At Drayton Community Infant School, we value Art because it contributes to the development of the whole child emotionally, aesthetically, spiritually, intellectually and socially. It creates in the child a sense of enjoyment and purpose, whilst also providing pupils with a unique way of perceiving themselves which is essential to their learning. It also broadens the range of opportunities we provide for children to achieve in. Due to our high regard of Art and the positive outcomes it can have for children, we thrive to ensure that every child feels like they are an artist. This is done by valuing all art that is produced through verbal encouragement, praise and displaying every child’s artwork; not just the art perceived to be the best.

Aims:

Through the teaching of Art we aim to:

• Promote children’s enjoyment of Art.
• Encourage the development of imagination, original thought and personal expression.
• Develop the children’s aesthetic awareness and help them to make informed critical responses about their work and the work of others.
• Provide children with the opportunities to study and record both man-made and natural phenomena.
• Ensure children develop an expertise in using a wide range of materials and equipment and techniques, so enable the realisation of their ideas.
• Provide opportunities to study contemporary, historical, cultural and religious art and artists.

At DCIS, Art is taught as a stand-alone subject to teach specific skills, but it is also seen across our curriculum and tied in with Power of Reading. Children should be encouraged to look closely at pieces of art work and consider the focus for each piece as well as the artist’s perception and emotions towards the subject We endeavour to create many opportunities to use Art as a basis for work in a variety of other subjects. These may include Design Technology, History, Geography, Literacy, PSHE and many more. In Spring 2021 we had a very successful Maths and Art week which was not only enjoyed by pupils, but also demonstrated clear progression across the school.

Pupils at DCIS should be given the opportunity to learn through real experiences, teacher-prepared materials, practical demonstrations, structured tasks and educational visits (where possible). These tasks should incorporate drawing; painting; collage; printing; 3D and textiles. The opportunity should be given for pupils to evaluate and respond to art using visual language, and to make informed comments about their own work and that of others.

Lessons should be planned and organised to allow children to work independently, in pairs, as part of a small group or as a whole class, regularly. When planning group work, it is important to incorporate some activities in which mixed ability groups can be used. Low ability children should have opportunities to work alongside more able pupils. In doing so, children will be able to consolidate their skills by demonstrating what they are capable of to others or on the other hand, lower ability children will be able to observe good practise from their peers.