In this section of the website, you will find information about our approach to teaching Art & Design at St Leonard’s.
At St Leonard’s, we believe that Art and Design form a vital part of children’s education and have a significant and valuable role, alongside the enrichment opportunities we offer our pupils through an exciting, relevant and exciting curriculum. Our enhanced art curriculum will develop children’s critical abilities and understanding of their own and others’ cultural heritages through studying a diverse range of male and female artists as well as local and global themes. Children will develop their understanding of the visual language of art with effective teaching and considered sequences of lessons and experiences. A high-quality art and design education will engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with the positive attitude, knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design- our aims exactly. As pupils progress, they are able to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of art and design. They grow to know how art and design both reflect and shape our history, and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation. Art and design stimulate creativity and promotes imagination. Our carefully designed art and design curriculum provides a variety of sensory experiences and a unique way of understanding and responding to the world. It enables children to communicate what they see, feel and think through the use of colour, texture, form, pattern, construction and different materials and processes. Children become involved in shaping their environments through art and design activities. They learn to make informed judgements and aesthetic and practical decisions. The skills and knowledge that children will develop throughout each art topic are mapped across each year group and throughout the school to ensure progression. This includes opportunities to revise and revisit so children can recall and apply skills and knowledge learnt. The emphasis on knowledge ensures that children understand the context of the artwork, as well as the artists that they are learning about and being inspired by. This enables links to other curriculum areas, including history and geography, with children developing a considerable knowledge of individual artists as well as individual works and art movements. A similar focus on skills means that children are given opportunities to express their creative imagination, as well as practise and develop mastery in the key processes of art: drawing, painting, printing, textiles and sculpture. Coordinated whole-school project work throughout the year for various purposes will ensure that art is given high status in the curriculum. The school’s high quality art curriculum is supported through the availability of a wide range of quality resources, which are used to support children’s confidence in the use of different media. We believe our children will:
