Art and Design

A high-quality Art and design education embodies some of the highest forms of human creativity. It will engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design. Building on this, they will be able to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of Art and design. They will also know how art and design both reflect and shape our history and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation.

 (National Curriculum 2014)

We were honoured to be nominated for the Outstanding Arts in Primary Schools at the 2023 Educate Awards in Liverpool. We have further been nominated in the Subject Leader category at the YPO Education Today Awards which will take place in December 2024.

We also were granted the 'GOLD' ArtsMark Award in December 2024, which we are delighted to share with you. 

Art and Design Focus 2024/2025

Bretherton Primary School is continually committed to encouraging creativity through a wide variety of forms and expression with high quality content and delivery. Over the last two academic school years our Art and Design offering has flourished through the dedication and passion of our teachers in support of our application for the ArtsMark Award. We have now completed our application, where we were able to detail our success in developing our links with a variety of educational settings, including the local High School and Nursery. We have begun lifelong friendships through our Art Penpal scheme with Sequoia Elementary School in San Francisco and have widely expanded our pupil experience of music, theatre and dance as forms of artistic expression as well as providing ample opportunity for the application of these new-found skills in the classroom. We commit to continue this high quality of Art experience throughout the 2024/2025 academic year, building on the enthusiasm our pupils have for the subject. Each year group will be allowed the opportunity to explore a range of materials, not only in drawing and painting, but by practising printing and collage, 3D art, exploring textiles and sculpture and utilising digital media, which is proving ever more useful. We have the exciting addition of a 3D printer in school, which has helped enhance our digital design experience. We aim to stimulate creativity and imagination and provide access to a number of tactile, visual and sensory experiences. Pupils are encouraged to individually explore and celebrate new-found skills and processes in order to develop their artistic creativity across the curriculum. Our bespoke Art scheme provides pupils with many exciting topic-related Art opportunities and a real celebration of the Arts throughout school. Our Action Plans will now be reviewed through our 2 year cycle ensuring cohesive monitoring throughout Cycles A and B.

Art Action Plan 2024/2026 (2 year cycle)

• Monitor clay 3D sculpture work from KS1 to KS2 through progression of skills.

• Review sketchbooks to ensure high expectations and pride in presentation.

• Continue to upload exemplars of work throughout Cycle A for teachers to assist assessment.

History of subject development

Over the last 3 years we have worked hard on our Art and Design curriculum to ensure that key skills are mapped and are progressive throughout our classes. We have identified a requirement to increase the diversity of artists and styles of artwork that pupils experience, to ensure that our children are exposed to a wide variety of art, artists and media. 

We have also reflected on the content and have identified the 'must' teach topics where Art and Design is explicitly taught and where we offer additional art-focused sessions. These bridge other subjects and topics to offer greater depth and content in the application of skills and knowledge. This maximises children's educational offer and allows for a balance of planned skills and knowledge, with creative opportunities in other subjects.

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