Art & design

Subject Leader: Emily Lile

Our vision:

We provide all children with the opportunity to develop creativity and confidence as they engage with a range of design techniques and artistic media in purposeful, progressive lessons.

Our ambition is for children to develop and hone their individual creativity, whilst building an understanding and an evaluation of the role that the visual arts hold in celebrating culture, giving individuals a voice and bringing joy to others.

Intent:

At Hartwell Primary School, art encompasses art and design, celebrating the work of artists, craftspeople and designers from a wide range of cultures, times and disciplines. Our intent is to ensure that art holds a significant, valued place within the ethos of the school, offering every child a rich, balanced and inspiring curriculum.

We aim for all children to:

Develop the confidence, skills and knowledge to communicate ideas creatively through a variety of media, styles and forms.
Engage actively and enjoyably in art and design, developing imagination, curiosity and problem-solving.
Become visually literate, understanding and using key elements of art such as line, tone, colour, texture, shape, form and space.
Experience progression and challenge, recognising their own artistic development and learning how to evaluate their work.
Learn about significant artists, craftspeople and designers, understanding how art reflects different cultures, historical periods and perspectives.
Work individually and collaboratively, building a community of artists and developing social, reflective and personal skills.
Access art equally, regardless of ability, gender, race or disability, within an inclusive and supportive environment.

Art at Hartwell ensures that all pupils have the opportunity to express themselves, explore creativity and produce meaningful work linked both to their own experiences and to a wider cultural and artistic world.

Implementation:

Art is taught using a clear whole-school structure that aligns with curriculum expectations, teaching and learning strategies, differentiation, SEND support and equal opportunities.

Teaching and Learning

Teachers model skills and techniques such as sketching, shading and experimenting with media.
Guided modelling supports step-by-step learning, particularly for younger or less confident pupils.
Children engage in discussion, questioning, exploration (both focused and free), and observational learning through artefacts, images, local buildings and online resources.
Art is taught both discretely and through cross-curricular links, while ensuring that the art skills being developed remain explicit and purposeful.
Children are encouraged to work individually, in pairs, in groups and as whole classes, supporting collaboration and community.

Progression and Memory

To support long-term understanding and retention:

Key skills and vocabulary are repeated and revisited.
Sketchbooks are used from Year 1–6 to explore ideas, record observations, practise skills and show progression.
Flipcharts, success criteria and language books allow children to revisit prior learning.

Curriculum Organisation

KS1 and KS2 planning is based firmly on National Curriculum expectations.
EYFS art is taught through Expressive Arts and Design, with opportunities embedded in continuous provision.
Each year group completes one art sequence per term plus a school-wide Art Day led by the subject leader, often supported by professional artists.
The subject leader monitors planning, teaching, assessment, resources and whole-school displays.
Class teachers ensure lessons meet statutory requirements and that children’s artwork is displayed attractively with clear labelling.

Sketchbooks

Sketchbooks are personal working documents used to:

Collect ideas, explore media, make preparatory studies and record observations.
Store photographs, colour trials, media tests and ICT printouts.
Demonstrate progression and evidence for assessment.

Through the Art curriculum at Hartwell Primary School, pupils:

Develop a broad range of artistic skills, becoming proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and mixed media.
Demonstrate increasing control, creativity and confidence when using materials.
Build a deep understanding of key artistic concepts and vocabulary, applying them accurately when discussing and evaluating work.
Show clear progression of skills through their sketchbooks and final outcomes.
Are able to analyse and reflect on their own work, recognising successes and identifying next steps.
Appreciate the diversity of art across cultures and periods, connecting this understanding to their own creative work.
Work independently and collaboratively, demonstrating resilience, originality and imaginative thought.
Recognise themselves as artists and creators, with the ability to express ideas and emotions visually.

Monitoring and Assessment

Using our Voice 21 strategies; recording individual children's responses to their work and the work of others.
The subject leader monitors attainment across the school, evaluates the impact of teaching and learning, and identifies areas for development through the Art Development Plan.
Sketchbooks provide key evidence of individual progress, skill development and creative journey.

As a result, children leave Hartwell Primary School with a strong foundation in art, craft and design, a sense of achievement, and a lifelong appreciation of creativity and visual expression.

The subject leader

To ensure an effective art curriculum, I monitor teaching and learning through lesson observations and work scrutinies, in addition to gathering pupil voice. Such actions enable me to understand how art is progressing in our school and what areas we can celebrate and build on to ensure an engaging and high quality curriculum. I take a lead in planning wider art opportunities around the school, including art weeks and competitions to promote art at the highest level at Hartwell.

I feel very passionate about art, I have studied Fashion & Textiles to degree level and am particularly interested in the exploration and development of sketchbooks and for children to use them as a vehicle to record their thoughts, ideas and explore their own, personal artistic pathways.

Pupil Voice

Children’s views about art is invaluable. it allows teachers to understand how our provision is being received, and in return, guides our next steps to further enhance our high-quality teaching and learning.

Please click here to see EYFS/KS1 art pupil voice

Please click here to see KS2 art pupil voice

Please click here to see SMSC in Art

The Art curriculum at Hartwell

Our art curriculum enables our children to build on a range of art skills, working towards and refining final statement pieces. Our coverage includes:

Sketchbook development
Drawing
Collage and Textile making
Printmaking
Painting
Critical reflection and articulation

To be engaging and purposeful in our teaching of art we focus on developing artistic skills and related knowledge within the context of a progressive curriculum. Staff monitor the progress their class makes through each artistic skill to ensure artistic abilities progress year-on-year, and enables opportunities for further challenge and support where relevant, to ensure all children have personal learning journeys and achieve their art ambitions.
We study a wide range of artists in order to develop a critical response to art, and to support pupils understanding of the range of visual art on offer.

We immerse children in an art-rich environment that also emphasises the importance of the arts, and the positive impact that art can have on people and the community. As a result, our children recognise the power that visual art can have in sharing ideas, representing freedom of thought and celebrating individuality.

.In Key Stage 1, pupils are taught:

to use a range of materials creatively to design and make products
to use drawing, painting and sculpture to develop and share their ideas, experiences and imagination
to develop a wide range of art and design techniques in using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space
about the work of a range of artists, craft makers and designers, describing the differences and similarities between different practices and disciplines, and making links to their own work.

In Key Stage 2, pupils are taught:

to use a range of materials creatively to design and make products
to use drawing, painting and sculpture to develop and share their ideas, experiences and imagination
to develop a wide range of art and design techniques in using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space
about the work of a range of artists, craft makers and designers, describing the differences and similarities between different practices and disciplines, and making links to their own work.

Early Years Foundation Stage

Art take places regularly in Reception at our school, contributing significantly to many of the Early Learning Goals (ELGs), including ‘Expressive Arts and Design’. Pupils will be introduced and will explore different mediums, as well as ways of expressing their imagination. For example, children look at the work of Andrew Goldsworthy and be inspired to use natural resources as a form of expression. Children are also offered opportunities to complete artistic activities independently through our Reception’s own Arts and Crafts Area. All of these learning opportunities help children to not only fund ways of expressing their ideas but to also build and reflect upon it, to find other ways of doing things differently and to meet specific goals.