Art and Design at Easton Primary School

Intent

'Every child is an Artist' 

 Art and design stimulates individual creativity and imagination. The children at Easton Primary School use their art work as a form of visual communication and personal expression in a variety of media and techniques. Our Art and Design lessons engage, inspire and challenge all children to become well equipped artists and designers. 

At Easton Primary School, our Art and Design curriculum is designed to nurture creative, curious and reflective pupils who can explore ideas, communicate meaning and express themselves through a range of artistic processes. Using the Kapow Primary Art and Design scheme as the foundation, pupils develop practical skills, knowledge of artists and makers, and an understanding of how art reflects and shapes the world around them. 

We intend for pupils to become confident in experimenting with materials, techniques and ideas, learning that mistakes and changes are a valuable part of the creative process. Pupils are encouraged to make purposeful choices, discuss and evaluate their own work and the work of others, and develop their own artistic identity. We have developed a School Gallery in the main corridor which is updated termly to celebrate every child's Art at Easton Primary. 

Our intent is to: 

• Develop confidence, creativity, curiosity and a willingness to experiment. 

• Build progressive skills in drawing, painting, sculpture, printing, craft, design and mixed-media work. 

• Teach pupils to use a range of materials, tools and techniques safely and purposefully. 

• Develop knowledge of artists, craftspeople, designers and artistic traditions from different times and cultures. 

• Enable pupils to generate, develop, review and refine their ideas, making independent creative choices. 

• Develop the vocabulary needed to describe, interpret and evaluate artwork respectfully. 

• Provide an inclusive curriculum in which all pupils can participate, achieve and take pride in their work. 

• Prepare pupils for the next stage of education by developing transferable skills such as observation, resilience, problem-solving and reflection. 

Implementation 

Art and Design is taught through the Kapow Primary Art and Design scheme, which provides a structured sequence of learning and supports the development of knowledge and practical skills over time. Teachers use the scheme to support planning, adapting units and activities to the needs, ages and prior learning of pupils within each mixed-age class. 

Art and Design is taught either over a day and a half or through weekly sessions, depending on the unit of work, the skills being taught and the professional judgement of the class teacher. This flexible approach allows teachers to consider how best to deliver each unit, ensuring pupils have sufficient time to explore materials, develop techniques, experiment creatively and refine their work. It enables learning to be structured in a way that best supports pupils’ engagement, progression and understanding, while maintaining continuity and building on prior learning. Lessons provide opportunities for pupils to explore artists and artistic approaches, learn and practise techniques, experiment with media, and apply their learning in their own outcomes. Pupils are supported to understand the purpose of each activity and to make choices as they develop their work. Sketchbooks and other appropriate records are used to capture exploration, observations, ideas, trials and reflections. 

The curriculum includes opportunities to work with a range of media and processes, including drawing, painting, sculpture, printing, textiles, collage and mixed media. Pupils encounter artwork from a range of artists, cultures and periods, and are encouraged to make connections between the work they study and their own creative decisions. 

In mixed-age classes, teachers identify common concepts or starting points where appropriate, while adapting the level of skill, vocabulary, independence and outcome expected for each age group. Knowledge and techniques are revisited and built upon, rather than treating each unit as an isolated activity. Demonstration, modelling, discussion and practical exploration support pupils in developing increasing control and confidence. 

The curriculum is reinforced through displays, opportunities to share and discuss work, cross-curricular links where meaningful, and the celebration of pupils’ creative processes as well as finished pieces which are displayed in our school gallery.  Adults model safe use of tools and materials, positive responses to experimentation, and respectful discussion of different artistic choices. 

Assessment and Impact 

Assessment in Art and Design is primarily formative and focuses on pupils’ developing knowledge, practical skills, creative decisions and ability to reflect. Teachers use observation, questioning, discussion and review of sketchbooks and finished work to identify what pupils understand, what they can do independently, and where further modelling or practice is needed. 

Assessment considers both the creative process and the outcome. Pupils are encouraged to explain their intentions, describe techniques and materials, discuss the work of artists, and identify what they might adapt or develop next. Assessment is appropriate to pupils’ age and stage and recognises that artistic development may be demonstrated in different ways. 

Impact is seen through: 

• Progression in pupils’ control, confidence and purposeful use of materials, tools and techniques. 

• Pupils’ ability to generate ideas, experiment, make choices and refine their work. 

• Growing knowledge of artists, art forms, techniques and relevant vocabulary. 

• Pupils’ ability to talk about, interpret and evaluate their own work and the work of others. 

• Engagement, curiosity, resilience and pride in the creative process and outcomes. 

• Evidence that pupils of different ages and needs can access the curriculum and make progress from their individual starting points. 

Assessment information is used to inform future teaching, identify gaps in knowledge or skills, and support curriculum review. Teachers consider pupils’ work over time rather than relying on a single finished piece. Each term, teachers will report progress of attainment towards national curriculum objectives into the school’s assessment system, Sonar. After each data collection, data analysis will take place on two levels which include whole school and class specific. The teachers will receive gap analysis information identifying areas of need for the school and in addition to this, teachers will carry out their own gap analysis for their classes which will inform them of their next teaching objectives for the cohort. This data analysis and feedback is undertaken termly. 

At the end of the academic year, teachers will make an informed judgment on the children’s attainment based on the data collected throughout the year on the Sonar system to identify if pupils are below, at or above age related expectations.