At Saint Joseph’s, the Borough, we believe that Art and Design embodies some of the highest forms of creativity as a subject and practical discipline. This encourages children of all abilities to excel and express themselves in an almost limitless capacity. Pablo Picasso famously said ‘Every child is an artist’ and he could not have been more correct. Our Art and Design curriculum aims to engage, inspire and challenge all pupils, equipping them with the skills and knowledge to experiment, invent and create their own works of visual art. As children move through the school, we want them to think critically and develop a deeper understanding of many different areas of art from all periods of history and all regions of the world. We want the pupils to produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences. We intend that they become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques. Using the language of art, craft and design, we aim for them to critically evaluate great works of art produced by the great artists, craft makers and designers. We scaffold children’s knowledge of how art reflects and shapes our history, and how itcontributes to the culture we live in today.
During their time at Saint Joseph’s, the Borough, we give all children the opportunity to experience as many rich and diverse opportunities as the art provision allows, with an explicit focus on skills. We employ a working artist one day a week who teaches Years 1-4. This highly experienced art specialist is skilled in a variety of forms of art including pottery, painting and art theory. They follow the National Curriculum, as do the teachers in Years 5 and 6. In Key Stage 1 children use a range of materials creatively to design and make products that record their experiences and imagination. They develop a wide range of Art and Design techniques in using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space. They learn about the work of a range of artists, craft makers and designers, describing the differences and similarities between different practices and disciplines, and making links to their own work. In Key Stage 2, the preceding knowledge and skills are deepened through increasing mastery of art and design techniques. From Year 3 the children have a sketch book that they use to record and revisit ideas. In Art and Design (and some Humanities) sessions they are taught about great artists, architects and designers in history such as; JMW Turner, Leonardo Da Vinci, Claude Monet, Katshushika Hokusai, Henri Rousseau, Henry Moore, Frida Kahlo, Sir David Hockney, Bridget Reilly, Sir Anthony Gormley and Sir Steve McQueen. Using these acknowledged masters, the pupils begin to grasp the historical and cultural developments of different art forms and movements.
The large majority of our pupils will be working at least at age-related expectations for their year group at the end of each school year in Art and Design and a significant proportion will be working beyond these expectations as a consequence of our well-planned and engaging curriculum. Classroom and whole school displays reflect the children’s sense of pride in their visual artwork, be it independent or collaborative. This is also demonstrated by creative outcomes across the wider curriculum where opportunities are maximised to produce artwork. The school environment is substantially enhanced with many pieces of work showcasing a range of mediums celebrating children’s achievements in Art and Design. These are regularly rotated so that the maximum number of pupils have their work on display. It also overtly demonstrates the subject’s high status within the school. Our proximity to first-rate, globally renowned galleries and museums such as Tate Modern, Tate Britain, The National Gallery, The British Museum, The Museum of London, The National Portrait Gallery and The Dulwich Picture Gallery allows us ample opportunity to expose our pupils to national and international art of great significance. This in turn will hopefully allow them to begin to acquire the cultural capital and literacy they need as they move through their education.
