At SMSP we believe the Arts play a vital role in underpinning a well-rounded education. From Reception to Year 6, children are given opportunities to access a broad range of high-quality art experiences and we actively encourage art to be used as a form of expression for all children.
We encourage children to develop their creativity and imagination through learning different skills and techniques. Following the Kapow scheme of work, children are introduced to a wide variety of creative forms and develop skills and knowledge across four key areas: drawing, painting and mixed media, sculpture and 3D, and craft and design.
In Reception, children are given continuous access to different media, such as modelling, painting, drawing, cameras and chalk as well as a supply of natural products such as pine cones, shells, stones and leaves.
Sketch books, for children to record and experiment in, are used throughout the school. They are also used to track progression and skills development. Rich and varied displays throughout the school showcase and celebrate the development and progression in learning.
In addition to regular Art lessons, the whole school has a yearly Curriculum Week. This is a week in which the children are fully immersed in the Arts to explore the chosen topic. Previous topics have included ‘There’s Only One You’, ‘Britain through the Decades’ and ‘Radical Geometry’.
Children also learn to appreciate works of art and use artistic language to describe paintings, sculptures and other art forms. We enrich our Art curriculum with visits to London’s art galleries and make direct links to a wide variety of art forms through class topics.
Curriculum Content
Reception
In Reception, children continually access a wide variety of creative activities and opportunities both inside and out. Through the topics studied they are able to explore a wide range of mediums and techniques such as sketching, painting, collage and they experiment with design, textures and colours. Children enjoy observing patterns in nature when learning about seasonal changes.
Year 1
In Year 1, the children explore mark making and line; working and experimenting with different materials through observational and collaborative pieces. They explore colour mixing using a range of tools to paint on different surfaces and create paintings inspired by Clarice Cliff and Jasper Johns. For their sculpture project, the children create simple three dimensional shapes and structures using familiar materials and also develop skills in measuring, cutting and adding patterns and decoration to create a range of decorative items.
Year 2
In Year 2, the children use storybook illustrations as a stimulus, to further develop their mark-making skills and explore a wider range of tools. They experiment with creating texture to add detail to their drawings. They study impressionist painters as a starting point to investigate how mixing a wider range of colours contributes to different effects. They learn a range of essential skills for working with clay, learn about the sculpture of Rachel Whiteread and create their own clay house tile in response. For their craft and design project, the children respond to a design brief, learn three techniques for working creatively with materials and at the end of the project, evaluate their design ideas.
Year 3
In Year 3, the children begin by developing an understanding of shading and drawing techniques which they come back to later in the year to create botanical inspired drawings. They discover how and why our ancient ancestors made art, experiment with natural materials to make homemade paints. Taking inspiration from Ancient Egyptian art, linking to their history topic, the children develop their design and craft skills. For their sculpture project, the children explore how shapes and negative spaces can be represented by three dimensional forms.
Year 4
In Year 4, using mechanical engravings as a starting point, the children develop an awareness of proportion, composition and pattern in drawing. They develop skills in colour mixing, focussing on using tints and shades to create a 3D effect. In their sculpture project, they explore how different materials can be shaped and joined, learning about techniques used by artists such as Barbara Hepworth and Sokari Douglas-Camp before creating their own sculptures. They also develop skills in textile techniques, exploring the beauty of the natural world to create art inspired by the striking colours, pattern and textures of bird and insect life.
Year 5
In Year 5, the children consider the purpose of drawings as they investigate how imagery was used in the ‘Space race’ that began in the 1950s. They combine collage and printmaking to create a piece in their own style. They study self-portraits by a range of artists and use photographs of themselves as a starting point to produce their own unique self-portraits in mixed-media. They investigate the built environment through drawing and printmaking, and learn about the features of installation art and how it can communicate a message. They explore the work of Cai Guo-Qiang and discover how our life experiences can inspire our art.
Year 6
In Year 6, the children explore a selection of paintings through art appreciation activities. They research the life, techniques and artistic intentions of a chosen artist and collect ideas in their sketchbook before planning their own piece. They explore art with a message, by studying ‘Guernica’ by Picasso and the works of Käthe Kollwitz. To end their time at SMSP, the children document their memories of their time at primary school by designing and creating a piece of 3D artwork using a selection of skills and techniques learned in previous years.