Art and Design learning at Key Stage 3 and beyond.