Art
Intent
At Churchdown Village Infant School, we believe that Art has the power to drive creativity and enables our youngest children to communicate and express their thoughts and feelings. Our curriculum supports this, whilst providing progressive skills for children to build upon through using a range of media including drawing, painting and mixed media, and 3D craft. This starts in our pre-school, whereby children experiment through play and exploration, leading towards children being able to decide which tool will work best for their artwork in Year 2, and how to communicate their opinions on the artwork they have seen.
Our goal is to inspire pupils! We draw inspiration from many sources including observations of natural life and through exploring a range of artists within our lessons, including well known artists such as Kandinsky and those less famous, such as Bridget Riley. Each artist has developed their own techniques and style and we want our children at Churchdown Village to have the confidence to experiment and create their own style too.
Art can bring us together as a community. Whether that be through collaborative projects, such as our vast poppy display to support Remembrance Day, or through whole school art celebrations, such as ‘a book in a box’, we know the power of art.
Art in the Early Years
In Reception, children focus on exploration, collaboration and developing their fine motor skills so that they can use different tools competently, safely and confidently. At Churchdown Infant School, children are given opportunities to do this through continuous provision, whereby craft stations supply children with a range of materials to freely choose. We understand the power art can have to inspire our youngest children across all subjects, this includes learning to write through drawing, or painting to different musical tunes!
Art in Key Stage 1
In Key Stage 1, children develop their knowledge and skills across four key areas: Drawing, Painting, Mixed Media and Sculpture. Children are inspired by a range of artists, replicating artwork and using similar strategies to create their own pieces of art. Lessons build on their experiences in EYFS through a progressive curriculum, introducing new techniques and using a variety of art mediums.
The National Curriculum
Our Art curriculum is based on the National Curriculum. We have chosen to use Kapow to support us in ensuring the curriculum is carefully mapped so that it is progressive and children build upon their learning. Kapow unit guides support teaching with core knowledge, disciplinary knowledge, vocabulary clearly defined and videos so we can all improve as artists. We use this support, alongside the knowledge of our children at Churchdown Village Infant School, to provide an art curriculum just right for us.
Click here to explore how Kapow supports our learning.
Artists who inspire us
We draw upon inspiration from a range of artists across our lessons including (but not limited to!) Bridget Riley, Zaria Forman, Kendinsky, Cezanna and Matisse.
Supporting your child at home
- Provide art materials: Give your child access to basic art supplies like paper, crayons, markers, and paints. You can also use household items for art projects.
- Create an art space: Set up a dedicated space for your child to create art without worrying about making a mess.
- Encourage exploration: Let your child explore materials instead of telling them what to make.
- Ask reflective questions: Instead of just giving praise, ask your child reflective questions.
- Display their art: Display your child's art at home to boost their self-esteem.
- Collaborate on projects: Collaborating on art projects can be beneficial for children.
- Visit art museums: Visiting museums can keep your child's mind active.
- Browse virtual art galleries: Take a virtual tour of art galleries to gain inspiration.
- Watch art lessons: Watch free art lessons to help your child develop their skills.