Art and Design

At Overdale Junior School we value the importance of Art and Design. It is our children’s entitlement to be able to share and express their individual creativity, independence, resilience, and self-reflection.

It is our intent to provide all children with the fundamental skills, techniques and knowledge needed to independently create their own unique drawings, paintings, sculptures, and crafts. We empower children to discover great artists that will enable them to explore their own and other’s cultural heritages.

We have carefully chosen our topic artists to be from a variety of cultural backgrounds and periods of time. We give the children the ability to use visual language to express emotions and interpret observations. We want our children to see the enjoyment and satisfaction in the process of producing their own art.

We enable them to develop the ability to select and use new materials, processes and techniques skilfully and inventively to realise intentions and capitalise on the unexpected. We aim to help children to develop a passion for and commitment to the subject.

Mr Amias is our Art and Design subject lead.

Further information on the rationale, intent and progression planned within our Art curriculum to follow – please check back soon.

The curriculum has been planned to build key knowledge, skills and vocabulary from term to term and year to year.  We encourage the children to express their creative imagination as well as providing them with the opportunities to practice and develop mastery in the key processes of art. This is supported through the studying of key artists (which can be found in our Long-Term Planning) and the development of a knowledge of their work.

We ensure that progression is being made in children’s skills and knowledge of drawing, painting, sculpture, textiles, printing, collage and digital art by following a threshold concept progression document. We have created knowledge organisers for each topic with key vocabulary, information about key artists, examples of their work and the key colours used by each artist. By developing each topic in children’s individual sketchbooks children are able to express their ideas and feelings and to record observations, practice and learn key skills and combine these to produce a finished piece for each unit of work. Examples for all end of unit ‘project’ are shared with staff and children – this is the model/WAGOL. As well as this, art is promoted throughout our school through a variety of platforms.

We hold a lunch time art club and colouring club, engage in whole school collaborative projects and competitions and hold exhibitions that we invite parents in to enjoy. We also take pride in displaying the children’s artwork as well as the work of great artists around the school.