Art and Design

Art at st mary's catholic primary school 

At St. Mary’s, Art is a vibrant and exciting part of our curriculum, encouraging creativity and self-expression. Students explore a variety of mediums and techniques, from drawing and painting to sculpture and digital art. Through a range of hands-on projects, they develop their artistic skills and gain confidence in their ability to create and communicate ideas visually. Our aim is to inspire a love for art while fostering imagination, problem-solving, and a deeper appreciation of the world around them.

Intent

At St Mary's, our curriculum aims to inspire pupils and develop their confidence to experiment and invent their own works of art.

We want to give our children the opportunity to develop their ability, express their ideas and thoughts about the world, as well as learning about the rich heritage and culture of the British Isles and beyond.

Implementation

We follow the Kapow Primary scheme of work for Art and Design, which supports students in meeting the National Curriculum’s end-of-key-stage attainment targets and aligns with the National Society for Education in Art and Design’s progression competencies. The scheme is structured around five key strands:

- Making skills  

- Formal elements (line, shape, tone, texture, pattern, colour)  

- Knowledge of artists  

- Evaluating  

These strands are revisited in every unit, providing pupils with continuous opportunities to develop and refine their skills. In our Art and Design Skills and Formal Elements of Art units, students learn and practice essential techniques, which are then applied in subsequent units. The curriculum follows a spiral model, revisiting key skills with increasing complexity, allowing pupils to build on prior learning.

Our Curriculum Overview (below) shows how each unit addresses the National Curriculum attainment targets and the relevant strands. The Progression of Skills (below) outlines how skills are taught and developed throughout the year groups to ensure all attainment targets are met by the end of each key stage.

Kapow Primary’s curriculum enhances students' understanding of key artists and art movements through the "Every Picture Tells a Story" units and connections to artists in practical projects. It is designed to scaffold age-appropriate, sequenced learning while offering flexibility for cross-curricular links. Creativity and independent thinking are at the heart of our units, empowering students to make their own artistic choices and produce unique, personal outcomes.

All pupils use sketchbooks throughout their learning to document their ideas, experiment with techniques, and track their progress. Lessons are practical, encouraging experimental learning and artistic exploration, with differentiated guidance available to ensure accessibility for all students. Knowledge organisers for each unit reinforce key facts and vocabulary, helping students build a strong foundation of factual knowledge.

What a typical lesson looks like

Rewind: Pupils begin by revisiting prior learning, helping them connect previous knowledge with new concepts.  

Teach It: New skills and ideas are introduced, providing pupils with the tools to deepen their understanding.  

Practice It: Pupils have the opportunity to apply and refine what they've learned through hands-on practice.  

Assessment: We assess pupils' progress, ensuring learning objectives are met and identifying areas for further development.

Impact

Kapow Primary’s curriculum is designed in such a way that children are involved in the evaluation, dialogue and decision making about the quality of their outcomes and the improvements they need to make. By taking part in regular discussions and decision-making processes, children will not only know facts and key information about art, but they will be able to talk confidently about their own learning journey, have higher metacognitive skills and have a growing understanding of how to improve.

The impact of Kapow Primary’s scheme can be constantly monitored through both formative and summative assessment opportunities. Each lesson includes guidance to support teachers in assessing pupils against the learning objectives and each unit has a unit quiz and knowledge catcher which can be used at the start and/or end of the unit.

After the implementation of Kapow Primary’s Art and design scheme, pupils should leave primary school equipped with a range of techniques and the confidence and creativity to form a strong foundation for their Art and design learning at Key Stage 3 and beyond.

The expected impact of following the Kapow Primary Art and design scheme of work is that children will:

-Produce creative work, exploring and recording their ideas and experiences.

-Be proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques.

-Evaluate and analyse creative works using subject-specific language.

-Know about great artists and the historical and cultural development of their art.

-Meet the end of key stage expectations outlined in the National curriculum for Art and design.

Artist of the Month 

Spring 1

Each term, our school focuses on a famous artist, exploring their life, techniques, and impact on the art world. The pupils study their work and gain an appreciation for their unique style and contributions to the arts

ARTIST-OF-THE-MONTH-Antoni-Gaudi.pdf

Art documents

Art and Design Overview