At Thwaites School, Art and Design is an important part of our broad and balanced curriculum. It gives pupils opportunities to explore ideas, express themselves creatively and interpret the world around them. We want pupils to develop confidence in making, evaluating and refining their work and to understand that their ideas and perspectives are valuable.

Our Art and Design curriculum is based on Kapow Primary and has been carefully adapted to reflect our mixed-age classes and rolling curriculum. Art and Design is taught in planned units, with weekly lessons during the periods in which the subject is scheduled. It alternates with Design and Technology across the curriculum year.

Nursery children develop their artistic knowledge and skills separately through the EYFS area of Expressive Arts and Design. Where appropriate, their learning is linked to the Art and Design curriculum being followed by Reception and Key Stage 1.

Curriculum Organisation

From Reception to Year 6, the curriculum is organised around six strands:

• Drawing and Mark Making

• Colour, Paint and Surface

• Sculpture, Form and Space

• Pattern, Craft and Design

• Materials, Techniques and Processes

• Meaning, Interpretation and Response

These strands are revisited through different units and year groups. This allows pupils to return to important concepts, materials and techniques in new contexts, strengthening and extending their knowledge over time.

Pupils experience drawing, painting, sculpture, craft, design and mixed-media work. They learn to use a range of materials, tools and techniques with increasing control and independence. They also study the work of artists, designers and craftspeople from different periods, cultures and contexts, considering how art can communicate ideas, experiences, identity and emotions.

Teaching and Learning

Lessons combine the explicit teaching of artistic knowledge and techniques with opportunities for pupils to explore, experiment and make creative decisions. Teachers demonstrate processes, introduce relevant vocabulary and support pupils in discussing the choices they and other artists have made.

Sketchbooks are used purposefully to record observations, explore materials and techniques, develop ideas, practise skills and reflect upon learning. Pupils are taught that experimentation and revision are valuable parts of the creative process and that the process of making can be as important as the finished outcome.

As pupils progress through school, they develop greater technical control and make increasingly independent choices about materials, techniques, composition and meaning. They are encouraged to take creative risks, solve problems and explain the thinking behind their work.

Inclusion and Challenge

Our Art and Design curriculum is designed to be accessible to every pupil. Its practical, visual and oral approaches enable pupils to demonstrate their understanding without relying heavily on written outcomes.

Teachers use modelling, demonstrations, visual aids, practical resources, scaffolding and step-by-step guidance where needed. Outcomes can be adapted so that every pupil can participate successfully while working towards the intended learning.

Pupils who demonstrate secure understanding are challenged through greater independence, experimentation and increasingly complex creative decisions. They may explore alternative materials or techniques, refine their ideas further or explain and evaluate their choices in greater depth.

Assessment

Assessment in Art and Design is purposeful and focuses on what pupils know, understand and can do as artists. Progress is judged through pupils’ developing knowledge, technical control, creativity, independence and ability to explain their decisions—not simply through the appearance of a finished product.

During lessons, teachers assess learning through observation, questioning, discussion, sketchbook work, practical outcomes and pupils’ use of artistic vocabulary. Feedback helps pupils refine their work, address misconceptions and consider their next steps.

At the end of each lesson, pupils use the school’s POG system to reflect upon their progress against the learning objective and success criteria:

• Pink – Developing: “I am starting to learn this, but I still need help.”

• Orange – Secure: “I can do this on my own most of the time.”

• Green – Advanced: “I can do this confidently and could help someone else.”

At the end of each unit, teachers complete a class assessment summary based on the knowledge and skills that have been taught. Teachers also make termly judgements about pupils’ progress across the six curriculum strands. These judgements draw upon evidence from lessons, sketchbooks, practical work, discussions and end-of-unit assessments.

Throughout the year, pupils revisit and apply previously learnt knowledge and skills through their sketchbooks, new artistic contexts, different materials, cross-curricular work, displays and shared outcomes. This helps teachers evaluate how well pupils remember their learning and whether they can apply it independently in new situations.

Curriculum Impact

By the end of Year 6, we aim for pupils to:

• use a range of artistic materials, tools and techniques confidently;

• draw upon their previous learning when developing new work;

• explore, develop and refine ideas with increasing independence;

• make thoughtful creative decisions and explain their intentions;

• evaluate their own work and the work of others using appropriate vocabulary;

• understand how artists and designers communicate ideas and meaning; and

• approach creative challenges with confidence, curiosity and resilience.

We want pupils to leave Thwaites School seeing themselves as capable and thoughtful artists. They should appreciate art in its many forms and understand that creativity is a valuable skill that can help them communicate, solve problems and engage with the world around them.