Art & Design

Intent

Priory’s Art & Design curriculum intent mirrors that of the whole school.

At Penwortham Priory Academy the Art, Craft & Design curriculum is designed to provide high quality art and design education which should engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design. As pupils progress, they should be able to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of art and design. They should also know how art and design both reflect and shape our history, and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation.

Through Art and Design lessons, pupils will transition from KS2 to KS3 smoothly, building on prior learning from Key Stage 2, and identifying and addressing gaps in knowledge and skills in readiness for the KS3 Art and Design curriculum.  

During KS3 pupils are provided with challenging and meaningful learning experiences through the use of ‘BIG Questions’. Challenging learning experiences foster the production of creative work, exploration of their ideas and recording of their experiences. The foundation of this must be the development of proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques towards mastery. A formal structure at KS3 builds a foundation in readiness for a more flexible structure at KS4 that supports a personalised, incremental development of creative practice at GCSE.

Pupils are continually required to think hard in lessons using ‘higher order’ skills such as analysis and evaluation. This element of their learning is addressed through the analysis and evaluation of their own work, that of great artists, craft makers and designers, and the historical and cultural development of their art forms. Through this work, pupils analyse and evaluate creative works using the broad language of art, craft and design, informed through the reading of online information sources.

The Art and Design curriculum encourages pupils to develop skills for life. Their leadership skills are developed by acting as table team leaders, through demonstrating skills to others or imparting knowledge regarding those skills. The department is also accommodating of pupils wishing to start extra-curricular art and craft clubs. Pupils organisational skills are continually challenged through the setting of challenging homework tasks which may be practical in nature or through locating resources required for their stage in classroom learning. Pupils are encouraged to use their initiative in order to develop their creativity and make decisions regarding lines of enquiry. The nature of developing creating pieces over a prolonged period of time or where hand-eye coordination does not meet personal expectations, develops resilient learners. Communication skills are developed as they demonstrate their growing knowledge through their written and verbal analysis and evaluation of their own work and that of others.

Throughout their time in the department pupils are encouraged to evolve their character and improve the culture of our school. They are encouraged to adopt positive behaviours and attitudes in class which benefit them personally and the rest of the school community. They are encouraged to be positive, committed, respectful, kind, courteous, well mannered, safe, calm, orderly, and take pride in themselves, their work and our school.

High quality guidance throughout the creative process and impartial guidance regarding artistic futures supports their learning and progression to KS4 and beyond.

Knowledge underpins the Art and Design curriculum, therefore classroom-based learning about art and design is taught as an integral part of practical lessons. Pupils are given an overview of their learning journey at the start of their unit of work so that they know what they’ll be learning, the skills they’ll develop, why they need to know this and how they’ll learn it. This is provided in the form of the personal learning checklist – PLC and helps them understand the art and design schema and helps them understand how this subject links to others.

The Art and Design curriculum is sequenced to build on existing knowledge and skills, and incrementally develop new knowledge of materials and artists. Pupils understand the sequence and what they’re required to learn as a result of using the PLCs. Demonstrations, examples of good practice, spaced retrieval, repeated practice and self-evaluation are used to ensure that Art and Design concepts are understood and knowledge remembered.  During class discussion, analysis of our own work and that of others, we place emphasis on the acquisition of tier 2 and tier 3 vocabulary. Modelling and explaining this vocabulary in our teaching and facilitating exposure to it using relevant websites.

In addition to the diverse and rich opportunities offered through lessons, we value opportunities to take pupils out on trips and visits of artistic value and also enhance the curriculum by inviting relevant specialists in. Extra-curricular opportunities such as external art and craft events, art clubs and inter-house competitions are offered to pupils and staff.