Art and Design

 Creativity in the Early Years

For our youngest children there has always been an emphasis on learning through play. This allows the freedom to express themselves creatively through activities linked to Music, Dance, Drama, Art and Design and falls under the heading of Expressive Arts and Design (EAD)

As they continue on their Journey into Key Stage 1 and 2 children at St Marys follow the National Curriculum.

Art and Design

The Art and Design curriculum enables children to explore and develop their ideas, investigate and make art, craft and design, evaluating and developing their work, and develop their knowledge and understanding of Art and Design.   Children will be taught to plan their own piece of art (sculpture, collage, drawing) on a theme which shows an awareness of their own style and choice with evaluations, including modifications, annotation on choices in the making process, records of modifications and the end product. 

Art lessons at St. Mary's:

We provide a sequence of learning that enables all children to develop their knowledge, skills and understanding.

Step 1 – Research

This is where children look at a range of artists, craftspeople and designers. They begin to gather knowledge about the artist, carry out some observational drawings and collect samples of fabric, magazine cut-outs and key vocabulary that inspire them.

Step 2 – Experimentation

We begin to experiment with a range of processes and techniques. This is a fundamental part of learning in art and design, it is where our children begin to develop their craft.

Step 3 – Design

Our children should by this point have a wealth of information linked to their overarching topic or vehicle link. It is now time to look back at what they have learnt and collected to decide what they want to include in their final piece.

Children will consider:

• What is their composition going to look like?
• What colours are they going to use?
• What materials are they going to use and how are they going to use them?
• How are they going to apply what they have learnt into one final piece of art?

Children will then begin to draft/sketch out their idea for a final piece, annotating with thoughts and ideas.

Step 4 – Making

It’s time to get making their final piece! The sketchbook is very important for this stage of learning as their planning contains the tools they need to create their vision. Our children are now able to create their vision on a larger scale.

Step 5 - Evaluation

Evaluation is an integral part of each stage as children are constantly evaluating their work. Every time they make a mark or manipulate the materials they are using, they are evaluating the effectiveness of what they have done and how it matches their intention.

For their evaluation, a picture of their final piece is stuck in their books and children write their evaluations around it. They consider what went well, what they are pleased with and what skills they hope to improve in the future.