At St George’s School we want the children to be able to express themselves creatively and imaginatively through the artwork they create.

We follow the National Curriculum which identifies and groups subject objectives for KS1 and KS2. 

The National Curriculum states that its purpose is to ‘engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design’ and we strive to ensure that all children develop this core knowledge and understanding whilst at St George’s.

Art and design is taught through a topic based approach and gives pupils the opportunity to use a variety of tools and techniques to create their own works of art, craft and design. This allows links and connections to be made to other areas of the curriculum as children develop their knowledge and understanding.

SMSC

Art is an extremely sociable subject where discussions on preferences and evaluations of art are promoted and key. Working in groups allows children to learn from each other and to share ideas and feelings. Art helps them to develop a respect for the abilities of other children and encourages collaboration.

In relation to spiritual development, Art introduces children to the work of great Artists and experiencing wonder and awe at the achievements of these great works of art. They also experience great admiration and respect for their peers’ work, especially in relation to looking at their progression over time with their sketchbooks that follow them throughout their school life.

With moral development, art encourages mutual respect, peer evaluation and the consideration for others’ work, including that of famous artists. Pupils are encouraged to show compassion when assessing the work of others through understanding how their comments can build up or destroy another’s self- belief. 

Art supports our children’s cultural development work as they study various cultures and civilizations from around the world. This leads to a greater understanding of different ways of life and a respect for cultures that are very different from our own; how they can enrich our own lives. It is fantastic as we provide opportunities to compare and contrast our own and other cultures, leading to pupils incorporating designs, patterns and motifs in their own work developed by a deeper understanding of the culture.

British Values

Open discussions about preferences in art, and evaluating others' work creates an environment that is accepting of different beliefs, opinions and abilities of others. Children learn about similarities and differences between themselves and others, and show tolerance of these. All of our artistic experiences teach them that everyone is important, and that everyone will have different life experiences and skills that we can celebrate and respect. Art requires a lot of teamwork, where children will take a democratic approach to working collaboratively, including making compromises and sharing decisions.

Protected Characteristics

At St. George's, we want to give our children an open, respectful and realistic mindset towards the wonderful world we live in and how this relates to art. We strive to expose them to a range of significant artists from all different backgrounds related to the protected characteristics, and have planned for this in our varied curriculum.  Children will learn through projects within the cornerstones curriculum  to develop their appreciation of artists from a variety of communities.

Useful links and websites including things you can do with your child

Things you can do with your child in the local area related to art and design include:

• Manchester Art Museum:  https://manchesterartgallery.org
• Crich Tramway Museum: https://www.tramway.co.uk/
• Sculptures at Chatsworth House: https://www.chatsworth.org/visit-chatsworth/chatsworth-estate/art-archives/devonshire-collections/sculpture/ 
• Yorkshire Sculpture Park: https://ysp.org.uk/visit 

Useful website links:

• BBC Bitesize: https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/ks1-art-and-design/zftyd6f