Learning through and about the arts enriches the experience of studying while at school as well as preparing students for life after school. At Heathrow Primary School, we believe that art helps encourage self-expression and creativity and can build confidence as well as a sense of individual identity. Creativity can also help with wellbeing and improving health and happiness and can be used as an outlet for releasing the pressures of studying as well as those of everyday life. Studying art also helps to develop critical thinking and the ability to interpret the world around us.

Intent

Art plays a major role in children’s learning and education and has a key role in the school’s curriculum. With art we hope to give the children different perspectives of technique and style by exposing them to different artists across the year group so that they may develop and realise their own unique style of art. Throughout the school’s long term plan of art, children will be able to undertake a number of different ways of showing art, such as recording and exploring ideas; evaluating and improving upon work; the various aspects of drawing such as tonal shading, texture, pattern and colour; textiles and collages; printing and 3D form.

Implementation

The school’s long term plan marks out the skills and techniques the children will discover and develop throughout each topic in their art lessons. Each year group has a clear and relatable focus for each term which will enable them to learn and progress in the skills mapped out for their year group. With this clear focus, children will be able to practise and develop mastery of these skills. Utilising these skills will also enable children to make cross curricular links to other subjects, such as history or geography and allow them to gain a deeper understanding of these topics. The school offers a wide range of resources to allow the children to fully reach their potential and expand their creative imagination.

Impact

At Heathrow Primary, each class is expected to track their child’s progress through the progression of skills. This progression details the skills the children should be learning in regards to the type of art being learnt e.g. 3D form, printing. All children at Heathrow Primary School have an art assessment book. This book stays with the children until they leave the school. This book evidences the skills the children have learnt throughout their lessons and showcases the best work of their ability. With this book, children can also revisit pieces and reflect on what they would do again and what they would change. At Heathrow, we are proud of the art our children can produce; the school has a section that is dedicated to showcasing children’s art across the year groups.