At All Saints’, we encourage children to express their creativeness through a love of art and design. Our art curriculum engages, inspires and challenges our children, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art and design that they love and feel proud of. They learn how art reflects and shapes our history, contributes to the culture, creativity and wealth of our world; they learn to love and appreciate it.

As part of lessons, children are given the opportunity to work collaboratively as a team with their peers. Often they talk about their ideas and processes they have used in their own and others’ work. We strongly encourage children to recognise the strength in their own work and in others’.

The children have meaningful opportunities to create art work for various events to support our communities. They create art work alongside learning about inter-faith harmony, harvest festival, remembrance day and decorate the church for liturgical celebrations.

In our art curriculum, we promote children to explore, analyse and evaluate different elements of art. Although they may come across challenges in their artistic journey, we encourage children that mistakes are part of an artist’s journey. Evidence of their creative journey is seen through their Art sketchbooks where they have creative control to reflect and review their work. We encourage children to remember that we focus on the process and not just the end result.

Pupils in Nursery and Reception have access to a creative area in the indoor and outdoor provision, which allows the pupils to learn through play. The creative areas provide children with open access to equipment and resources to draw, design and make creations linked to children’s ongoing interests, topics, artists, skills and techniques. The pupils’ ongoing creative experiences of Expressive Arts and Design, link closely to several Early Learning Goals (Communication and Language, Physical Development, Exploring and creating with materials and Being Imaginative and Expressive.)

In Nursery and Reception, Art and Design is continuously covered throughout the year. This allows pupils to develop their own ideas and interests, be creative and recognise their own strengths and weaknesses. In addition to this continuous exploration, which explores both independent and collaborative Art, pupils are given the opportunity to develop our five main areas of Art and Design: Drawing, Painting, Sculpture, Printing and Collage.

Drawing and Sketchbooks - Spirals: In the Autumn term, Year 1 will be introduced to sketchbooks and use drawing, collage and mark-making to explore spirals.

Surface and Colour – Simple Printmaking: In the Spring term, Year 1 will use line, shape, colour and texture to explore pattern, sequencing and symmetry. These skills will support their ability to make a simple but effective print.

Working in Three Dimensions – Playful Making: In the Summer term, Year 1 will explore materials and intention through a playful approach.

Drawing and Sketchbooks - Explore & Draw: In the Autumn term, Year 2 will be introduced to the idea that artists can be collectors & explorers as they develop drawing and composition skills.

Surface and Colour – Expressive Painting: In the Spring term, Year 2 will explore how painters sometimes use paint in an expressive and gestural way. The pupils will also explore colour mixing and experimental mark making to create abstract still life.

Working in Three Dimensions – Stick Transformation Project: In the Summer term, Year 2 will explore how you can transform a familiar object into new and fun forms.

Drawing and Sketchbooks - Gestural Drawing with Charcoal: In the Autumn term, Year 3 will make loose, gestural drawings with charcoal whilst also exploring drama and performance.

Surface and Colour – Working with Shape and Colour: In the Spring term, Year 3 will ‘paint with scissors.” The pupils will collage and stencil in response to looking at artwork.

Working in Three Dimensions – Telling Stories Through Drawing & Making: In the Summer term, Year 3 will explore how artists are inspired by other art forms. In particular, how sculpture can be inspired by literature and film.

Drawing and Sketchbooks - Storytelling Through Drawing: In the Autumn term, Year 4 will explore how artists create sequenced drawings to share and tell stories. The pupils will also create accordion books or comic strips to retell poetry or prose through drawing.

Surface and Colour – Exploring Still Life: In the Spring term, Year 4 will explore artists working with the genre of still life, contemporary and more traditional. The pupils will also create their own still life inspired art work.

Working in Three Dimensions – Festival Feasts: In the Summer term, Year 4 will explore the key question: How might we use food and art to bring us together?

Drawing and Sketchbooks - Typography & Maps: In the Autumn term, Year 5 will explore how we can create typography through drawing and design. The pupils will also use their skills to create personal and highly visual maps.

Surface and Colour – Mixed Media Land & Cityscapes: In the Spring term, Year 5 will explore how artists use a variety of media to capture spirit of the place.

Working in Three Dimensions – Set Design: In the Summer term, Year 5 will create a model set for theatre or animation inspired by poetry, prose, film or music

Drawing and Sketchbooks - 2D Drawing to 3D Making: In the Autumn term, Year 6 will explore how 2D drawings can be transformed to 3D objects. The pupils will also work towards a sculptural outcome or a graphic design outcome.

Surface and Colour – Exploring Identity: In the Spring term, Year 6 will discover how artists use layers and juxtaposition to create artwork which explores identity. Pupils will also make their own layered portrait.

Working in Three Dimensions – Shadow Puppets: In the Summer term, Year 6 will explore how traditional and contemporary artists use cut-outs and shadow puppets.