More information about Art & Design
At Hillcross Primary School, we value Art because of its contribution to the development of the whole child emotionally, intellectually and socially. It creates in children a sense of purpose and enjoyment, allowing children to be creative and imaginative. All children and staff at Hillcross have flexibility of taking their art in their own direction.
The National Curriculum for Art & Design states:
"Art, craft and design embody some of the highest forms of human creativity and a high quality art education should engage inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design."
We believe that Art has a significant and valuable role to play in the overall ethos of our school and will act upon the National Curriculum guidelines in accordance with our own values, to ensure that all children have the opportunity to express themselves freely whilst developing and refining their skills and knowledge of the subject and how it contributes to the wealth of our nation.
Our curriculum promotes the three main skills of art: sketching, painting and sculpture, allowing children to progressively develop these skills within each phase and as they move up through the school.
Our Art Curriculum
In Nursery and Reception, planning is implemented using 'Developmental Matters' from the Early Years Foundation Stage Document. This relates to 'Understanding of the World'.
In Years One to Six we use the National Curriculum as the basis of our curriculum planning and deliver Art lessons within the context of a topic. This enables children to make cross curricular links with their learning and explore British Values and equality within a learning context. It also provides meaningful opportunities for children to apply basic skills, such as maths and writing, to their art learning.
Through our Art Curriculum we aim that children:
- become confident in sketching, painting and sculpture, using a variety of art media
- develop their art vocabulary, using art specific language
- recognise famous artists and architects and apply techniques to create their own style of art
- produce creative and imaginative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences
- evaluate and critically analyse creative works of their own and their peers, using the language of art
- foster a love of art and raise the subject profile within the Hillcross community
A fantastic website that can be used at home to support your child with their learning is: https://www.tate.org.uk/kids
What do children at Hillcross say about Art?
"I enjoy the team work and how we work collaboratively in art." - Georgina, Year 4.
"It has been really interesting to learn about Chris Ofili and how he used elephant dung to paint!" - Joshua, Year 4.
"I like how art allows you to express your feelings." - Rosie, Year 4.
"Art is when you show your talents and express your feeling through sketching and painting. It allows you to relax." - Daniyal, Year 5.
"I enjoyed learning about Vincent Van Gogh in our art lessons and looking at the style of painting that he used to create The Starry Night." - Freya, Year 5.
"I enjoyed painting Starry Night last year when I was in Year 5 because we had to use little details but I also really enjoyed using the acrylic paint." - Olivia, Year 6.
How can I find out more about the Art my child is going to learn?
Please visit your child's year group page to look at the Topic Overview Charts. These documents show you what your child will be learning each half-term and how the different subjects link together. Additionally, please look at our curriculum intent to see the exciting progression of skills your child will be learning during their time at Hillcross.
