Sparken Hill Academy
Art
Art Learning Journey
Art and Design: Whole School Journey
Inspired by artists, creating our own.
Every art unit sits within a class topic and is inspired by an artist, designer or craft maker. Follow the road from Reception to Year 6 to see the skills children build and the artists who inspire them. E = even year, O = odd year.
Our art units cover
- ✏️Drawing
- 🎨Painting
- 🖨️Printing
- 🏺Making and sculpture
Y5/6O
- AutumnBlitz, Bombs and BritainPainting a WW2 propaganda posterBanksy🎨
- SpringMission SurvivalDrawing landscapes in perspectiveStephen Wiltshire✏️
- SummerGroovy GreeksShaping and decorating a Greek-style clay potRoberto Lugo🏺
Y5/6E
- AutumnIndustrial RevolutionPainting industrial landscapesL.S. Lowry🎨
- SpringExtreme EarthDrawing bold, imaginative space artPeter Thorpe✏️
- SummerTomb RaidersAbstract painting with shape and colourJoan Mir�🎨
Y3/4O
- AutumnAwesome AfricaPrinting repeating patternsYinka Shonibare🖨️
- SpringRuthless RomansPainting with symbolism, tints and shadesGrayson Perry🎨
- SummerThere is No Planet BLand art with natural materialsAndy Goldsworthy🏺
Y3/4E
- AutumnRemarkable RainforestsPainting rainforest leaves, flowers and animalsFrida Kahlo🎨✏️
- SpringSavage Stone AgeDrawing inspired by cave artLaura Barbosa✏️
- SummerRaiders and SettlersA layered Pop Art collage of myselfPeter Blake🏺
Y1/2O
- AutumnDungeons and DragonsPainting dragons with colour mixing and mark-makingJordy Kerwick🎨
- SpringThe World Around MeDrawing portraitsPablo Picasso✏️
- SummerSun, Sea and SandSculpture with clay and natural materialsBarbara Hepworth🏺
Y1/2E
- AutumnGreat Fire of LondonPrinting colour and shape onto fabricWassily Kandinsky🖨️
- SpringArctic AdventuresDrawing Arctic landscapes with oil pastelsTed Harrison✏️
- SummerCreepy Crawlies and Our ClimateMaking a papier-m�ch� woodland characterJulie Arkell🏺
YearR
Reception: the journey starts with self-portraits. Children mix paint to match their hair and eye colour, make collages, print repeating patterns, draw carefully from what they see on visits, mix secondary colours and use natural materials to make pictures and sculptures.
Art and Design
Art plays a vital part in our children's education. Through the work of great artists, craftspeople and designers, children learn to see the world in new ways and to express their own ideas with skill and confidence.
Intent
Why we teach Art and Design
Our art curriculum is built on four essential areas: drawing, painting, printing and making with materials. Together, they make sure every child is taught all the visual elements of art and design.
Each area is taught through the work of a key artist, so knowledge and skills build carefully from year to year. We choose artists from a wide range of backgrounds, heritages and cultures, to encourage children to think critically about the world around them and to see themselves in the art they study.
Four essential areas
DrawingObservation, line, tone, perspective and mark-making with pencil, charcoal, chalk and pastel.
5 artist units
PaintingColour mixing, brushwork, watercolour and using colour to express mood and meaning.
6 artist units
PrintingStencils, block printing and repeating patterns, including printing onto fabric.
2 artist units
MakingSculpture, clay, papier mâché, collage and land art using natural materials.
5 artist units
Across all four areas, children learn the visual elements of art:
- Line
- Tone
- Colour
- Shape
- Form
- Texture
- Pattern
- 3D
Inspired by artists
Every unit starts with a real artist, so children understand the context behind the work they study.
Knowledge that builds
Skills and vocabulary are mapped across each key stage and revisited in more depth every year.
A voice of their own
Children use what they learn to create individual artworks and develop their own style.
Implementation
How we teach Art and Design
Art units are planned alongside each half-term's topic, creating links with history, geography and current cultural issues. Every unit has a small number of clear "to know" statements. Earlier learning is recapped at the start of each unit, so teachers can check what children remember and shape new learning around it. Subject vocabulary is taught throughout school, giving children the words to talk about techniques, artists' work, their own artwork and that of their classmates.
