Intent:

At St.Walburga’s Catholic Primary School, we value Art and Design as an important part of the children’s entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum. Art and Design provides the children with the opportunities to develop and extend skills and an opportunity to express their individual interests, thought and ideas.

Art, craft and design embody some of the highest forms of human creativity. A high-quality art and design education 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.

Implementation:

The teaching and implementation of the Art and Design Curriculum at St.Walburga’s Catholic Primary School is based on the National Curriculum and linked to topics to ensure a well-structured approach to this creative subject.

The children are taught Art as part of their termly topic work.  Areas covered include sculpture mosaics, printing based on topic work, such as the Tudor houses, nature, Aboriginal art, WW2 propaganda posters, painting, pointillism, Pop Art and the works of the Impressionist artists.  The school uses a Long Term plan(A/B Rolling Programme) to aid teacher planning.

The children's learning is further enhanced with school ‘Wow days when the children have the opportunity for collaborative working and exploring the different styles and techniques of a range of artists.

The school also uses the services of a Visual Arts Co-ordinator  part of the Music & Arts Service in Bradford. 

The school ensures that children’s creative talents are seen by a wider audience other than the school community. Each year we submit entries to the CSP Christmas Card art competition and of late, the e-art exhibition during the Summer term.

Impact:

Ongoing assessments take place throughout the year. Teachers use this information to inform future lessons; ensuring children are supported and challenged appropriately. This data is analysed on a termly basis to inform and address any trends or gaps in attainment. The school’s tracker of choice is Insight.

Children in Foundation Stage are assessed within Expressive Arts and Design and tracked on the Early Excellence Tracker. Age related expectation levels are reported to parents at the end of the reception year.