Curriculum Intention:

Our Art and Design curriculum reflects the need to stimulate pupils’ creativity and extend their artistic capabilities across a range of skills (painting, drawing, collaging, printing, 3D form and textiles). The curriculum is clearly planned and organised to ensure skill progression across year groups. We introduce pupils to a range of artists’ works, increasing their understanding of artistic techniques and helping them to develop opinions about art. This will help them to develop their own artistic taste and style. It is an expectation at Woodridge that all children will go on a trip to an art gallery at least once in their school career.

Curriculum Implementation:

Art and Design are taught in a one week block once a term so that pupils can become fully immersed in their artistic unit and build knowledge and understanding clearly and quickly. As much as we can, we make links between art and other topics to heighten the relevance of art in the world and to put art into context. Pupils use a range of artistic resources across the school to practice a variety of artistic techniques.

We have a strong belief that children should learn about the work of diverse artists so that they can learn about artistic styles associated with that particular artist and the wider movement they may be a part of. This means that all classes will have at least one lesson learning about their artist, having the chance to look at their works of art. This means that by Years 5 and 6, pupils can answer more complex questions linking art to the wider world.

Art and Design is also integral in our annual Woodridge Artsweek, along with art-based competitions eg. The Mayor’s Christmas Card Design competition and Art for Schools project in December.

Big Blue Question examples:

'Can you say that a canvas painted white is actually art?'

'Who decides what is art?'

'Andy Warhol said everyone will be famous for 15 minutes. What do you think?'

Blue Sky Thinkers:

Vincent Van Gogh, Andy Warhol, Vivienne Westwood, Georgia O'Keefe, Jackson Pollock, Rene Magritte, Anthony Gormley, Georges Seurat, Henri Matisse, Gustav Klimt, Claude Monet and Alberto Giacometti.

Diversity:

Stephen Wiltshire, Stella McCartney, El Anatsui and Zaha Hadid.

Art and Design Subject Leader - Ms Sally-Anne Hickman