Aims - Our Intent
The study of Art at Ashurst CE Aided Primary School develops children’s skills, concepts and knowledge necessary for them to express their responses to ideas and experiences in a visual or tactile form. Art enables children to express themselves creatively and imaginatively; it ignites their imagination and is a fundamental means of personal expression. While it is essentially a practical subject, Art provides opportunities for reflection and, with increasing sensitivity, pupils acquire the ability to make informed, critical responses to their own work and that of others.
As they progress through our school children will develop a deeper understanding of Art. Through this understanding children can access a cultural richness and diversity and can begin to explore the impact Art has on contemporary life and that of different times and cultures.
It is our aim for all children at Ashurst to:
- have access to a varied range of high quality art experiences
- have an imaginative, innovative Art curriculum which will nurture an enthusiasm for art and design
- develop an enjoyment and appreciation of the visual arts and a knowledge of artists, craftspeople and designers, through links with the local and wider multicultural community.
- broaden their creativity and imagination by providing visual, tactile and sensory experience
- explore the world at first hand, using all their senses and experimentation, and so gain knowledge and understanding of the world in which they live
- develop their understanding of colour, form, texture, pattern and their ability to use materials and processes to communicate ideas, feelings and meanings
- cultivate their aesthetic awareness and enable them to make informed judgements about art and become actively involved in shaping environments
- develop their own ideas, feelings, thoughts and experiences and express this with increasing ability and confidence
- enhance their ability to value the contribution made by artists, craft workers and designers and respond critically and imaginatively to ideas, images and objects.
Teaching and Learning Approaches – Our Implementation
The Early Years Foundation Stage
During the Early Years, children will be given the opportunity to explore colour, texture, shape and form in two and three dimensions. They will have access to a wide range of constructions, collage, painting and drawing activities, using appropriate tools and art materials. In order to develop their artistic potential, the children will be encouraged to explore their own creative ideas.
Within KS1 Art seeks to expand children’s creativity and imagination through providing art and craft and design activities that relate to the children’s own identity and experiences, to natural and manufactured objects and materials with which they are familiar, and the locality in which they live. Children will explore the visual, tactile and sensory qualities of materials and processes and begin to understand and use colour, shape and space, pattern and texture, to represent their own ideas and feelings.
Art within KS2 aims to further develop the children’s creativity and imagination by building on their knowledge, skills and understanding of materials and processes, through providing more complex activities. Focusing on artists and historical and cultural art, children begin to deepen their understanding of the diverse roles and functions of Art both historically and today.
Art Planning
The school has a long term Art plan which is taught through a topic approach and uses aspects of the Kapow scheme of work. Our curriculum is carefully balanced and planned to engage and excite all our learners so that they learn a range of skills, concepts, attitudes, techniques and methods of working. Our long-term and medium-term plans map out the themes covered each term for each key stage. These plans show what we will teach and ensure an appropriate balance and distribution of art skills across each key stage.
SEND Provision and Equal Opportunities
There are children of differing ability at Ashurst. We recognise this fact and provide suitable learning opportunities for all children by matching the challenge of the task to the ability of the child. We achieve this through a range of strategies which are differentiated by task, expected outcome and/or support from peers or adults.
Children identified as needing extra support in English will be given appropriate help in the classroom to access the research aspects of the art curriculum as indicated by their Individual Learning Plan.
Ashurst CE Aided Primary School, has universal ambitions for every child, whatever their background or circumstances. Children learn and thrive when they are healthy, safe and engaged. In order to engage all children cultural diversity, home languages, gender and religious beliefs are all celebrated. Our curriculum includes a wide range of texts and other resources which represent the diversity and backgrounds of all our children.
Outcomes – Our Impact
At Ashurst we strive to enable our children to be fully literate and articulate; children who are prepared for their secondary education and later life. Through engaging lessons, we aim to foster a love of creativity and an enjoyment of learning. We challenge children of all abilities to make good progress in all areas of the Art curriculum. Ashurst children are encouraged to have a growth mind-set and to develop the skills of perseverance and resilience. Through Art in particular, children are given a chance to develop culturally, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually. The teaching of Art offers opportunities to support the social development of our children through the way we expect them to work with each other in lessons. Groupings allow children to work together and give them the opportunity to discuss their ideas and feelings about their own work and the work of others. Their work in general helps them to develop a respect for the abilities of other children and encourages them to collaborate and co-operate across a range of activities and experiences. Children learn to respect and work with each other and with adults, thus developing a better understanding. They also develop an understanding of different times and cultures through their work on artists, designers and craftspeople.
