Art

Statement of Intent

‘Every human is an artist.’ Don Miguel Ruiz

Our aspiration for Art at Whitehall is for all children to leave Whitehall with an appreciation of the arts that will last them a lifetime. Our Arts curriculum will give children the opportunity to experiment and create their own works of art through using a wide range of materials, media and techniques, as well as find out about a diverse range of famous artists.  

We aim for high quality Art lessons which engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent, discuss and create their work. We strive to provide an inclusively creative environment where children can reach their full potential, celebrating personal achievements and recognising the strengths of themselves and of others.

As pupils progress, they should be able to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of art and design. They should also know how art and design both reflect and shape our history, and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation.

Our Art curriculum has been designed by an Art teacher and the subject-lead in line with the National Curriculum to ensure that all Art skills are covered and progress throughout the whole school. Art and Design is a fully integrated subject across the curriculum, with particular links made with our enquiry-based subjects and in English as a method for exploring and generating ideas for writing.  We have an inclusive approach to teaching which offers equal opportunities for children to develop their ideas and understanding through the Arts before applying these to written contexts. Our curriculum is designed to give all children the opportunity and the empowerment to be creative, critical, reflective artists who can to learn from others, whilst developing their own artistic style.

 As part of our wider curriculum, we ensure that children have a broad knowledge and understanding of a range of skills. By the end of Year 6, it our intention that children will being able to:

• Observe and record from first-hand experiences as well as from the imagination.
• Be competent in controlling a variety of materials and tools
• Be aware of the visual and tactile elements of art including: colour, pattern and texture, line and tone, shape, form and space and sculpture
• Become proficient in various art and design techniques and processes.
• Be reflective practitioners who improve and edit their work through the creative process

 Teachers ensure there is progression in knowledge and skills by using our Progression document, which sets out the objectives taught in each year group. Throughout our Art curriculum, children are exposed to a broadly balanced range of skills and artists. Within each unit, children create work based around a theme or artist and explore the different techniques used to create the piece. The children will also focus on a particular skill e.g. painting, throughout this unit.

Art and RE Week 2024

Green Faith, Green Future?

This year, for arts week, we used an enquiry linked to Religious Education and World Views on our world now, and its future.

To do this, we wanted to create a collaborative art piece that would send a message about the importance of looking after our world.

Reflecting on the rubbish we leave behind on our lands and in our oceans, we created a world map using non-biodegradable waste. We not only wanted to demonstrate the waste we are leaving behind, but also highlight the beauty that the world has to offer.

We looked at patterns, across the continents, that the world presents itself from above and used these as inspiration in the patterns we created with the waste.

The following Year groups created these continents, in our art piece:

Reception: Antarctica    Y1: Africa                Y2: Australasia           Y3: Asia   

Y4: North America      Y5: South America       Y6: Europe

Key documents