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“I found I could say things with colour and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way – things I had no words for.”
- Georgia O’Keeffe
Our Goal
At English Martyrs, our art program aims to inspire students and build their confidence to create their own works of art. We want to nurture their talents, encourage them to express their ideas, and teach them about art and artists from different cultures and history. Our curriculum meets the National Curriculum (2014) targets.
How we teach Art
Our art curriculum is organized into blocks, each focusing on disciplines like drawing, painting, printmaking, textiles, 3D art, and collage. Students revisit these disciplines throughout their primary years, tackling more complex challenges over time.
Key aspects of artistic development such as shape, line, color, value, form, texture, and space are emphasized. Activities are designed to enhance students' vocabulary and ability to discuss art meaningfully.
Our curriculum has five main strands:
- Substantive knowledge, including artists
- Disciplinary knowledge, including formal elements of art (line, shape, texture, color, form, space, tone)
- Practical knowledge, including idea generation and creating art
- Using sketchbooks
- Evaluating and analyzing art
Teachers adapt lessons to create cross-curricular links and encourage creativity and independent outcomes. Lessons are practical, promote experimentation, and are adaptable for all students.
Impact
Our art curriculum engages children in evaluating and discussing their work, helping them understand and improve their artistic outcomes. Continuous assessment allows teachers to monitor progress and provide guidance.
Students will leave English Martyrs with various art techniques, confidence, and creativity, ready for Key Stage 3 and beyond. They will:
- Create and explore their ideas and experiences.
- Be skilled in drawing, painting, sculpture, and other art techniques.
- Evaluate and analyze art using specific language.
- Know about great artists and the cultural history of art.
- Meet the national curriculum expectations for Art and Design.
Related Blog Posts
Year 2 Monster Doodle Masterclass
Year 2 joined a Children’s University masterclass where we heard from an illustrator called Laura who does animations for CBeebies. She demonstrated how to draw a range of amazing monsters and then the children all had a go.
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Design and technology textiles
We have been working textiles to create our own box covered in fabric. It was pretty messy but they looked great
Designing Cakes in Nursery B
This week the children in nursery received a letter from Mr and Mrs Baker asking them to enter the ‘Award Winning Cake Competition’. The children are thinking carefully and talking to one another about the shape and size of their cakes as well as toppings and flavours.