Pyramids, cathedrals, and rockets exist not because of geometry, theories of structures or thermodynamics, but because they were first a picture a vision in the minds of who built them. Society is where it is today because people had the perception; the images and imagination; the creativity that Arts provide, to make the world the place we live in today.
(Eugene Fergusson Historian)
At Acorn House the Art and Design department teaches and promotes skills in visual literacy within an environment where children can grow perceptually and cognitively to become critical thinkers, creative problem solvers and compassionate viewers of the world around them, aiming to nurture them towards a lifetime of creativity. The Art and Design curriculum follows the English national guide lines, whilst maintaining a personal identity providing a program that contributes to nurture each child, cultivating a basic appreciation for art all around us. Through a continuous developmental approach towards the elements and principals of art and design the students experience and explore a variety of art mediums used by artists, designers and artisans, aiding them in the appreciation and aesthetic visualization of their own work and that of others. At Acorn House Art and Design subject is offered as an important media to learn to express feelings contributing to help students to develop emotionally. Art is greatly valued by Curriculum Coordinators, colleagues and parents and is organised as a specific time within the weekly learning schedule of all departments from EYFS to KS3 and delivered by a qualified specialist Art teacher who supports and follows children growth from Early Years to year 9 ensuring that exciting and inspiring creative learning experiences take place in the Art Lab and beyond the walls of the art classroom.
Opportunities are offered to students from year 1 to visit work in art galleries inspiring them and bringing learning to life.
At Acorn House the approaches used to teach and learn Art encourage creativity and is highly responsive to pupils' emerging ideas.
Art lessons are characterised by:
- using different visual, sensory and tactile experiences/resources that stimulate students' curiosity and sustain their interest throughout the length of the lesson
- stimulating children’s understanding of colour, form, texture, pattern and their ability to use materials and techniques to communicate ideas and feelings
- providing occasions for children's exploration and experimentation supported by appropriate teacher's demonstration and introduction to the work
- offering time for revision and reflection in order to refine work produced
- planning appropriate use of the outside environment as one of the best resource to inspire children's work
- proposing selected examples of artists who exemplify concepts for students to be understood, helping them to learn the different roles and functions of art, craft and design in their own lives and in different times and cultures
- supporting children to learn how to make thoughtful judgments as well as aesthetic and practical decisions when involved to become actively involved in shaping the environment around them
Logic will take you from A to B imagination will take you everywhere (Albert Einstein)
We create opportunities for students to reflect on their work and support the development of their confidence as young artists, craft makers by enabling students to exhibit their work publicly, we show appreciation of students' work changing displays around the school walls, organasing art auctions and participating to Art competition and/or Art expositions.
At Acorn House during Art lessons children are given the opportunity to:
- work on a small and large scale, individually and collaboratively
- explore a range of media and improvise imaginatively
- review and refine ideas and skills
- respond creatively to challenges set by their teacher
- make connections between their own work and that of peers in order to contribute to evaluate themselves and others
- sustain purposeful and independent activity originated from the children’s own investigations
In middle school students add on to what they have been exploring and learning during Primary and
- regularly explore unfamiliar media, tools or techniques in order to build the confidence to work. experimentally and spontaneously
- review their own work critically, using success criteria to improve
- make connections between their own work and that of artists, craft makers and designers
- are given opportunities to explore themes that are uniquely meaningful to them
"Approaches to teaching and learning which encouraged creativity and were highly responsive to pupils' emerging ideas led to high levels of achievements and enjoyment" (Ofsted - Making a mark: art, craft and design education 2008/11)
Teaching art and design at key stages 1, 2 and 3.
Select each item to expand content
Aims and purposes of art and design
- stimulate children's creativity and imagination by providing visual, tactile and sensory experiences and a unique way of understanding and responding to the world;
- develop children's understanding of colour, form, texture, pattern and their ability to use materials and processes to communicate ideas, feelings and meanings;
- explore with children ideas and meanings in the work of artists, craftspeople and designers, and help them learn about their different roles and about the functions of art, craft and design in their own lives and in different times and cultures;
- Help children to learn how to make thoughtful judgements and aesthetic and practical decisions and become actively involved in shaping environments.
Content of art and design at Key Stage 1
Children:
- explore the visual, tactile and sensory qualities of materials and processes and begin to understand and use colour, shape and space, and pattern and texture to represent their own ideas and feelings;
- Focus on the work of artists, craftspeople and designers by asking and answering questions like:
'What is it like?'
'What is it made from?'
'How is it made?'
'What do I think and feel about it?'
Content of art and design at Key Stage 2
- improve their control of materials, tools and techniques and become more confident in using visual and tactile elements, materials and processes to communicate what they see, feel and think;
- Increase their critical awareness of the roles and purposes of art in different times and cultures by commenting on works and asking questions like:
'What is this work about?'
'Why was it made - for what purpose?'
'What visual and tactile elements are used?'
'How are they combined and organised?'
'What materials and processes were used to make it?'
'How are these matched to the purpose of the work?'
'When and where was it made?'
'What do I think and feel about it?'
Language and communication Children develop language skills by:
- exploring ideas about the starting points for their work;
- asking and answering questions about source materials and how these help them to develop their ideas, including recording ideas and annotating work in their sketchbooks;
- finding out about art, craft and design by extracting information from sources such as reference books, CD-ROMs, e-mails and the internet;
- Discussing and comparing their own and others' work and explaining their own views.
Values and attitudes Children have opportunities in art and design to: consider their own attitudes and values in relation to images and artefacts and learn to challenge assumptions, stereotypes and prejudice in visual and other forms;
Content of art and design at Key Stage 3
In KS3 students are taught:
- to use a range of techniques to record their observations in sketchbooks, journals and other media as a basis for exploring their ideas
- to use a range of techniques and media, including painting
- to increase their proficiency in the handling of different materials
- to analyse and evaluate their own work, and that of others, in order to strengthen the visual impact or applications of their work
- about the history of art, craft, design and architecture, including periods, styles and major movements from ancient times up to the present day.
Knowledge, skills and understanding
At Acorn House in the Art department students acquire the following knowledge, skills and understanding during the three years of learning in KS3
Assessment Opportunities
- Project outcomes
- End of unit assessemnts
- Homework tasks
Art and Design KS3 | Curriculum Content |
Year 7 | The expressive nature of line The development of ideas Understanding composition Colour sensation and colour temperature Responding to the work of other artists |
Year 8 | Form, mass, volume, space Tone, form, contour Complementary colour Developing ideas and understanding composition Understanding perspective and using it creatively Exploring media and techniques Responding to the work of other artists |
Year 9 | Experimenting with media, processes and techniques Image making and composition Development of ideas Analytical study Responding to the work of other artists |
