Art, Design and Technology

Intent
Art and Design & technology are inspiring, rigorous and practical subjects and, as a school, we believe they play an integral part of our children’s education.

Art lessons provide pupils with opportunities to develop a range of ways to express their individual creativity whilst learning about the different types of art within society. It contributes to their personal development and enables pupils to develop a greater sense of wonder and curiosity about the world around them. When teaching art, our focus is on developing proficiency in drawing, painting and sculpture and developing a better understanding of colour and shade.

In DT, using creativity and imagination, pupils design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values. They acquire a broad range of subject knowledge and draw on disciplines such as mathematics, science, engineering, computing and art. Pupils learn how to take risks, becoming resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens. Through the evaluation of past and present design and technology, they develop a critical understanding of its impact on daily life and the wider world. High-quality design and technology education make an essential contribution to the creativity, culture, wealth and well-being of the nation.

At Lynch Hill we aim, in line with the National Curriculum for Art and DT, to ensure that all pupils:

  •  produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences
  •  become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques
  •  evaluate and analyse creative works using the language of art, craft and design
  •  know about great artists, craft makers and designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms.
  • develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world
  • build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users
  • critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products and the work of others
  • understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook.

Implementation
Our curriculum is designed to develop knowledge and skills that are progressive, as well as transferable such as research, observation, measurement, recording and presentation. At Lynch Hill, Art and DT are taught using the IPC units of study. This offers a cross-curricular approach and ensures that children are indeed able to make links and transfer skills. The key knowledge and skills are clearly identified for each topic and consideration is given to ensure progression across the school. At the beginning of each topic, children are able to convey what they know already as well as what they would like to find out. IPC entry points offer children the ‘hook’ to awaken their interest and curiosity, and exit points enable pupils to showcase the depth of their learning. Every learner is different, but our IPC matrices allow for children to work towards mastery and extended learning projects encourage pupils to showcase this in their own way.

Through a variety of creative and practical activities, we teach the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in an iterative process of designing and making. The children work in a range of relevant contexts (for example home, school, leisure, culture, enterprise, industry and the wider environment).

Key skills and key knowledge for Art and for DT have been mapped across the school to ensure progression between year groups. This helps to ensure that there is a context for the children’s work and that they learn about real life structures and the purpose of specific examples, as well as developing their skills throughout the programme of study.

Impact
Outcomes demonstrate children’s acquisition of identified key knowledge. Displays map out the pupils’ learning journey and the end point and, as they progress through the school, they develop a deeper knowledge, understanding and appreciation of both Art and DT. Staff discussions with pupils, along with learning presentations, showcase the children’s depth of understanding and how they are mastering subject specific vocabulary. The impact of Art and DT teaching at Lynch Hill is that we have helped to develop people who can be creative, show appreciation for art and design, take risks, be resourceful and innovative. Through the evaluation of art and technology, both now and in the past, our pupils develop a more critical understanding of their impact on daily life and the wider world.

Click here to download the 'I Can' statements for Art, Design and Technology