Art and Design
Art at Linton Heights Junior School
Intent
The Linton Heights Junior School (LHJS)/ Kapow art scheme of work aims to inspire pupils and develop their confidence to experiment and invent their own works of art. Our art curriculum gives pupils every opportunity to develop their ability, nurture their talent and interests, express their ideas and thoughts about the world, as well as learning about art and artists across cultures and through history. The programme of study supports pupils to meet the National curriculum end of key stage attainment targets and has been written to fully cover the National Society for Education in Art and Design’s progression competencies. LHJS has attained the silver Artsmark award and as such, we inspire our pupils to create, experience, and participate in great arts and culture.
Implementation
Our art scheme of work is designed with five strands that run throughout. These are:
● Generating ideas
● Using sketchbooks
● Making skills, including formal elements (line, shape, tone, texture, pattern, colour)
● Knowledge of artists
● Evaluating and analysing units of lessons are sequential, allowing children to build their skills and knowledge, applying them to a range of outcomes.
The formal elements, a key part of the National Curriculum, are also woven throughout units. Key skills are revisited again and again with increasing complexity in a spiral curriculum model. This allows pupils to revise and build on their previous learning.
Units in each year group are organised into four core areas: Drawing, Painting and mixed-media, Sculpture and 3D and Craft and design.
National Curriculum (NC) mapping shows which of our units cover each of the NC attainment targets as well as each of the strands. Our Progression of knowledge and skills shows the skills that are taught within each year group and how these skills develop to ensure that attainment targets are securely met by the end of each key stage. Our units fully scaffold and support essential and age appropriate, sequenced learning.
Lessons are always practical in nature and encourage experimental and exploratory learning with pupils using sketchbooks to document their ideas. Pupils work either in their own classroom or in our new art room. For those who struggle with art, our scheme offers adapted teaching which ensures that lessons can be accessed and enjoyed by all pupils and opportunities to stretch pupils’ learning are available when required.
Knowledge organisers for each unit support pupils by providing a highly visual record of the key knowledge and techniques learned, encouraging recall of skills processes, key facts and vocabulary. Pupil videos created by subject specialists help pupils to see art techniques modelled by experts. Each unit of lessons includes multiple teacher videos to develop subject knowledge and support ongoing CPD.
Art is either taught weekly, on a half-termly basis or blocked so that pupils can be submerged in their practical learning. All necessary resources are available in our new purpose -built art room. Curriculum enrichment in art has included our pupils working with the local artist, Jim Anderson, designing and producing mosaic work; work created by Linton Heights pupils formed part of an exhibition at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge and also LHJS pupils have entered competitions run by the National Gallery.
Impact
The LHJS art curriculum is designed in such a way that children are involved in evaluation, dialogue and decision making about the quality of their outcomes and the improvements they need to make. By taking part in regular discussions and decision-making processes, our pupils not only know facts and key information about art, but they are also able to talk confidently about their own learning journey, have higher metacognitive skills and have a growing understanding of how to improve.
The impact of the LHJS art scheme is monitored through both formative and summative assessment opportunities. Each lesson includes guidance to support teachers in assessing pupils against the learning objectives. An assessment spreadsheet including the learning outcomes for children with secure understanding and those working at greater depth enables teachers to keep records of summative assessments for each child.
Having completed the LHJS art curriculum, pupils should enter secondary education equipped with a range of techniques and the confidence and creativity to form a strong foundation for their future art learning.
On leaving the school, our pupils will:
★ Produce creative work, exploring and recording their ideas and experiences.
★ Be proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques.
★ Evaluate and analyse creative works using subject-specific language.
★ Know about great artists and the historical and cultural development of their art.
★ Meet the end of key stage expectations outlined in the NC for art.
Pupils are assessed using end of unit assessments and their progress and attainment is recorded on FFT.
Work we are proud of at LHJS
Year 5 created a mosaic with Jim Anderson to celebrate our 50th birthday.