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.

National Curriculum in England, DfE 2013

Art Curriculum Intent

Thomlinson Junior School believes that every child should have the right to a curriculum that champions excellence; supporting pupils in achieving to the very best of their abilities. Art & Design is concerned with the aesthetic and creative response to the visual and tactile qualities of the natural and man-made world.  Art education has two parts – creation and evaluation.  The creative element required children to use equipment and materials to make representations imaginatively and realistically.  It also requires them to express their feelings and ideas.  Evaluation requires them to develop skills in evaluating their own and other artists’ work and to develop an understanding of the value of art in society.

Art Curriculum Implementation 

At Thomlinson Junior school, we follow and adapt the ‘Kapow’ Art and Design scheme. This covers four key elements of art:

• Drawing
• Painting & mixed media
• Sculpture and 3D
• Craft & Design

This enables a broad and balanced curriculum in Art and Design and ensures a progression of skills and learning across the key stage.

Art Curriculum Impact

Feedback will be verbal and based on the ideas, techniques, exploration and skills developed during the art and design process. Pupils will also be taught how to self-evaluate and reflect their work and progress.

Art & Design assessment is on-going and formative. It happens in the classroom as part of the normal teaching process. It informs lesson pitch, differentiated intervention and future planning.

Pupil attainment is assessed using the milestones set out in the Essentials Curriculum document.  Each unit has been matched to the relevant milestones, giving teachers a framework with which to assess the attainment of the children in any given unit. They use their professional judgement, based on what they have seen in the classroom and evidence from work the children have produced, to judge whether each child is working towards age related expectation (ARE), working at ARE or working above ARE.  This is recorded after each unit in Scholar Pack and analysed as part of our termly data analysis process.  From this, the subject leader can identify any problem areas or units that have gone particularly well, identify any significant gaps in learning and plans for future units and the following year can be adapted and updated as necessary.  In addition, the class teacher can monitor the progress of the children in their class and adjust their teaching as necessary.  

Inclusion in Art

At Thomlinson Junior School, we aim to enable all children to achieve to their full potential. This includes children of all abilities, social and cultural backgrounds, those with disabilities, EAL speakers and SEN statement and non-statemented.

All pupils are entitled to access the art curriculum at a level appropriate to their needs. To ensure inclusion, teachers use a range of strategies in line with the school’s Special Educational Needs and Disability Policy. Independent tasks, as well as teaching, are well-adapted to ensure full accessibility, as well as to provide appropriate challenge to different groups of learners. The school makes full use of additional adults who are deployed effectively to ensure that identified children are able to make progress in Art & Design. Through a carefully planned curriculum, one that includes opportunities for enrichment, we ensure a fully inclusive and engaging art curriculum for all pupils.