Why do we teach Art and Design at Freeland Primary School?

At Freeland School we value art as a vital part of children’s development which provides opportunities for our children to explore, express and communicate feelings whilst gaining experience of the wider world. Our Art curriculum provides children with opportunities to develop their skills using a range of media and materials. Children learn the skills of drawing, painting, printing, collage, textiles, 3D work and digital art and are given the opportunity to explore and evaluate different creative ideas. Children will be introduced to a range of works and develop knowledge of the styles and vocabulary used by famous artists. The skills they acquire are applied to their cross-curricular topics, allowing children to use their art skills to reflect on and explore topics in greater depth. In Art, children are expected to be reflective and evaluate their work, thinking about how they can make changes and keep improving. Children are encouraged to take risks and experiment and then reflect on why some ideas and techniques are successful or not for a particular project.

How do we teach Art and Design at Freeland Primary School?

‘Art and Design in Suffolk in Key Stages 1 & 2‘ has been adapted to ensure that a clear progression of skills is taught and built on and that these are linked to our topics. Coordinated whole-school project work will ensure that art is given high status in the curriculum and the school takes part in the annual ‘EPA Big Draw’ which enables further focus on children’s artistic skills and knowledge in collaboration with other local schools, Oxford Brookes University and artists. The children's learning is further enhanced with a whole school arts week in the summer term where the children have the opportunity for collaborative working and exploring the different styles and techniques. This culminates in an exhibition where children can invite family members and members of the wider community to view their art work.

What is the impact of our teaching?

Children are assessed within every lesson which helps the teacher plan the next steps in the teaching.  At the end of each term assessments are used using Target Tracker and the National Curriculum guidelines.  Subject leaders gather and analyse this data so that they can support and challenge teachers to ensure that children are receiving the best provision. 

Through the art and design curriculum children will become creative learners, who have knowledge about the great artists of the world.  Their creativity will be celebrated and children will become astute at editing and improving the pieces they have created.  Children will have embedded the key skills needed to allow them to produce individual and collaborative pieces of art.