“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” Colossians 3:23

Art and Design Vision Statement

Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious. And however difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at. It matters that you don’t just give up.” – Stephen Hawking

‘Every Human is an artist.’ Dan Miguel Ruiz

Our Art and Design curriculum at Our Lady of Lourdes develops creativity, sets challenges, engages and inspires children and equips them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design. It allows children to experiment in a safe environment, encouraging a growth mind set, thus developing both self-expression and self-esteem. Our ambitious curriculum has the appropriate subject knowledge and skills to enable children to explore, investigate, create and evaluate artwork as set out in the National Curriculum and so will support the children to reach their full potential.

 Through our careful choice of artist study we will prepare the children to look within themselves and ask thoughtful questions, create enquiring minds and give them real choices to respond to their own feelings, ideas and interests.

We have chosen a wealth of great artists both past and present, male and female, local and worldwide so that the children learn about a wide variety of not only artists but their multiple approaches and styles. Through learning about the roles and functions of Art in society, children can explore the impact it has had on contemporary life and on different periods and cultures.

At Our Lady of Lourdes we recognise the individual talents every child has. We intend that when leaving in Year 6 all children will have the belief that through Art they are able to share their thoughts and feelings with the world, having developed their own sense of creativity, self-expression and spirituality.

Art and Design Intent Statement

The national curriculum for art and design aims to ensure that all pupils:

• produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences
• become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques
• evaluate and analyse creative works using the language of art, craft and design
• know about great artists, craft makers and designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms.

Implementation of the Art and Design Curriculum

The curriculum is led and overseen by the Art subject lead.  A regular programme of monitoring, evaluation and review and the celebration of good practice will contribute to the ongoing commitment to evolve and improve further.   

The teaching, learning and sequencing of the Art curriculum is implemented through: 

• A blocked curriculum approach to ensure coverage and progression in all skills relating to Art and Design, including: the production of creative work; an increasing proficiency in drawing, painting and other art, craft and design techniques; evaluation and analysis of their work and knowledge about great artists, craft makers and designers.
• Clear learning objectives from which to plan, teach and assess knowledge.
• The use of our whole school Art key vocabulary document to ensure consistency and accuracy in the language used when teaching Art and Design.
• Teachers in the Early Years plan the teaching of Art using the Expressive Art and Design objectives in Development Matters alongside the progression of skills document planning learning based around the children's next steps and current interests.
• Creating pieces of Art with a real purpose.
• Encouraging critical thinking about Art and time given for reflection.
• The opportunity to display and share the art the children create, showcasing the skills they have developed and progress they have made.
• Encouragement and development of a ‘can do’ attitude, therefore giving children the confidence to ‘have a go’ and share their artistic talents.

The Art and Design Curriculum