At Bordon Infants we:
- Develop powers of observation.
- Encourage the use of imagination and original thought.
- Provide opportunities to learn about the world in which we live.
- Develop the ability to communicate ideas, opinions and feelings about their own work and that of others and knowing that there are different kinds of art made for different purposes.
- Acquire a range of different skills using different media as the children progress through the school.
At Bordon Infant School, we want our children to love art, craft and design! We want them to have no limits to what their ambitions are and to grow up aware that they could be illustrators, graphic designers or fashion designers. Our Art curriculum is designed to engage, inspire and challenge pupils, whilst equipping them with the knowledge and skills to be able to experiment, invent and create their own works of art. We want to equip our children with not only the minimum statutory requirements of the Art and Design National Curriculum but to prepare them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life. We want our children to use the local area as inspiration, to learn from other cultures and to respect diversity. To that end, we have carefully selected a wide range of unique and diverse artists for the children to interpret the techniques and develop their own skills.
Art and Design Implementation
Through Expressive Arts in Early Years, children are encouraged to explore different media, explore how media can be combined to create different effects and develop a range of skills and techniques experimenting with colour, design, texture, form and function. Children are given daily access to a range of creative opportunities. They are encouraged to create on both small and large scales and our outdoor environment supports this well. Children are encouraged to develop their communication and language skills through talking about their creations and sharing these with others to build confidence and raise self-esteem.
At Bordon Infants, Art is taught in every year group, once per term over a period of sequential lessons. We also celebrate children’s artistic talents at pivotal points throughout the year, the children are also given the opportunity to create pieces of Art for given topics i.e. Christmas, winter displays etc. Each child has an art folder. Over their time at our school we develop the child’s ownership of their folders in order to foster their sense of creativity. Children use their folders to revisit their past work and evaluate their progress.
Throughout the Bordon journey, every child is given the opportunity to learn the skills of drawing, painting, printing, sculpture and digital art through the exploration of an initial key artist or designer and their work.
Through whole class discussions, the pupils explore how their art can be inspired by famous art and use subject-specific vocabulary to discuss key artworks and their own work. In the development of confident art critics, the pupils share their opinions and make informed observations about what will improve their own practical work.
Cross-curricular links are promoted to allow all children to deepen their understanding across the curriculum, including the use of technology, and artworks.
Teachers follow a clear progression of skills, which ensures all pupils are challenged in line with their year group expectations and are given the opportunity to build on their prior knowledge, however the emphasis is on allowing the children to explore different techniques and to be creative in their own right.
Art and Design Impact
When our pupil’s leave Bordon Infant School, the Art curriculum will have lead them to be enthusiastic Artistic learners, evidenced in a range of ways, including pupil discussions and their final pieces. They will also have an understanding of how art and design tells stories about our past and contributes to the creativity of our world. Achievements are celebrated across the school with corridor and classroom displays.