How every unit works
- Discover
Learn about an artist, their work and the context it was made in.
- Explore
Try out the artist's techniques and materials in sketchbooks.
- Plan
Sketch, test and develop ideas for a final piece.
- Create
Make an individual artwork inspired by the artist.
- Evaluate
Reflect, give opinions and refine the work.
Our learning journey
Our classes follow a two-year cycle, so each phase has an even-year and an odd-year set of artists. Every child studies both, meeting eighteen artists between Year 1 and Year 6.
- Drawing
- Painting
- Printing
- Making
Key Stage 1
Years 1 and 2
- Wassily KandinskyPrinting: abstract shape and colour on fabricEven year
- Ted HarrisonDrawing: Arctic landscapes in oil pastelEven year
- Julie ArkellMaking: papier mâché woodland charactersEven year
- Jordy KerwickPainting: colour mixing and dragonsOdd year
- Pablo PicassoDrawing: portraits and abstract facesOdd year
- Barbara HepworthMaking: seaside sculpture in clayOdd year
Lower Key Stage 2
Years 3 and 4
- Frida KahloPainting: symbolic rainforest self-portraitsEven year
- Laura BarbosaDrawing: cave art in charcoal and chalkEven year
- Peter BlakeMaking: Pop Art mixed-media collageEven year
- Yinka ShonibarePrinting: pattern and cultural identityOdd year
- Grayson PerryPainting: symbolism in watercolourOdd year
- Andy GoldsworthyMaking: land art with natural materialsOdd year
Upper Key Stage 2
Years 5 and 6
- L.S. LowryPainting: industrial landscapesEven year
- Peter ThorpeDrawing: rockets, shape and perspectiveEven year
- Joan MiróPainting: surrealism and primary colourEven year
- BanksyPainting: stencilled propaganda postersOdd year
- Stephen WiltshireDrawing: cityscapes in perspectiveOdd year
- Roberto LugoMaking: ceramic Greek-style potsOdd year
Foundation Stage
In Nursery and Reception, children explore colour, texture and materials through play. They mix paint for self-portraits, make collages, print repeating patterns, draw carefully from observation and use natural materials to make pictures and sculptures, laying the foundations for Key Stage 1.
Seeing art first-hand
We believe that experiencing real art is an essential part of a rich curriculum. Children use a wide range of high-quality materials, and their learning is brought to life through:
- Gallery visitsSeeing original artworks up close
- Museum tripsExploring art and objects from other times and cultures
- Visiting artistsWorking alongside practising artists in school
- Whole-school projectsCollaborative work that celebrates art across school
Impact
What children achieve
Children develop a deep knowledge of artists and craftspeople from a range of times and cultures, and apply it to their own artworks. Every child keeps a sketchbook, which shows their progress, their growing individual style and their own opinions and choices. Teachers assess each unit against its "to know" statements, supporting children to achieve age-related expectations by the end of each year.
Creativity is celebrated throughout school, in classroom displays, shared spaces and collaborative projects with arts and culture organisations.
Confident artists
Children make deliberate choices about their work, and evaluate, refine and develop their skills.
Knowledgeable and articulate
They use subject vocabulary to discuss artists' work, their own artwork and that of their peers.
Personal growth
Art builds creativity, independence and self-reflection, and shapes how children see the world around them.
Art and Design
Art plays a vital part in our children's education. Through the work of great artists, craftspeople and designers, children learn to see the world in new ways and to express their own ideas with skill and confidence.
Why we teach Art and Design
Our art curriculum is built on four essential areas: drawing, painting, printing and making with materials. Together, they make sure every child is taught all the visual elements of art and design.
Each area is taught through the work of a key artist, so knowledge and skills build carefully from year to year. We choose artists from a wide range of backgrounds, heritages and cultures, to encourage children to think critically about the world around them and to see themselves in the art they study.
Four essential areas
Drawing
Observation, line, tone, perspective and mark-making with pencil, charcoal, chalk and pastel.
5 artist unitsPainting
Colour mixing, brushwork, watercolour and using colour to express mood and meaning.
6 artist unitsPrinting
Stencils, block printing and repeating patterns, including printing onto fabric.
