Intent
Our Academy believes that art is a vital part of children’s education, with a significant and valuable role in the taught curriculum and the enrichment opportunities we offer our pupils. An effective art curriculum will develop children’s critical abilities, as well as an understanding of their own and others’ cultural heritages through the study of a diverse range of artists.
Children will develop their understanding of the visual language of art with effective teaching and considered sequences of lessons and experiences. Understanding of the visual elements of art and design (line, tone, texture, colour, pattern, shape, 3D form) will be developed by providing a curriculum which will enable children to reach their full potential.

Implementation
The skills and knowledge that children will develop throughout each art topic are mapped across each year group and are progressive throughout the school.  The emphasis on knowledge ensures that children understand the context of the artwork, as well as the artists that they are learning about and being inspired by.  This enables links to other curriculum areas, including humanities, with children developing a knowledge of individual artists, as well as individual works.  A similar systematic approach to the development of artistic skills means that children are given opportunities to express their creative imagination, as well as practise and develop mastery in the key processes of art: drawing, painting, printing, textiles and sculpture.

Each new unit of work begins with a recap of the previous related knowledge from previous years.  This helps children to retrieve what they have learnt in the earlier sequence of the programme of study, and ensures that new knowledge is taught in the context of previous learning to promote a shift in long term memory.  Key vocabulary for the new topic is also introduced.  This approach means that children are able to understand the new vocabulary when it is used in teaching and learning activities and apply it themselves when they approach their work.

Once children know the new vocabulary for the unit and how it relates to previous learning, the children are asked what they already know specifically about the new topic.  This provides the teacher with an insight into the children’s ‘starting points’ for the topic, to enable the use of formative assessment to inform planning. 

Coordinated whole-school project work ensures that art is given high status in the curriculum.  The school’s high-quality art curriculum is supported through the availability of a wide range of quality resources, which are used to support children’s confidence in the use of different media.  

Impact
The structure of the art curriculum ensures that children are able to develop their knowledge and understanding of the work of artists, craftspeople and designers from a range of times and cultures and apply this knowledge to their own work.  The consistent use of children’s sketchbooks means that children are able to review, modify and develop their initial ideas in order to achieve high quality outcomes. 

Children learn to understand and apply the key principles of art: line, tone, texture, shape, form, space, pattern, colour, contrast, composition, proportion and perspective. 

The opportunity for children to refine and develop their techniques over time is supported by effective lesson sequencing and progression between year groups.  This also supports children in achieving age related expectations at the end of their cohort year.

Classroom displays reflect the children’s sense of pride in their artwork and this is also demo
nstrated by creative outcomes across the wider curriculum.  The school environment also celebrates children’s achievements in art and demonstrates the subject’s high status in the school, with outcomes enhancing the environment.   The Art curriculum at Sparken Hill contributes to children’s personal development in creativity, independence, judgement and self-reflection.  Children will achieve age related expectations in Art at the end of their cohort year.