Art

At the Synergy Schools Federation, our Art and Design scheme of work aims to inspire pupils, nurture their creativity and develop their confidence to experiment and invent their own works of art.

Children are given the opportunity to develop their abilities in different areas of art and express their ideas. They are encouraged to think critically and make their own artistic choices whilst creating their work.

Our curriculum is founded on the Kapow Primary scheme of work which provides a comprehensive, motivating, and progressive model, written by subject experts. Kapow’s art and design scheme supports children to meet the aims of the national curriculum. This is also supported by a yearly art day, where the children are given the opportunity to further express their creativity against a given theme by using their knowledge of art disciplines and inspiration from a wide variety of artists to create their own piece of work. Our federations yearly celebration of art further allows the children’s creativity to shine and encourages their independence to apply their learning. Work is then displayed in an exhibition, both in person and online.  

Our art and design curriculum is taught through blocked art days and weeks each term. This allows the children to build their skills in more depth, learn about a range of artists and apply their skills thoroughly while creating their work.  Lessons are always practical in nature and encourage experimental and exploratory learning, with pupils using their sketchbooks to document their ideas. Sketchbooks follow the children through school to show their journey in art and the children’s art is displayed throughout the schools, on our online gallery or on Tapestry for our Early Years Foundation Stage children.

Our curriculum has key strands that run throughout. These are:

• Generating ideas
• Using sketchbooks
• Making skills, including formal elements (line, shape, tone, texture, pattern, colour)
• Knowledge of artists
• Evaluating and analysing

The formal elements, a key part to the national curriculum, are also woven throughout units. Units are organised into four core areas:

• Drawing
• Painting and mixed media
• Sculpture and 3D
• Craft and design

Key skills are revisited again and again with increasing complexity in a spiral curriculum model which promotes memory retention and allows pupils to revise and build on their previous learning. Creativity and independent outcomes are robustly embedded into the Kapow units, which support children in learning how to make their own creative choices and decisions. The children are also involved in the evaluation, dialogue and decision making about the quality of their outcomes and improvements they need to make. Children should not only know facts and key information about art but will be able to talk about their own learning journey. This links closely to our school's vision where we promote children facing their challenges whilst making creative decisions and having an inquisitive mind. Children asking their own questions and developing their own learning. By the end of their time at learning art at our schools, the children will be ready to progress to Key Stage 3.