Art & Design
Welcome to Art:
Subject Coordinator: Miss Harrison
Contact: amy.harrison@bramhopeprimaryschool.co.uk
Welcome to Art and Design
Art and Design is an incredibly important subject because it can help children to learn and grow in so many different ways. It can foster increased self-esteem, communication skills, evaluative skills, strategic thinking, help problem-posing and thinking outside the box, promote diversity, respect and intercultural understanding, show that making mistakes can be liberating and open up new opportunities, provide therapeutic benefits, support emotional literacy and make us feel happier!
According to Cultural Learning Alliance research, children who engage in the arts thrive at school. “Indeed, arts education contributes to raising attainment in maths and literacy,” says Lizzie Crump, Co-Director of the Cultural Learning Alliance. “People often focus on the core academic subjects as predictors of children’s future success, but actually, children who have a rich grounding in the arts are more likely to vote, go to university, get a job and keep it in their later life.”
“The creative economy is the fastest growing sector in the UK economy, made up of professions like architecture, advertising and design, film-making, IT and games development, as well as the more obvious performing arts vocations,” explains Julian Knight, Creative Director of Creative Futures.
What makes Art and Design different at Bramhope?
BELONG
At Bramhope Primary School we want all children to feel that they belong and can express themselves freely and creatively in art lessons. We foster an inclusive environment where children are encouraged to speak positively about their own, and others’, work. We regularly discuss and celebrate how our challenges and mistakes can help us learn and can sometimes work out even better than we had planned. We can turn our ‘mistakes’ into wonderful unplanned successes and creative opportunities!
We have carefully chosen 10 key artists (click to find out more) who have been selected to meet the needs of our children. The selection includes artists from a wide range of cultural backgrounds and genders with the hope of enhancing children’s cultural capital and providing a rich tapestry of inspiration from which to draw.
In addition to this, we now have our own BPS Arts Council with the intention of providing more enriching arts opportunities for enhancing cultural capital for our pupils. All children at our school can contribute ideas regarding the arts (via our
‘Arts Suggestion Boxes’) and our arts council will discuss the ideas and help guide teachers on how to shape their arts education. We are awaiting our BPS Arts Council designed badges so that children know who to talk to about their ideas too.
BE YOUR BEST & BE BRAMHOPE
At BPS Art lessons are taught in a dedicated Art Studio allowing access to all creative resources and providing great opportunities for spontaneous ideas and individual projects.
Our curriculum is designed for our students. It builds upon the National Curriculum and at its heart is created to provide a rich and inspiring creative experience, helping children to build upon existing skills and forge new ones.
We dedicate an hour a week to art and design and alternate this half-termly with DT. Lessons are first planned to meet the skills required to ensure progression for our pupils, where possible (and where deemed appropriate) learning is also linked to topics studied in other areas of the curriculum. We perceive a benefit to making suitable links to help deepen the desired learning and provide a richer, more engaging experience. However, we consider art and design to be a valuable stand-alone subject and, therefore, if the desired learning cannot successfully be fulfilled by a topic, no links will be made.
Learning art and design at BPS is built upon the progressive teaching of the formal elements of art and art and design skills, so that these fundamentals are firmly embedded. Upon these essential skills branches we hang enriching experiences to ensure a broad and exciting curriculum, such as clay sculpting, printing, architecture and collage.
We have high expectations of behaviour in art and design lessons and encourage children to push themselves artistically and take creative risks. We also value resilience and independence, allowing children to take their work in their own direction, where appropriate.
We make links to future careers in art and design so that children can see a purpose and value in their learning; ‘Today you are architects/artists/sculptors/designers!’ Our Arts Council met with a Graphic Designer to discuss the career and a Mosaic Artist recently came in to school to work with all children to design and make a whole school mosaic.
What are lessons like?
Due to our ongoing transition from mixed-age to single-age classes, we are currently re-designing our art and design curriculum. This will be based on a well-research programme from Focus Education. Documentation can be found here.
Children will develop practical skills and techniques in a wide array of disciplines such as drawing, painting, sculpture, collage and printing and these skills will be honed over the years through regular revisiting, building upon existing skills. Click on the following links to access our previous curriculum documents.
Art and Design. Progression of knowledge and skills.
Art and Design. Long Term Plan.
Where appropriate, we enhance learning by using I.T, the school grounds and the school garden. During their time at Bramhope pupils should develop a bank of visual vocabulary to help them articulate ideas (oracy), appreciate and evaluate works of art, specific styles and their own work. Children will study a broad range of artists, styles and periods that reflect the diversity of Leeds life and the wider world. Children will learn about how culture and society can impact artists’ choices and how, in turn, artists can influence and shape society and culture.
What do we mean by progress?
Progress in art looks different from progress in other subjects. Using our progression documents and well planned and sequenced learning opportunities, we make space for opportunity, exploration, experience and discovery.
An example can be found here:
Year 1 – Mixing primary colours to make secondary ones
Year 2 – Exploring colour tone
Year 3/4 – Mixing tints, tones and shades
Year 5/6 – Using all their prior knowledge to mix their own colours for a particular chosen effect
What do we mean by assessment?
Art and Design assessment is in the form of ongoing formative methods such as meta-cognitive questioning (the processes used to plan, monitor, and assess one's understanding and performance), before, during and after learning, regular discussion and instant feedback. Learning from ‘mistakes’ or turning them into a creative advantage is regularly discussed. This process helps us work with the child to decide what is working for them and what their future creative learning needs might be. We also refer to our progression documents which help us assess if children are working towards, at or above age-related expectations. Sketchbooks, which accompany the children throughout school, also provide a valuable insight into the creative journey and progress of our pupils. Click here for Sketchbook Expectations.
Curriculum Documents & useful links
Art and Design. Progression of knowledge and skills.
Art and Design. Long Term Plan.
Links for parents
Information and activities from the Tate, London. https://www.tate.org.uk/kids
National Portrait Gallery Tours. https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/explore/tours
The New York Art museum's kids section offering virtual tours and information about art and some project ideas too. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/online-features/metkids/about
Craft Council - Uses minimal resources. https://www.craftscouncil.org.uk/stories
500 art activities to try with your children. https://artfulparent.com/activities/kids-arts-and-crafts-activities/
A dedicated channel for parents with tips on supporting your children in Art. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYHV3y1n4roNkM2WtPC-MKvhuJ-siWpTe
Digital art projects to do with your children. https://www.artistsinresidence.org.uk/resources/digital/