Art & Design

Our Art curriculum at Bird in Bush School is a key subject in our drive to ensure our pupils are provided with a rich, diverse and inclusive provision focused on the skills and knowledge of our local context. London and South East London/Peckham is rich in its artistic history and our curriculum is planned to introduce pupils to the Art on their doorstep. We expect our pupils to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of art and design, knowing how art and design both reflect and shape our history and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation.

We have a highly motivated SLT team and Art lead, who have the highest aspirations for all children to benefit from the arts. We are proud of all the CPD training for Art and the development of our curriculum subjects. We aim to develop confidence in our teachers and teaching staff to teach Art and DT lessons and have fully resourced these lessons. We hope to improve the accessibly of the resources, making the organisation more stream-lined and organised- helping reduce teacher stress and any worry about Art lessons and allocated mess. It is the SLT’s intention that this structure will support the pressure of a full timetable and help develop use of sketchbooks and consistency/quality of outcomes. We want art to be celebrated and not pushed to the back of ‘importance’. 

Furthermore, the art curriculum has been completely written with our children in mind. Stripped back and re-constructed to ensure that it covers drawing and painting, art technique and mixed media, 3D sculpture-and interwoven throughout is art history-focussing on contemporary Black artists and designers who embrace cultural diversity and the difficulties of colonialization and migration (as well as the traditional artists from the past).

Intent:

Art and Design embody some of the highest forms of human creativity. At Bird in Bush School, it is our intention to offer all pupils a high-quality art and design education that engages, inspires and challenges pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design.

As pupils make progress they will be able to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of the fundamental attributes of an artist or designer. We encourage high achievement through our provision of quality teaching and learning experiences.

Through exploration our pupils will know how art and design both reflect and shape our history, and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation and the impact it has on contemporary life and that of different times.

Implementation:

Art and Design within the Bird in Bush School is taught using a thematic curriculum from the Early Years through to the end of Key Stage Two and aims to ensure that all our pupils remember long-term art content they have been taught and integrate new knowledge into larger ideas. Leaders provide effective support for those teaching outside their main areas of expertise and as a result, teachers have good knowledge of the Art and Design curriculum. The art work given to pupils is demanding and matches the aims of the Art and Design curriculum and is coherently planned and sequenced. Teachers present content clearly, promoting appropriate discussion and ensuring pupils can evaluate the work of world artists and designers they have studied. They check pupils’ understanding of how to use art and design as a means of self-expression, identify misconceptions accurately and provide clear, direct feedback. In so doing, they respond and adapt their art teaching as necessary.

Impact:

Bird in Bush teachers use a variety of strategies such as regular and consistent feedback, coherently planned and demanding learning experiences and the use of individual sketchbooks to evaluate the knowledge, skills and understanding that our children have gained in art and design during each half-termly unit. As a result, pupils develop detailed knowledge and skills across the art and design curriculum and achieve the best possible outcomes producing work of a high quality. Our pupils are equipped with the essential art and design knowledge and skills needed for the next stage in their education and, where relevant, they gain qualifications that allow them to go on to destinations that meet their interests and aspirations.

Enrichment:

At the Bird in Bush, we maximise children’s art and design learning by providing them with a range of rich and memorable experiences. Reflecting a thematic approach, we offer our pupils an extensive range of planned opportunities, for example, learning from expert artists or designers, participating in bespoke workshops, creating murals for the local nature reserve or visiting the wealth of galleries London has to offer. Working collaboratively with the local community, pupils gain an insight into joint ventures, working within industry and the local environment.

Early Years and beyond:

What does Art look like in the early years?

Art is taught via a year on year cycle of progression at Bird in Bush School, from Nursery through to Year 6. An example of this progression is in the skill of drawing – where each year group builds on the elements of drawing that have been previously introduced are reinforced in earlier years and are taught alongside new elements. For example, EYFS to Y6 drawing progresses from:

  • R - a focus on pencil grip and simple representations of actual things by connecting shapes e.g. people and objects

  • Y1 – a focus on adding detail e.g. to faces and introducing proportion and scale (oil pastels)

  • Y2 – a focus on depth and tone and drawing 3D objects (charcoal)

  • Y3 – further focus on depth through shading, particularly of smaller details 

  • Y4 – introduce perspective and a focus on composition (wax crayons)

  • Y5 – introduce further ways of creating tone and depth e.g. cross hatching

  • Y6 – compiling all elements of drawing and materials