Art
Curriculum Leaders: Sarah Clouter (EYFS/KS1) and Laura Oswald (KS2)
Mrs Clouter and Mrs Oswald are our art leaders and are responsible for this curriculum area. This means ensuring we teach an ambitious curriculum, supporting our teachers to implement our curriculum through high-quality lessons and checking that lessons are helping our children to know more, remember more and do more.
Purpose of study
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.
Aims
The national curriculum for art and design aims to ensure that all pupils:
produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences
become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques
evaluate and analyse creative works using the language of art, craft and design
know about great artists, craft makers and designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms.
Intent
We are setting out to help our pupils be ...
Skillful - Children become proficient with a diverse range of skills and techniques.
Excited - Children love to produce creative artwork and explore their own ideas.
Resilient - Children are resilient and enjoy art even when it is not perfect.
Cultured - Children learn about great artists from a variety of cultures throughout history and in the world today.
Implementation
We will do this by ensuring ...
A variety of experiences - Children gain real-life experiences through visitors and trips.
Children have a broad and balanced curriculum - A broad and exciting curriculum that is engaging for children.
Giving children time - Allow children time to make and explore without expectations first.
Children have a broad and balanced curriculum - Content is taught progressively, looking at different artists in each year group.
Impact
We will have made a difference when ...
Children value the arts - Children see value in the arts and see artistic careers as viable options.
Children enjoy the arts - Children enjoy their art learning and are proud of what they can produce.
Children are brave - Children are free to make mistakes and try new ideas.
Children can show what they know - All children are taught a varied curriculum and show a clear understanding of threshold concepts.
Our children will be taught to...
Year R
In Year R children are introduced to the world of computing and technology. They are taught that technology is used in various places such as homes and schools, and that it can be used for different purposes.
Children are encouraged to explore a range of technology, including digital devices such as tablets, laptops, and interactive whiteboards, as well as other tools such as cameras, talking tins, and programmable toys. Through hands-on experiences, they learn how to select and use these technologies for particular purposes, such as using a camera to take photographs or a talking tin to record and playback their voice.
The aim is for children to develop their knowledge and understanding of the ways in which technology can be used, and to develop their skills in using these tools effectively. They are also taught about the importance of staying safe and responsible when using technology, such as keeping personal information private and being respectful when communicating online.
Key Stage 1
In Key Stage 1, each autumn term begins with the colour project Mix It. The teaching of this project in Years 1 and 2 enables children to be introduced to and then revisit colour theory and provides plentiful opportunities for children to explore primary and secondary colours.
Year 1 begins by exploring themes directly related to the children themselves, such as their facial features, the surrounding natural world and their local community.
In Year 2, the projects expand children’s artistic horizons to study a more comprehensive range of artists, artistic movements and creative techniques.
Lower Key Stage 2
In Lower Key Stage 2, each autumn term begins with the colour project Contrast and Complement. In Years 3 and 4, the teaching of this project enables children to build on their previous understanding of colour and further develop their expertise by studying theory.
In Year 3, children expand their experiences to study a broader range of art forms, artists and genres. They also begin to study art from specific and diverse periods of history, including prehistoric pottery and Roman mosaics. Other genres studied in Year 3 build on previous techniques learned in Key Stage 1 and include more complex techniques in printmaking, drawing, painting and textiles.
In Year 4, children develop more specialised techniques in drawing, painting, printmaking and sculpture. They explore ways in which ancient cultures have influenced art and crafts by studying, for example, medieval weaving techniques and the religious significance of Islamic art.
Upper Key Stage 2
Upper Key Stage 2 In Upper Key Stage 2, each autumn term begins with the colour project Tints, Tones and Shades. Teaching these projects in Years 5 and 6 enables children to build on their previous understanding of colour theory and develop further expertise with colour by studying tonal variations and more complex colour charts.
In Year 5, children develop and combine more complex artistic techniques in a range of genres, including drawing, painting, printmaking and sculpture. Children continue to build on their understanding of other historical periods and cultures by studying the ancient Chinese art form of taotie and the significance of the Expressionist movement.
In Year 6, children are encouraged to work more independently in projects like Environmental Artists and Distortion and Abstraction. Such projects require them to consider more conceptual representations of personal, environmental, social or political messaging. Children explore diversity in art by studying the projects Inuit and Trailblazers, Barrier Breakers.
Units of Learning
Year 1 - Autumn
Mix It
This teaches basic colour theory by studying the colour wheel and colour mixing. It includes an exploration of primary and secondary colours and how artists use colour in their artwork.
Year 1 - Autumn
Funny Faces & Fabulous Features
This teaches the concept of the portrait and how the collage technique can be used to make a portrait.
Year 1 - Spring
Rain & Sunrays
This project teaches children about collagraph printing, including how to develop a motif to make single and repeated prints.
Year 1 - Summer
Street View
This project teaches children about artwork depicting streets and buildings and focuses on the work of the American pop artist, James Rizzi. They create a 3-D mural based on Rizzi's work.
Year 2 - Autumn
Mix It
This project teaches children about basic colour theory by studying the colour wheel and colour mixing. It includes an exploration of primary and secondary colours and how artists use colour in their artwork.
Year 2 - Autumn
Still Life
This project teaches children about the work of significant still life artists and still life techniques. They explore a wide variety of still lifes and learn about the use of colour and composition. They create still life arrangements and artwork.
