Art

Intent: At St. Kentigern’s Catholic Primary School, we endeavour to develop children’s appreciation of art and artists from a range of cultures, backgrounds and time periods. We seek to develop all children’s enjoyment and passion for art while studying significant artists who also shared and communicated their passions through their creativity and artwork. Our aim is to develop the cultural awareness of learners through the subject of art as well as developing skills and knowledge of working with a range of different media.

Our ambitious curriculum aims to develop children’s skills of drawing & sketching, colour, pattern, texture, sculpture, three-dimensional construction, printing and digital media. Artwork is linked into our Gospel values curriculum in order to make links with the children’s artwork and other curriculum areas. We want to ensure all of our learners have the experience to find success through both their understanding of art and through their own artistic expression. Our curriculum is designed to immerse children in learning of the great diversity of artists and their artistic styles, allowing our children’s cultural capital to grow; developing their awareness of art as a valued and necessary way to communicate, represent and express the beauty of creation and the relationships with other in life. It is a chance for enjoyment whilst learning about humans throughout time, from the earliest cave paintings, to modern artists still alive today, communicate their experience and understanding of God’s world around them.

Implementation: Our Art & Design curriculum seeks to provide children with a broad understanding of what art is and what it means to be an artist. From their start in Reception, children become familiar with a range of tools, artists and media. Beginning in Year 1, children begin to develop greater mastery of their skills, which they continue to build on through to Year 6. Children complete a sketchbook, where they gather thoughts, ideas and understanding of the artists, art forms or genre/style they study. This is carried through school with them for children to develop and reflect upon as they progress with their artistic abilities.

In each year group, Art & Design is taught through discreet art lessons, linked to our Gospel values curriculum and connected with other areas of learning such as Science, History or P.S.H.E. At the heart of each topic is a great artist, designer or craftsperson whose artwork forms the centre of the learning. The artists’ work and their unique significance are used as introduction for learning, before children develop their skills in a range of different media, drawing inspiration from both the style and on occasion from the messages behind an artist’s creation. Each child creates their own work, drawing upon their learning and mastering their newly acquired techniques and knowledge.

Impact: Art and Design is a subject which allows all children to showcase and express their understanding of the world around them. Throughout their primary school journey, the children’s progress as artists is celebrated through their independent work; their journey as creators is followed through their sketchbooks, which highlights the development of their artistic skill with each passing topic. Teachers at St. Kentigern’s have high expectations of our pupils to develop their cultural understanding and appreciation of art in all its wide-ranging styles. Our children progress with their knowledge of using technical and artistic vocabulary accurately and develop their reflective qualities about their own artwork and the creations of peers alike. The children at St. Kentigern’s develop a modern understanding of who can be an artist and what art is, whilst developing the patience, resilience and other transferable life-long skills.