Art & Design
Art, craft and design provides pupils with the opportunity to experiment, invent and generate their own ideas; it should engage, inspire and challenge pupils.
At the Althorp Partnership, we believe that a high quality art and design education plays a positive role in the support and development of children so we aim to nurture children's abilities to be creative and take risks. We promote critical and reflective thinking and provide pupils with the confidence and skills to produce their own works of art as well as that of other artists, craft workers and designers. Children are taught to understand how art and design both reflect and shape our history, and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation.
Our art and design is planned and taught through a cross curricular approach while covering a progression of key skills from Year 1 to Year 6. This provides a meaningful curriculum, capturing the interests of the children, promoting a greater pupil involvement, and making learning relevant to them whilst meeting the National Curriculum requirements.
Art in the Early Years is developed through planned, purposeful play and through a mix of adult-led and child-initiated activity. Play is essential for children's development, building their confidence as they learn to explore the world around them, think about problems, and relate to others.
In Key Stage 1, pupils are given the chance to experiment with a range of material and techniques to express their ideas, experiences and imagination in addition to designing and making products. They will be introduced to skills such as drawing, printing, printmaking, photography and sculpture as well as more formal skills including line, pattern, shape, texture and tone. Pupils also learn about the work of a range of artists, craft makers and designers, making links between practices and to their own work.
In Key Stage 2, pupils improve their mastery of art and design techniques through further experimentation. They also broaden their knowledge about great artists, architects and designers in history and extend their abilities to critique their own work and that of others.