“The child shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of the child’s choice”. UNICEF/UNCRC – Article 13

-A high quality cultural education in every school should be a right, not a privilege.

-We must encourage young people to be inquisitive, disciplined and determined; wherever children start in life.

-Alongside literacy and numeracy, another skill needed in our workforce today is creativity.

-Cultural education subjects help young people to unlock their innate creativity, enabling them to become more rounded and confident human beings.

*Guidance taken from the Art and Design Education, a guide for Governor and Trustees, Arts Council England.

Intent

At Havelock we believe that art is a vital and integral part of every single pupil’s education. It provides them with opportunities to develop a range of ways in which they can share and express their individual creativity, whilst learning about and making links with a wide spectrum of different types of art in our society. Art contributes to all pupil’s personal development in creativity, independence, judgement and self-reflection. Moreover, it enables them to develop a natural sense of wonder and curiosity about the world around them and therefore links strongly to our school values. The focus is in developing proficiency in drawing, painting, understanding colour and shade and sculpture, with the overall aim of developing a rigorous understanding, critical awareness and inspiration of art and design.

The art curriculum will develop all pupil’s critical abilities and understanding of their own and others’ cultural heritages through studying a diverse range of male and female artists and designers throughout history. Building on this, they should know how art and design both reflects and shapes art history and contributes to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation. This will enhance their knowledge and cultural capital and lead to greater success in the future.

Pupils will improve their understanding of the visual language of art with effective teaching and carefully thought out sequences of lessons and experiences. Understanding of the visual elements of art and design (line, tone, texture, colour, pattern, shape, 3D form) will be developed by providing an accessible and engaging curriculum which will enable them to reach their full potential, laying a sound foundation of artistic skills and knowledge.

We aim to stimulate creativity, develop a love of art through self-expression which is particularly appropriate for pupils who find it difficult to access other areas of the curriculum, broadening their opportunities for success, finding it difficult to express themselves due to initial language barriers or SEND.

Striving to ensure that we instill cultural capital, wider engagement and a love of learning in art our aim is to encourage:

• Competitions/Exhibitions/Artist Visits – This will ensure that pupils have the opportunity to create artwork for real-life briefs and purposes. Pupils from all year groups encouraged to think like real artists and experience art for themselves, through the multiple opportunities including competitions, exhibitions and artist visits.
• Pupil-Centered Delivery/ Responsive Teaching – The introduction of an ethos that ensures all pupils learn in a safe environment where they can learn from their mistakes, communicate their opinions, understand and learn from the opinions of others. Teachers take the time to discuss artwork with students, and then plan and deliver the school scheme of work which the pupils have an interest in. Teachers also respond to world/local events.
• Challenge – The level of challenge increases in relation to the size, scale, subject matter, skills, equipment and materials we expect our pupils to use. Pupils are challenged to work as real artists.
• Autonomy – The aim is for all students to be autonomous, so the level of support and content is adjusted from KS1 to KS2.