2 artist unitsMaking
Sculpture, clay, papier mâché, collage and land art using natural materials.
5 artist unitsAcross all four areas, children learn the visual elements of art:
- Line
- Tone
- Colour
- Shape
- Form
- Texture
- Pattern
- 3D
Inspired by artists
Every unit starts with a real artist, so children understand the context behind the work they study.
Knowledge that builds
Skills and vocabulary are mapped across each key stage and revisited in more depth every year.
A voice of their own
Children use what they learn to create individual artworks and develop their own style.
How we teach Art and Design
Art units are planned alongside each half-term's topic, creating links with history, geography and current cultural issues. Every unit has a small number of clear "to know" statements. Earlier learning is recapped at the start of each unit, so teachers can check what children remember and shape new learning around it. Subject vocabulary is taught throughout school, giving children the words to talk about techniques, artists' work, their own artwork and that of their classmates.
How every unit works
- Discover
Learn about an artist, their work and the context it was made in.
- Explore
Try out the artist's techniques and materials in sketchbooks.
- Plan
Sketch, test and develop ideas for a final piece.
- Create
Make an individual artwork inspired by the artist.
- Evaluate
Reflect, give opinions and refine the work.
Our learning journey
Our classes follow a two-year cycle, so each phase has an even-year and an odd-year set of artists. Every child studies both, meeting eighteen artists between Year 1 and Year 6.
- Drawing
- Painting
- Printing
- Making
Key Stage 1
Years 1 and 2
- Wassily KandinskyPrinting: abstract shape and colour on fabricEven year
- Ted HarrisonDrawing: Arctic landscapes in oil pastelEven year
- Julie ArkellMaking: papier mâché woodland charactersEven year
- Jordy KerwickPainting: colour mixing and dragonsOdd year
- Pablo PicassoDrawing: portraits and abstract facesOdd year
- Barbara HepworthMaking: seaside sculpture in clayOdd year
Lower Key Stage 2
Years 3 and 4
- Frida KahloPainting: symbolic rainforest self-portraitsEven year
- Laura BarbosaDrawing: cave art in charcoal and chalkEven year
- Peter BlakeMaking: Pop Art mixed-media collageEven year
- Yinka ShonibarePrinting: pattern and cultural identityOdd year
- Grayson PerryPainting: symbolism in watercolourOdd year
- Andy GoldsworthyMaking: land art with natural materialsOdd year
Upper Key Stage 2
Years 5 and 6
- L.S. LowryPainting: industrial landscapesEven year
- Peter ThorpeDrawing: rockets, shape and perspectiveEven year
- Joan MiróPainting: surrealism and primary colourEven year
- BanksyPainting: stencilled propaganda postersOdd year
- Stephen WiltshireDrawing: cityscapes in perspectiveOdd year
- Roberto LugoMaking: ceramic Greek-style potsOdd year
Foundation Stage
In Nursery and Reception, children explore colour, texture and materials through play. They mix paint for self-portraits, make collages, print repeating patterns, draw carefully from observation and use natural materials to make pictures and sculptures, laying the foundations for Key Stage 1.
Seeing art first-hand
We believe that experiencing real art is an essential part of a rich curriculum. Children use a wide range of high-quality materials, and their learning is brought to life through:
- Gallery visitsSeeing original artworks up close
- Museum tripsExploring art and objects from other times and cultures
- Visiting artistsWorking alongside practising artists in school
- Whole-school projectsCollaborative work that celebrates art across school
What children achieve
Children develop a deep knowledge of artists and craftspeople from a range of times and cultures, and apply it to their own artworks. Every child keeps a sketchbook, which shows their progress, their growing individual style and their own opinions and choices. Teachers assess each unit against its "to know" statements, supporting children to achieve age-related expectations by the end of each year.
Creativity is celebrated throughout school, in classroom displays, shared spaces and collaborative projects with arts and culture organisations.
Confident artists
Children make deliberate choices about their work, and evaluate, refine and develop their skills.
Knowledgeable and articulate
They use subject vocabulary to discuss artists' work, their own artwork and that of their peers.
Personal growth
Art builds creativity, independence and self-reflection, and shapes how children see the world around them.