Mental Health and Wellbeing
All children deserve the opportunity to experience happy, fulfilled and successful lives.
At Ashurst CE Aided Primary we acknowledge that mental wellbeing is a normal part of daily life, in the same way as physical health.
At Ashurst CE Aided Primary we nurture our bodies, minds, each other and our environment. By providing opportunities for learning outdoors, we aim to connect children and staff with the natural environment. We embrace the benefits this brings for mental health and physical and emotional wellbeing.
We promote pupils’ self-control and ability to self-regulate, and strategies for doing so. This will enable them to become confident in their ability to achieve well and persevere even when they encounter setbacks or when their goals are distant, and to respond calmly and rationally to setbacks and challenges. This integrated, whole-school approach to the teaching and promotion of health and wellbeing has a potential positive impact on behaviour and attainment.
Pupils will also be taught about the benefits of hobbies, interests and participation in their own communities. We encourage children to recognise that they are social beings and that spending time with others, taking opportunities to consider the needs of others and practising service to others, including in organised and structured activities and groups, are beneficial for health and wellbeing.
Children should be inspired to follow their dreams when they leave school, whether that be to secure a job, begin vocational training or go on to further education.
We have a shared responsibility to prepare our children to achieve mental, physical and economic wellbeing in a local, national and global context.
Art has long been known to have therapeutic properties. In creating visual images, people ‘draw’ on the right side of their brains. This same side is used before spoken language develops and is where visual memories are stored. Creativity is also well recognised for its potential to heal people, express hidden emotions, reduce stress, fear and anxiety, and promote a sense of autonomy. Engaging young people in the arts can inspire and motivate, opening up new possibilities for creative expression and imagination. It can stimulate a young person’s ability to question and connect with the world around them, and nurture positive aspirations, confidence and the capacity for autonomous critical thought. It can also help young people to develop the resilience to manage challenging life circumstances.
Cultural Capital:
At Ashurst we aim to support every child to gain the confidence and the ability to understand and contribute to a varied cultural awareness. We believe that taking children’s learning experiences beyond what they already know is a fundamental part of becoming an educated citizen in society.
Art contributes to this through
• Whole school art themed days.
• Showcasing the children’s artwork around the school and in the local community such as in Ashurst Village Hall and St. James’ Church.
• Visits and visitors to inspire and encourage pupils.
• The positive and passionate teaching of art.
• Encouraging children to explore the work of artists past and present, local and world-wide and to use their practise as inspiration for their own creativity.
Resources
Trays are maintained by the subject leader in the resource’s cupboard. The trays are labelled and organised by medium. Missing or broken resources should be reported to the subject leader as soon as possible and not put back broken, as this could cause injury.
Assessment:
Each child has an art sketchbook which serves as a cumulative record of their work and is passed on to the next teacher at the end of each year/ key stage. The children’s art work is not formally marked although comments may be added to a piece or a sequence of work.
All children are tracked using the in-school tracking system. After each unit of work, class teachers assess children based on their artistic skills, knowledge and understanding linked to the objectives in the National Curriculum.
Roles and Responsibilities
Subject Leader - To have an impact on raising standards of attainment for Art across the whole school.
- Adapt and use the Programme of Study for Art across the whole school to meet the needs of our children.
- To monitor the whole schools and individual needs.
- To be able to assess individual professional development opportunities and needs.
- To monitor and maintain high quality resources.
- To maintain an overview of current trends and developments within the subject.
- To ensure, together with the Head Teacher an effective programme of moderation and assessments.
- To ensure a regular and effective programme of analysis of short-term planning is in place.
Monitoring and Evaluation
This policy will be reviewed by the Art coordinator, in consultation with the staff, as and when elements of Art are identified or prioritised within the School Development Plan.
This policy was last reviewed in : September 2025
The policy is to be reviewed in : September 2027