Art at Hodge Clough Primary School
At Hodge Clough Primary School, we believe that Art should engage, inspire and challenge our children. They should be equipped with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design. Taught Art allows our children to enhance their self-confidence as well as develop self-expression through creativity and imagination.
Creativity is encouraged from the very beginning of our children’s school experience. In Nursery, children are immersed in art in a child-initiated way through Expressive Art and Design, focusing on skill development, fine and gross motor skills and exploration of media and materials. From Reception to Year 6, children are provided with opportunities to experience a variety of media and techniques and are educated on influential local and globally renowned artists and craft makers, both past and present. Within Key Stage 2, our Art Curriculum aims to equip children with the knowledge and skills to make informed decisions, think critically about their own and others’ artwork and to work with increased independence.
To be a good artist you have to have
- A good grasp of the basic techniques in drawing, painting and creating models.
- The ability to harness skills previously taught such as joining methods, colour mixing to explore higher level skills.
- Persistence and consistency in their focus and effort. This persistence helps with skill acquisition and development.
- A passion for art and fearlessness to explore their own abilities.
- In resolving frustration, patience is an essential skill.
By the end of Reception, children will be able to
• Safely use and explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques, experimenting with colour, design, texture, form and function.
• Share their creations, explaining the process they have used.
• Make use of props and materials when role playing characters in narratives and stories.
• Invent, adapt and recount narratives and stories with peers and their teacher.
• Sing a range of well-known nursery rhymes and songs.
• Perform songs, rhymes, poems and stories with others, and (when appropriate) try to move in time with music.
By the end of KS1, children will be able to
• Use a range of material creatively to design and make products.
• Use drawing, painting and sculpture to develop and share their ideas, experiences and imagination.
• Develop a wide range of art and design techniques in using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space.
• Know about the work of a range of artists, craft makers and designers, describing the differences and similarities between different practices and disciplines, and making links to their own work.
By the end of KS2, children will be able to
• Create sketch books to record their observations and use them to review and revisit ideas.
• Improve their mastery of art and design techniques, including drawing, painting and sculpture with a range of materials [for example, pencil, charcoal, paint, clay].
• Know about great artists, architects and designers in history.