Year 2 - Spring
Flower Head
This project teaches children about the visual elements of flowers, including shape, texture, colour, pattern and form. They also explore various artistic methods, including drawing, printmaking and 3D forms, using paper and clay.
Year 2 - Summer
Portraits & Poses
This project teaches children about portraiture. They analyse the portraits of Tudor monarchs and compare Tudor portraits and selfies today. They use photo editing software to create royal portraits.
Year 3 - Autumn
Contrast & Complement
This project teaches children about colour theory by studying the colour wheel and colour mixing. It includes an exploration of tertiary colours, warm and cool colours, complementary colours and analogous colours, and how artists use colour in their artwork.
Year 3 - Autumn
Prehistoric Pots
This project teaches children about Bell Beaker pottery. It allows the children to explore different clay techniques, which they use to make and decorate a Bell Beaker-style pot.
Year 3 - Spring
People and Places
This project teaches children about the genre of figure drawing. They study the figure drawings and urban landscapes of the artist LS Lowry and create artwork in his style to show scenes from their school.
Year 3 - Spring
Ammonite
This project teaches children about artistic techniques used in sketching, printmaking and sculpture.
Year 3 - Summer
Beautiful Botanicals
This project teaches children about the genre of botanical art. They create natural weavings, two-colour prints and beautiful and detailed botanical paintings of fruit.
Year 3 - Summer
Mosaic Masters
This project teaches children about the history of mosaics, before focusing on the colours, patterns and themes found in Roman mosaics. The children learn techniques to help them design and make a mosaic border tile.
Year 4 - Autumn
Contrast & Complement
This project teaches children about colour theory by studying the colour wheel and colour mixing. It includes an exploration of tertiary colours, warm and cool colours, complementary colours and analogous colours, and how artists use colour in their artwork.
Year 4 - Autumn
Warp & Weft
This project teaches children about the art form of weaving and how it has developed over time, including the materials and techniques required to create woven patterns and products.
Year 4 - Spring
Vista
This project teaches children about the techniques that artists use when composing landscape images, such as colour and atmosphere.
Year 4 - Spring
Animal
This project teaches children about the historical and cultural portrayal of animals in art. They study the visual qualities of animals through sketching, printmaking and clay modelling.
Year 4 - Summer
Statues, Statuettes & Figurines
This project teaches children about the 3D representation of the human form, including statues, statuettes and figurines. They study examples from ancient civilisations and use their clay skills to create a Sumer-style figurine.
Year 4 - Summer
Islamic Art
This project teaches children about the features of Islamic art. They make geometric patterns and motifs on paper, with fabric and in clay. They use their learning to create a high-relief clay tile, decorated with geometric patterns.
Year 5 - Autumn
Tints, Tones & Shades
This project teaches children about colour theory by studying the colour wheel and exploring mixing tints, shades and tones. They learn about significant landscape artworks and features of landscapes before using this knowledge to create landscape paintings.
Year 5 - Autumn
Taotie
This project teaches children about the significance and art of the taotie motif, including ancient and contemporary casting methods.
Year 5 - Spring
Line, Light & Shadows
This project teaches children about the visual qualities of line, light and shadow. They explore the work of Pablo Picasso and Rembrandt and are introduced to a range of shading techniques. They take black and white photographs and use pencil, pen and ink wash to reimagine their photographs in a shaded drawing.
Year 5 - Spring
Nature's Art
This project teaches children about the genre of land art. They work outdoors to sketch natural forms and explore the sculptural potential of natural materials before working collaboratively to create land art installations.
Year 5 - Summer
Mixed Media
This project teaches children about paper crafts, papermaking and collage techniques, including paper, fabric, mixed media and photo collage. They use their learning to create a final piece of small-scale, mixed-media collage.
Year 5 - Summer
Expression
This project teaches children about the Expressionist art movement and the 'Father of Expressionism', Edvard Munch. They explore different ways to portray feelings and emotions in art to create an imaginative self-portrait.
Year 6 - Autumn
Tints, Tones & Shades
This project teaches children about colour theory by studying the colour wheel and exploring mixing tints, shades and tones. They learn about significant landscape artworks and features of landscapes before using this knowledge to create landscape paintings.
Year 6 - Autumn
Trail Blazers, Barrier Breakers
This project teaches children about significant black artists and their work and provides opportunities to analyse and create artwork inspired by them.
Year 6 - Spring
Inuit
This project teaches children about the Inuit way of life, including some of their cultural and artistic traditions.
Year 6 - Spring
Environmental Artists
This project teaches children about the genre of environmental art. They study how artists create artwork that addresses social and political issues related to the natural and urban environment. Children work collaboratively to create artwork with an environmental message.
Year 6 - Summer
Bees, Beetles & Butterflies
This project teaches children about sketchbooks, observational drawing, mixed media collage and Pop Art. They consolidate their learning to make a final piece of artwork inspired by bees, beetles or butterflies.
Year 6 - Summer
Distortion & Abstraction
This project teaches children about the concepts of abstraction and distortion. They study the visual characteristics of abstraction and create a musically-inspired, abstract painting.
We are on Instagram! Follow the QR code or search us at oakridge_fed_artanddt
Art and DT around the school
Displays
March 2022
Year 2 had the opportunity to work with the artist Fatima Pantoja last week, creating paper cut-out collages inspired by Henri Mattisse. These are going to be used to form part of a mural in Festival Place so keep a look out! 
Year 6 were also lucky enough to work with a visiting artist Vanessa Rolf who has taught them some textile skills which they will apply later on in their current unit.
