Subject leader: Mrs K Bailey

At Sacred Heart, we believe that Art is a vital part of all children’s education and plays a significant and valuable role in the taught curriculum. The teaching of Art also provides important enrichment opportunities for our pupils. We have designed an Art curriculum that will develop children’s critical abilities and understanding of their own and others’ cultural heritages through studying a diverse range of artists. We want our children to be creative and engaged, with the knowledge and the skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art and design. They should be critical thinkers and develop a deeper understanding of the subject as well as art forms that have shaped our history and culture. 

Our Art curriculum is outlined and detailed in the art Progression Map which is organised into knowledge and skills, with the aim of ensuring children build upon their learning at the appropriate stage and revisit key learning to ensure it sticks or it becomes part of long-term learning. Where possible, art is taught through year group topics. Our Art curriculum is designed to give opportunities for children to express their creative imagination as well as practise and develop mastery in six key art processes: drawing, painting, sculpture, printing, textiles and collage. Skills are modelled and explicitly taught; techniques, materials and tools have been carefully selected at each stage to provide age-appropriate experiences. New learning is designed to build on prior knowledge and extend understanding. Skill acquisition, creative expression and critical appreciation are all underpinned by the exploration of the work of key inspirational artists from throughout the centuries.  

Subject-specific vocabulary is explicitly taught and pupils are actively encouraged to use correct terminology when discussing and evaluating their work or the work of others. 

Our pupils should be able to organise their knowledge, skills and understanding around the following key concepts: 

• Develop ideas  

• Master techniques  

• Take inspiration from the greats  

These key concepts underpin learning in each year group. This enables pupils to reinforce and build upon prior learning, make connections and develop subject specific language.  

Through the explicit teaching of the Art skills, both the teachers and the pupils assess their learning continuously throughout the lesson. Artistic displays in classrooms and around the communal areas of the school showcase children’s work. Sketchbooks are used continually and are passed up to the next class at the end of the year, progress is very visual. 

We have designed an Art Curriculum which gives opportunities for children to express their creative imagination as well as discover and develop techniques and deepen their understanding and skills in the key processes of art: drawing, painting, printing, textiles, collage and sculpture.