Curriculum
How we teach Art:
We teach art every half-term, ensuring creativity is a constant thread through our school year. Our hands-on curriculum provides learners with continuous opportunities to develop, refine and master their skills across painting, drawing, sculpting, printing and textiles.
How we ensure access for all:
At EWPS, we are committed to ensuring that Art is accessible, engaging and enjoyable for every single learner. Lessons are carefully designed and adapted so that learners can fully participate and succeed. To support diverse learning needs, we provide tailored adaptions where appropriate, including bespoke visual aids, specialised tools and adapted resources.
For learners who demonstrate advanced artistic knowledge and skills, we weave enriching challenges directly into our lessons. We extend their thinking by encouraging deeper experimentation, critical self-reflection, and the application of complex techniques to ensure every learner reaches their full potential.
How we develop Cultural Capital:
Art is a powerful gateway to understanding the world. Our curriculum exposes learners to a rich tapestry of global and contemporary artists, celebrating a range of cultural heritages.
Through meaningful gallery visits, explicit teaching of artistic vocabulary and hands-on exploration of diverse media, we empower our learners with the literacy and confidence to navigate, critique and contribute to the creative world around them.
We focus on the process of Art not just the outcome. Sketchbooks are a space for trail and error and raw ideas, rather than neat presentation.
How we know your child is succeeding:
We observe how learners grow as artists. We make sure expectations are clear by sharing the learning focus and 'musts' (success criteria) so the children know what their aims are. To get a complete picture of your child's success, we look at:
- The creative process (sketchbooks): We do not just look only at the final outcome. We value practice, mistakes and experiments.
- The final outcome: We celebrate the final pieces of work, observing how the children have applied technical skills in drawing, painting, sculpting, printing or textiles.
- Pupil voice: We talk to children about their art. Hearing a child confidently explain why they chose to use a particular technique tells us a great deal about their understanding.
- Teacher moderation: Our staff team meet regularly to observe artwork together, ensuring we maintain high standards and a constant approach to progress across the whole school.
How can you support your child:
Boost your child's confidence by asking them to explain their creative process. ' Tell me about your picture.' or 'What was the hardest part to make?'
You do not need professional art supplies. Cardboard boxes, scrap fabric and papermaking are great resources for developing sculpting and textile skills.
Explore galleries with your children. Take advantage of free galleries, museums or architecture. Ask your child to draw what they see for 5 to 10 minutes.
Normalise mistakes. These are unexpected design features. If an artwork does not turn out how it was planned, encourage your child to think about how they can adapt it into something new. Here are some useful websites to look at:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/topics/art
https://www.nga.gov/games/paint-n-play/