Art

ART

INTENT  

At Widewell, we value art as an important part of the children’s entitlement to a rich, broad and balanced curriculum. Art provides children with opportunities to express their individual emotions, interests, thoughts and ideas; through these opportunities, we want them to appreciate and value images and artefacts across times and cultures and to understand the contexts in which they were made. Using our locality, we hope to build a connection with our community and to allow the children access to the growing art and creative scene in Plymouth. 

Experiences in art, craft and design enable them to learn how to reflect critically on their own and others’ work as well as adding to their art capital. We want children to engage with different types of art and value its impact on mood and wellbeing as well as the way art reflects culture, history and creativityWe believe art can be used to develop technical and academic understanding whilst offering times of calm reflection and emotional expression. 

We want children to develop confidence using a range of media and feel a strong sense of achievement when creating original works of art. As pupils progress, they will be supported to think critically and develop a deeper understanding of art and design. Art, craft and design embody some of the highest forms of human creativity. At Widewell 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. The national curriculum for art and design aims to ensure that all pupils:  

  • produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences  

  • become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques  

  • evaluate and analyse creative works using the language of art, craft and design  

  • know about great artists, craft makers and designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms.  

IMPLEMENTATION  

At Widewell, as well as special projects encountered through the year, children are taught art in a block as part of their termly theme work. A wide range of art skills and knowledge is covered by our curriculum over a two-year rolling programme for each planning team. This includes the exploration of art from other cultures and historical periods, as well as local art and artists. Widewell children continue to engage with wider community art projects, including opportunities such as creating a board for the ‘Road to Plymouth’ display, designing badges for Armed Forces’ day and the St Luke’s Elmer trail.  

IMPACT  

Children will become skilled, creative learners, who have a breadth of knowledge about the great artists and works of art across the world. Creativity and innovation will be celebrated and children will become adept at editing and improving the pieces they have created. Children will have embedded the key art and design skills needed to allow them to produce inventive pieces of art in a range of different media and forms.