iNTENT

At Milton Mount School we are ARTISTS! We follow the Access Art Curriculum which asks “What is the purpose of art?”. We answer through creating opportunities for pupils to explore many different aspects of making, helping pupils and teachers understand the ways art connects us with our past, helps us embrace the present, and empowers us to shape our future. By exploring why art is relevant to all our lives, we aim to make certain that pupils feel entitled to develop their creativity, and understand their place in the world as creative, confident beings.

Our curriculum aims to set a benchmark for excellence in art teaching, so we can be proud of our creative curriculum, and pupils and teachers can enjoy the journey and outcomes.

You won’t find prescribed teaching ideas and pre-defined outcomes in the Access Art Curriculum. Instead, our emphasis is on journeyful teaching and learning which empowers teachers and pupils to become confident creative decision makers. Teachers and pupils can GROW with our curriculum, and to help that happen we have created clear structures which help teachers understand the WHY as well as the HOW.

Do More

The Art curriculum is structured and sequenced so that all children actively engage in creative and visual responses to a wide range of artists, crafters, designers and architects from a wide range of backgrounds and disciplines using a plethora of different media. During their time with us children use sketchbooks to constantly gather ideas, respond, reflect and grow. They explore their own ideas and pursue them to an outcome that is not pre-defined; instead (with the care of their teacher) outcomes are unique and personal.

“We want to enable all pupils to value their creativity, whatever form that takes and however it manifests itself. That means we provide opportunities for children to explore lots of different making opportunities, as well as thinking creatively and critically about the purpose’s art serves.” 

Know More

Our Primary Art Curriculum is knowledge-rich, and pupils will learn a wide range of skills, developing understanding and showing clear progression. But crucially, the knowledge and understanding pupils will build will go far beyond the technical, factual knowledge many current curriculums focus upon. Our curriculum balances declarative knowledge with experiential knowledge, building self-knowledge and nurturing traits in learners which will hold them in good stead whichever direction their learning takes them.

Our Primary Art Curriculum is supported by a series of “Talking Points” resources, carefully curated to introduce teachers and pupils to a wide variety of artists, designers and craftspeople from across the world. We study these artists, designers and craftspeople not so we can make copies or pastiches of their style, but so we can learn from the way they see the world.

Remember More

There is a lot of misunderstanding about sequencing and progression in Primary Art. There are no set sequences, and no right and wrong order in the way we introduce skills. Instead, learning is built through a weaving and layering and revisiting of experiences. This helps to ensure pupils remember more.

The 18 Pathways follow a repeated rhythm, providing lots of time to balance repeated practice with new experiences, quiet approaches with active and dynamic activities, time to work alone with collaborative and community-based activities… all geared to create energy and momentum throughout the year. Teachers assist children in making links to relevant prior learning from the previous lesson, week, month and year as is relevant to the work in which they are engaged. In addition, our curriculum makes explicit links with other areas of study, thus deepening understanding, increasing the number of neuropathways created and ensuring children remember more.

Experience More

Through the Art curriculum at Milton Mount, pupils will experience the work of a range of diverse artists from different backgrounds, cultures, locations and periods of time. By asking ourselves ‘Which artists could we study?’ instead of ‘Which artists could we study?’ we expose pupils to a wider range of experiential possibilities. We endeavour to provide pupils with experience of the widest possible number of materials and disciplines that are carefully layered to maximise the possibilities to which they are exposed. Our Curriculum is designed around the idea that art is far more than a series of technical skills, our holistic curriculum nurtures creative thinking skills and helps ensure your pupils learn through art, as well as about art.

Consider more

By experiencing our art curriculum children will have the reflective and creative abilities to consider many different approaches, opinions, cultures etc. that they have been exposed to during their time with us. The ways in which we break down preconceptions of what art is will open their minds to considering different approaches in other walks of life. Also, they will have worked collaboratively therefore be able to consider the feeling, opinions and responses of others.

IMPLEMENTATION

Throughout their time at Milton Mount Pupils experience the familiar rhythms of the Access art units of which there are 3 every academic year. These are arranged under the general headings of ‘Drawing and Sketchbooks’, ‘Surface and Colour’ and ‘Working in 3D’.  During the three half terms where art is not being taught, children maintain their artistic skills by engaging with a drawing unit (10 minute at least twice per week).

In EYFS, the Access Art curriculum ensures coverage of the Expressive Arts & Design ELG Creating with Materials. This is achieved through a range of adult led units and child centred learning carefully selected from a wide range of experiences in accordance with the children’s interests and needs. Early Learning Goals are also provided for through the continuous provision.  Experiences are tracked to ensure that the relevant skills required for entry into the KS1 Access Art units of work are covered.

In key stage 1 children are introduced to a wide range of disciplines, techniques and tools. Pupils begin by learning how to manipulate  a drawing tool in different ways and create marks using the whole body in a playful and exploratory manner.  In year 1, children are exposed sketchbooks for the first time and are encouraged to make these their own through either making them themselves or decorating a purchased sketchbook. It is essential that children begin their Art journey understanding how personal their art journey will be. 

As they grow, experiences become incrementally more complex, adding in printing, water colour and sculpture. Students also develop hand eye co-ordination, explore composition and understand that happy accidents can help to let the media ‘tell the story’ of the artwork and should be embraced. Throughout the key stage, children are encouraged to reflect and adjust their work in increasingly complex ways.

In Key Stage 2 children continue to develop their understanding of the various media, disciplines, and tools available to them to create meaningful artwork. They extend and adapt sketchbooks for referencing, for collecting ideas, for testing and for reflecting.   Pupils are also exposed to more media, skills, disciplines and tools; for example,  how sewing can be used not in a technical way but in the same way one might use a pencil to make textural marks or how we can use film and lighting to display our artwork in inventive ways.  Pupils are taught about how artists use the various elements of art to create desired effects. They continue to explore the qualities of a given media without the need for a ‘desired outcome’ becoming aware that the journey is often more valuable. Later in Key stage two children learn more about mixed media and how skills learnt in one media can be transferred to others. They also explore how to use materials in non -traditional ways in an exploratory, playful manner.  Pupils in Key stage two reflect in deeper, more meaningful ways developing an awareness of different responses and being able to articulate their own thoughts and take on board the opinions of others. They use feedback to adjust their work.  Pupils also begin to recognise techniques, disciplines, and materials in the work of professional artist commenting appropriately on the impact of their use.

Structure of a lesson.

Art is different to other subjects; there is no prescribed lesson structure that will suit every session and to do so would stifle creativity (which is the whole purpose of our art curriculum.) However, there is a repetitive rhythm to the 18 units of study.

1. Talking points
2. Exploration
3. Making and doing
4. Reflecting

Each separate lesson could:

1. Revisit the learning so far by looking at sketchbooks, the work of artists studied, materials that inspired the unit, skills and vocabulary used and the possible outcomes.
2. ‘Warm up’ using relevant material, aesthetics and skills.
3. Allow the children time to make, design and create.
4. Use careful questioning to elicit the most meaningful responses from children and to guide growth on an individual level.
5. Spend time reflecting on what has been created on an induvial, pared and group level.

In each lesson teachers should endeavour to:

• Be gentle with our words and aware of the fragility of creativity.
• Make meaningful links relevant to prior learning in other units, previous years and previous key stages.
• Encourage exploration in a non-threatening manner where pupils are brave.

 

IMPACT

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