Arunside Primary School

Art is a journey of discovery – Photographer John Paul Capnigro

At Arunside Primary School, we value Art and Design as an important part of the children’s entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum. Art education opens possibilities and opportunities for our children to learn how to express their creativity and communicate their values, thoughts and ideas as well as understand more about societies and cultures.

Art, craft and design embodies some of the highest forms of human creativity. Albert Einstein said that ‘Creativity is intelligence having fun’. We want our children to understand that intelligence can come in many different forms and creativity is just one of them. A high-quality art and design education should 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. We believe that art is a journey and as pupils progress up the school, they will develop their appreciation and understanding of visual communication and the ability to think critically.

Art at Arunside also gives our children the space and time to better understand themselves, build confidence and self-esteem and significantly contributes to their general well-being. They will also explore how art and design has helped to shape our history and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation.

The teaching and implementation of the Art and Design Curriculum at Arunside Primary School is based on the National Curriculum and linked to the children’s termly topics to ensure the learning is relatable to the children and provides a well-structured approach to this creative subject.

Every year the children will develop their understanding of the techniques and skills used in painting, drawing and sculpture as well as other art and design techniques. They will explore the work of local, national and international artists both influential in the past and present to enhance their learning and develop their understanding of art and art forms.

The children’s learning is further enriched with whole school art days and other art projects where the children have the opportunity for collaborative working or independent learning.

Pupils at Arunside enjoy art and are proud of what they achieve. Art in all its forms is celebrated across the school and can be seen on display and in the children’s sketchbooks and topic books. Children are willing to explore and explain their ideas and use Ellie Evaluate to help them better understand how their individual art journey is developing.

Art has a role in education of helping children become like themselves instead of more like someone else – Clemens