Art, craft and design embody some of the highest forms of human creativity. A high-quality art and design education should 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. 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.
The national curriculum for Art and Design aims to ensure that all pupils:
(National Curriculum 2013)
At Sycamore Academy we believe that art plays a vital role in children’s development. We believe that art should be a creative process in which pupils feel free to explore, experiment and take creative risks. Pupils are given opportunities to learn traditional and experimental skills, work with 2 dimensional and 3 dimensional forms, and produce work individually and collaboratively.
Children study a range of artists both contempory and historical, from different ethnicities and backgrounds. Children are encouraged to reflect and form their own opinions on different types of art and develop their skills as Art Critics. Children record their learning journeys in sketchbooks, which reflect a range of skills and experiences. Our aim at Sycamore Academy is to create “confident, independent artists who can articulate and value their own creative journeys.’’
Through their art and design work children learn about drawing, painting, printing, collage, textiles, 3D and use IT where appropriate. Children also find out about a range of artists through their artist study work. Each unit of work begins with a drawing focus which is recorded in the children’s sketch books. They then develop this into finding out about an artist/s that has created the type of artwork that they too will create. Through their sketch books the children develop their ideas on colour and investigate how this will be woven into their final piece. Our drawing work is focused upon 6 formal elements of art: line, tone, shape and form, texture, colour and pattern.
The intended outcome of our art and design curriculum is that children will be inspired to continue their art journey into secondary education and beyond. We share with them a range of artists so that they can see where this area of the curriculum could lead them professionally. At Sycamore Academy we want to have children who are “confident, independent artists who can articulate and value their own creative journeys.’’
