At Beechcroft St Paul's, we believe that pupils should master art and design through effective teaching of the key areas; making, generating ideas, formal elements, knowledge of artists and evaluation of their art. Children at Beechcroft are taught art and design through a progression of skills, building on their previous learning and ensuring progress is made. We encourage our pupils to enjoy and explore the work of different artists and to appreciate the enrichment that visual art brings to life.

Aims of the Art and Design Curriculum

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.

Our art and design curriculum allows children to create artwork through the use of formal elements. There is focus on the influence and exploration of great artists to inspire our pupils own artwork. Pupils are able to express their opinions of artwork with sophisticated use of language. By creating original artwork of their own, documenting their artwork in their sketchbooks and exploring other sources of inspiration for their own artwork, pupils can generate their own ideas of art and design. This ranges from, inspiration from other artists in year 2, to using literary sources to convey ideas through art in year 4. These key skills are built upon across the school to allow children to build on their prior learning and become more accomplished artists with a developed understanding of art.

• Making (drawing, colour, painting, materials, craft)
• Generating ideas (sketchbooks, inspiration, creating original artwork)
• Formal elements
• Knowledge of artists
• Evaluation