Curriculum Statement - Art and Design
Intent
At Christ Church First School our art and design curriculum is designed to engage, inspire and challenge children, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to participate in, experiment with, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design. Children will be empowered to think creatively and critically. They will investigate and evaluate a wide range of creative outcomes from the past and present to develop rigorous understanding of the many disciplines within art, craft and design and how they shape our past and future.
Implementation
Christ Church First School’s Art and Design curriculum is built around essential knowledge, understanding and key skills. These are broken into year group expectations and show clear continuity and progress.
As a school and in accordance with the National Curriculum’s expectations, we aim 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.
Impact
The structure of the art curriculum ensures that children are able to develop their knowledge and understanding of the work of artists, craftspeople and designers from a range of times and cultures and apply this knowledge to their own work. The consistent use of children’s sketchbooks means that children are able to review, modify and develop their initial ideas in order to achieve high quality outcomes. Children learn to understand and apply the key principles of art: line, tone, texture, shape, form, space, pattern, colour, contrast, composition, proportion and perspective. The opportunity for children to refine and develop their techniques over time is supported by effective lesson sequencing and progression between year groups. This also supports children in achieving age related expectations at the end of their cohort year.
Classroom displays reflect the children’s sense of pride in their artwork and this is also demonstrated by creative outcomes across the wider curriculum. The school environment also celebrates children’s achievements in art and demonstrates the subject’s high status in the school, with outcomes, including sculptures, enhancing the outdoor, as well as indoor, environment.
The Art curriculum at Christ Church First School contributes to children’s personal development in creativity, independence, judgement and self-reflection. Children will achieve age related expectations in Art at the end of their cohort year.
Curriculum Statement - Design and Technology
Intent
At Christ Church First School, our design and technology curriculum is designed to prepare children for the developing world. The subject encourages children to become creative problem-solvers, both as individuals and as part of a team. Through the study of design and technology children combine practical skills with an understanding of aesthetic, social and environmental issues, in order to design and make a product. Evaluation is an integral part of the design process and allows children to adapt and improve their product, this is a key skill which they need throughout their life. Design and Technology helps all children to become discriminating and informed consumers and potential innovators.
We feel that the teaching of food and nutrition is of great importance and holds great relevance in current times. For this reason, children will study a food and nutrition unit every year. By instilling a love of cooking in pupils will also open a door to one of the great expressions of human creativity. Learning how to cook is a crucial life skill that enables pupils to feed themselves and others affordably and well, now and in later life.
Implementation
At Christ Church First School, our design and technology curriculum is built around essential knowledge, understanding and key skills. These are broken into year group expectations and show clear continuity and progress. All teaching of design and technology follows the design, make and evaluate cycle. The design process should be relevant in context, to give meaning to learning. While making, children should be given choice and a range of tools to choose freely from. When evaluating, children should be able to evaluate their own products against a design criteria. Each of these steps should be rooted in technical knowledge and vocabulary.
Key Stage 1
- Cooking and nutrition
- Textiles
- Mechanisms
- Use of materials
- Construction
Key Stage 2
- Cooking and nutrition
- Textiles
- Working with tools
- Mouldable materials
Educational visits are another opportunity for the teachers to plan for additional design and technology learning outside the classroom. At Christ Church First School, the children have opportunities to experience design and technology on educational visits. The children have visited local museums, food establishments and had visitors into school to share learning and have hands on experiences.
Impact
Children develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world
They build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users and critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products and the work of others
Children leave Christ Church First School equipped with age-appropriate skills to prepare and cook healthily as well as understanding the importance of a healthy and varied diet.
Children will design and make a range of products. A good quality finish will be expected in all design and activities made appropriate to the age and ability of the child
Children learn how to take risks, becoming resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens. Through the evaluation of past and present design and technology, they develop a critical understanding of its impact on daily life and the wider world. High-quality design and technology education makes an essential contribution to the creativity, culture, wealth and well-being of the nation.