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Art & Design

Our Art & Design Subject Leader is Mrs V Gray

“I found I could say things with colour and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way – things I had no words for.” – Georgia O’Keeffe.

Intent

At Brandon Primary Academy we believe that Art and Design stimulates creativity and imagination providing a visual, tactile and sensory experience coupled with a special way of understanding and responding to the world. At our school children will receive a high-quality art and design education ensuring they are inspired, engaged and challenged. Children will develop ideas by communicating what they see, feel and think; using colour, texture, form and pattern. They will become involved in shaping their environment through art and design activities, involving mastering practical skills. They will explore ideas and meaning through the work of artists and artisans learning about the history, roles and functions of art, exploring the impact that it has on life today and that of different times and cultures.

We recognise that children join us with language skills and physical development that is often below that of typical development for their age. Our art curriculum supports these areas whilst encouraging a life-long love and appreciation for art in all its forms. Children at Brandon Primary Academy are given the tools to express themselves artistically in a variety of forms and language skills are developed and refined through discussions about their own artwork and that of others. Children will have opportunity to participate in a range of visits including Durham Cathedral to look at the Iconic stained-glass windows in the local area as well as the opportunity to work with a local stained-glass artist. They will develop understanding of Art through carefully planned curriculum opportunities such as links with Durham University in the summer term with carefully tailored workshops including the installation of Art in the school building to enhance their experience of Art in the curriculum.

How we teach Art and Design at Brandon Primary Academy

At Brandon Primary Academy we aim to provide all children with a broad and balanced curriculum and prepare them for life beyond primary education. We encourage creativity and imagination to create works of art allowing them to express themselves in a variety of forms of media. Artists and Artisans are carefully chosen to reflect both modern and historical artworks and links are made to the local area. Children will look at notable artists and artisans and investigate and respond through practice. During this practice they will focus on the medium plus colour and then combination of the two. If a new medium is introduced such as clay work repeated practice plus development of skills over time in school leading to a final piece answering a key question.

At Brandon Primary Academy our content is subject specific and intra-curricular links strengthen schema. Where continuous provision is used in school this provides retrieval practice for previously learned content.

Every year group will cover all elements throughout the year and all strands will build on prior knowledge and skills as they move throughout school developing mastery by the time, they reach Key Stage 2. The planned sessions are designed to begin with development of ideas to allow children to explore the emotions, process, visual language and vocabulary in art. This is followed by taking inspiration from the greats such as artists and artisans and times periods. This is then progressively developed from Key Stage One until they leave school in Year 6. Finally, children are given the opportunity throughout each topic to master technical skills experimenting with effects, techniques, media and materials plus colour theory.

Assessment

At the end of each unit all children will create a final assessment piece.

Art Events

All children will be invited to exhibit their work annually in the Spring Term and members of the school and local community are invited.

Children will take part in the local Beautiful Durham competition where they either explore a period of art history, the work of a renowned or local artist or artisan and develop a final piece of work using the local environment as a stimulus.