Art
Art is fully embedded in Highburton CE First Academy and our aspiration is that every child adopts a lifelong love of the arts. Our curriculum equips pupils with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design; engaging, inspiring and challenging them. As pupils progress, they are able to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of Art and Design.
At our school, Art and Design plays a vital role in delivering a rich, engaging, and well-rounded curriculum. Using our chosen scheme, we nurture creativity as a fundamental part of children's development. Through a broad range of carefully sequenced units—spanning drawing, painting, sculpture, and craft—children are given the opportunity to express themselves, explore new ideas, and respond meaningfully to the world around them. Our curriculum’s focus on practical exploration, artist study, and reflective sketchbook work ensures every pupil builds confidence, skill, and a lifelong appreciation for the visual arts.
Intent:
At our school, we intend for art to be a dynamic and inclusive subject that nurtures creativity, imagination, and self-expression. Our art curriculum is designed to develop pupils’ confidence and technical ability while fostering an appreciation of diverse cultures and artistic traditions. Through a thoughtfully structured progression of skills and exposure to multicultural artists, pupils learn to communicate ideas visually, think critically about the world around them, and grow as resilient, reflective learners. Art at our school also plays a key role in promoting emotional well-being and celebrating individuality, aligning closely with our core values of inclusion, respect, and empathy.
Implementation:
Art is taught through engaging, hands-on lessons that encourage experimentation and exploration across a range of media, including drawing, painting, sculpture, and craft. Each unit is carefully planned to build on prior knowledge and progressively develop key artistic techniques and vocabulary. Pupils study a diverse range of artists and craftspeople, focusing especially on multicultural influences to broaden their worldviews and reflect our commitment to inclusion and global awareness. Cross-curricular links, such as history, literacy, and PSHE, enrich learning and help children make meaningful connections between subjects. Formative assessments, sketchbooks, and opportunities for reflection ensure that every child is supported and challenged appropriately.
Impact:
Our pupils leave each key stage with a strong sense of creative identity and the ability to express themselves with increasing skill, confidence, and cultural awareness. They develop not only a wide range of artistic techniques but also the ability to think critically, articulate their ideas, and appreciate the value of different perspectives. By engaging with global artists and themes, children challenge stereotypes and develop empathy and understanding, preparing them to be thoughtful, inclusive citizens. Most importantly, children enjoy art and see themselves as artists, equipped with the tools to continue creating and appreciating art throughout their lives.
Map it out!
This unit focuses on teaching children to explore and create maps through various art forms, including drawing and printmaking. The lessons aim to develop skills in sorting, designing, and evaluating art, encouraging children to present and discuss their creations.
Painting- Life in Colour
This unit focuses on teaching primary and secondary colours, colour mixing, and creating textures using different tools. It also covers collage techniques, encouraging pupils to experiment with materials and evaluate their artistic choices and aims to develop children's understanding of colour, texture, and composition in art.
Drawing-Tell a Story
This unit focuses on helping pupils develop their ability to tell a story through drawing. It includes lessons on creating textures, observational drawing, character expression, and storytelling through illustrations, enhancing pupils' mark-making techniques, observational skills, and imagination in art.
Prehistoric Art
Year 3 have been working hard to follow the different steps to create their own piece of prehistoric art.
- Exploring with natural materials for textures and colours.
- Looking at cave paintings and thinking about appropriate colours.
- Thinking about wildlife and animals that lived during that time.
- Using rice and lentils to create their own cave background.
- Creating and making paint from natural materials and exploring colour mixing.
- Using charcoal to complete your drawing and piece of prehistoric artwork.
Take a look at the process below.
Ancient Egypt Scrolls - Craft and Design
Year 3 enjoyed learning about Ancient Egyptian art, making their own papyrus paper and completing a scroll.
- Exploring Ancient Egyptian Art
- Designing Scrolls
- Making Paper
- Scroll Making
- Making Zines
Have a look at an example of the steps below.
Drawing- I Need Space!
This unit focuses on understanding retrofuturism, developing skills in evaluating images and creating art through various drawing processes, including collagraph printmaking. It emphasises the development of pupils' independent artistic skills and their ability to generate, test, and refine ideas in their sketchbooks, leading to a final piece of artwork.
Observational drawings and paintings
Spring in EYFS. The children painted daffodils from observing flowers.
