Art
Intent
At Educate U we aim to deliver a comprehensive Art curriculum that is inclusive and accessible for our students and is adapted to meet their individual needs. Our school’s values:
Safety
Trust
Choice
Collaboration
Empowerment
underpin our curriculum to ensure that our students feel safe and confident in accessing the curriculum whilst supporting their wellbeing.
Careful considerations are made to ensure an effective trauma informed approach is taken to support progression as well as offer our students access to an ambitious curriculum that is designed and developed collaboratively to provide opportunities for students to develop and build on their skills and knowledge.
We believe that all students deserve the necessary support to enable them to feel safe and access a broad, ambitious, Art curriculum which places the child at the centre of their learning.
At Educate U our Art curriculum focusses on supporting students to make progress, attaining, and developing skills and knowledge whilst stimulating their curiosity and building on transferrable skills for their future careers and life.
Staff work collaboratively to provide students with the support they need to enable them to access rich learning experiences whilst maintaining an inclusive and empathetic learning environment.
At Educate U we ensure flexibility and make suitable adaptations in line with our students needs to offer them an Art curriculum that provides them with opportunities for individual progression and achievement whilst drawing upon their individual strengths and interests.
The intent of our Art curriculum is to present our students with exciting opportunities to combine practical skills with creative thinking to aspire through their learning experiences in an environment where they feel safe to do so.
Students will develop their confidence in exploring their ideas, producing creative work and in using a range of materials creatively.
Key Stage 1
It is our intension that in KS1 students at Educate U will develop confidence in using a range of materials creatively in line with their individual needs in relation to varying sensory profiles.
Students will develop and share their own ideas and experiences in varying forms.
Students will be introduced to and develop a range of art and design techniques including use of colour, pattern, shape, texture, line, form, and space.
Students will gain an awareness of different artists, craft makers and designers and will offer their own informed descriptions, sharing their opinions and preferences, and making links to their own work.
Key Stage 2
It is our intension that in KS2 students at Educate U will develop their techniques and control of their use of materials, gaining confidence in their use of different materials and experimentation.
Students will use their own sketch books to record their observations, review their work and re-visit them to further develop their ideas and creative thinking.
Students will be introduced to great artists and there work throughout history.
Key Stage 3
In KS3 students will be encouraged to develop their creativity and ideas and use their own understanding and informed judgement of artists to inform their own work.
Students will record and develop their own ideas and creative work in their sketch books using a range of techniques.
Students will increase their proficiency in the use of different materials.
Students will analyse and evaluate their own work to establish areas for improvement.
Students will be introduced to the history of art including periods, styles, and major movements.
Key Stage 4
In KS4 where students present as expressing an increasing interest in Art, they will be supported through a comprehensive curriculum with increased independence to further develop their knowledge and skills to enable them to work towards a further qualification such as GCSE or ASDAN arts course.
Implementation
Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2
At Educate U, in Key stage 1 and 2 Art is taught through a clear and comprehensive curriculum that is designed carefully around the focus of inclusion and embraces and encourages pupils’ individual creativity. Staff will effectively monitor the progress of individuals throughout each term and expected individual progress will be determined based around their individual ability and identified needs. Staff will record progress using the following system, WT (Working towards), WA (Working At) and WB (Working Above), which will be determined based on the individual pupils expected level relevant to the skills and knowledge demonstrated by a pupil measured against their ability and identified needs.
Teaching will be delivered based around the aims outlined by the national curriculum and linked to topics to ensure a well-structured approach. We endeavour to teach a well-balanced skills-based curriculum that allows pupils to express their individual creativity whilst providing them with the opportunities to practice and develop mastery in the key processes of art. We will ensure that pupils develop relevant knowledge and the ability to reflect on their own work whilst acknowledging the integral role art plays in our everyday lives, our community, in history and the wider world.
We will remain flexible in our approach to meeting pupils needs and endeavour to tailor their experience of art based around their individual interests, skills and identified areas for progression. On-going observations will be used to determine progress with supporting staff facilitating learning based around a clear understanding of each pupils needs to assist them in determining suitable next steps to develop their skills in art.
Pupils will be introduced to a range of creative materials and media to support their creative journeys in art and will be encouraged to use sketchbooks to document this.
Pupils will be provided with opportunities to develop their new skills and art will be promoted throughout the school.
Pupils’ artwork as well as the work of artists will be celebrated and displayed throughout the school and pupils will be encouraged to develop language for art through discussion of artwork they are exposed to.
Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4
At Educate U pupils in Key Stages 3 and 4 will be encouraged to build upon their previous knowledge and skills developed in art through a broad and comprehensive curriculum that provides exciting opportunities to extend their previous learning and progress whilst encompassing pupils’ individual creativity. Pupils will be encouraged to expand their own language for art and vocabulary based around reflection of their own and others artwork whilst also developing their ability to reflect upon their own and others artwork.
The individual needs, capabilities and interests of pupils is taken into consideration whilst providing them with opportunities to engage, inspire and challenge them. The curriculum is based around aims set out in the National Curriculum and linked to topics to ensure a well-structured approach to this creative subject.
Pupils will be introduced to a variety of materials and media as well as the work of famous artists.
Pupils are taught to extend their creative techniques whilst developing their own creativity and building on their own knowledge and understanding as well as developing their confidence in this subject area.
As in previous Key Stages Teachers and supporting staff will endeavour to determine progress through on-going observations and will facilitate learning based around a clear understanding of individual pupil needs to assist them in determining suitable next steps to develop their skills in art.
Artwork will be shared, celebrated and displayed throughout the school to inspire and encourage pupil engagement as well as develop and inspire further creative aspirations whilst supporting pupils personal creative development, independence, judgement and ability to self-reflect.
Impact
By the time Pupils leave Educate U they will:
● Be confident in embracing their individual creativity.
● Have an awareness and understanding of the work of other artists, craftspeople, and designers across a range of times and cultures.
● Be able to review, modify and develop their own creative ideas to produce their own creative work.
● Be able to apply and understand the knowledge, skills and processes they have been taught to demonstrate their proficiency in the use of a range of media and techniques.
● Demonstrate through summative assessment their individual attainment against the expectations set out in the National Curriculum expectations in their own creative work.
● Leave with increased resilience, knowing that it is ok to make mistakes along their creative journeys, whilst developing their ability to be critical about their own work.
● Be confident in challenging their own creativity to develop their own artistic knowledge, skills and understanding.
● Develop confidence in pursuing their own creative dreams and future aspirations.
