Art
Intent
At Wistaston Academy, we aim to nurture a love of art and to inspire a delight in creativity in all forms. As they progress through our school, children will develop their artistic knowledge and skill and will leave WA with a broad, balanced and coherent understanding of artistic techniques rooted in reflection upon works created by celebrated artists, designers and craftspeople from the locality and wider world, both contemporary and historical. The art curriculum has been designed to be ambitious and meet the needs of all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. Art lessons are designed to develop the long-term memory of our children, fit within the wider curriculum and build upon skills taught in other subjects. Art lessons utilise the skills, knowledge and cultural wealth of the community while supporting the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development to improve the children’s culture capital and understanding of the world. We have designed the art curriculum at WA with the intent that our pupils will:
- Progress sequentially through a carefully planned, broad curriculum that encompasses six areas of art (drawing, painting, textiles, printmaking, collage and 3D) in every year group, to build on skills and knowledge to ensure success at every stage.
- Derive inspiration for their work through authentic exposure to a rich breadth of current and historical artists across the world and from the locality.
- Discover techniques through experimentation, practice and reflection, allowing opportunity for personal choice and individual expression.
- Develop confidence in applying skills learned in order to produce work of outstanding quality.
- Be given opportunities to express their unique ideas and feelings visually and to recognise the validity of their contribution, engendering personal development.
- Grow in aspiration as they are exposed to art of excellent quality, in many contexts, in a manner which is accessible.
- Develop pride in their abilities and achievements through the showcasing of work within the school, wider community context and national or even international forums.
- Discover the wonder of different artistic processes and progress in their ability to choose methods that will produce the most effective results.
- Develop a love of reading that is relevant to Art, in order to deepen understanding of both artists and artistic processes and to provide children with opportunities only fluent reading can provide.
Implementation
The curriculum is led and overseen by the Art Lead who teaches all year groups apart from Year 1, providing a specialist provision which is enhanced by the use of a designated art space. To ensure school-wide excellence, the Subject Leader has developed a regular programme of monitoring, evaluation and review and the celebration of good practice, all of which contributes to the ongoing commitment to evolve and improve further. In order to broaden the rich experience of students, Wistaston Academy has embarked upon a continuous Artsmark journey, providing a vehicle through which the authentic creative learning experience of students is prioritised – within art lessons and across the wider curriculum. As a direct result of this, students have gained the opportunity to receive input from three professional artists who stand as Arts Patrons of the school, each providing expertise in diverse areas of fine art, music, singing and videography. Openings have been broadened to showcase work and provide performance opportunities in the local community and further afield, engendering a deep pride in achievements and raising aspirations regarding art as a viable career. Many partnerships have been developed with creative groups and educational establishments locally and nationally, enriching students’ cultural capital and enabling them to strive for higher standards.
The teaching, learning and sequencing of the Art curriculum follows:
- A curriculum approach that focusses on 6 areas of learning in every year group which enables a breadth and gradual building of skills.
- A progression in the challenge posed by a widening spectrum of artists examined.
- A progression of skills introduced and a broadening level of understanding of co-operatively generated success criteria.
- The repetition of learning within each year, and year on year, to secure long-term understanding.
- A progressive level of personal choice regarding tools, media and methods selected to achieve a successful outcome.
- The regular expression of tier 2 and 3 vocabulary used effectively and purposefully and on working walls, displays and woven into lessons.
- Reading is prioritised across the curriculum and therefore receives a high priority in art lessons. The Subject Lead understands reading successfully depends upon pupils’ ability to read accurately and fluently, so that they can direct their attention to the knowledge they will learn from the text rather than to decoding it. Texts are appropriately chosen to ensure the knowledge being taught relates to the core purpose of the lesson, building on pupils’ prior knowledge and vocabulary from previous reading.
- Exhibition opportunities which engender pride, passion and aspiration.
- Regular teacher, self and peer assessment which works together to produce excellent outcomes, a deepening of understanding and the monitoring of progress.
- SMSC is threaded through the Art curriculum to link Art to their lives and explore their cultural capital.
Impact
The impact of the Art curriculum can be clearly seen through the outstanding level of work evidenced around the school in striking displays and in sketchbooks. The interweaving of creative learning throughout the curriculum raises attainment, attendance and enhances Wistaston Academy’s invaluable mental health provision.
Children evidence an increased ability to express the steps necessary to produce successful outcomes, demonstrating the impact of regularly generated and discussed success criteria and the retention of learning. A love of the subject is evidenced through pupil voice surveys and discussions with pupils, showing the impact of a rich curriculum passionately taught. A high level of achievement is monitored through individual assessment of each child for the foci of the curriculum and is collected in feedback from external sources, such as visitors to the school, through inter-school events and a Platinum Artsmark Award from the Art Council of England. Children are increasingly confident in their art abilities and readiness to try new things. They will have participated in high-quality visits and events to further increase the impact of art and will have experienced opportunities for self-expression and analysis, deepening their personal development. Pupils will have an increased understanding of famous artists and artworks from various genres, places and time-zones, widening their cultural capital. Children will have been inspired to pursue further learning and experimentation of their own choice at home and through reading within school. Through cascaded training from partnership with local Secondary Schools, students will be well prepared for transition to the next stage of learning.
