Art & Design

The documents below outline Grove Road’s approach to teaching Art and Design through a thematic approach which is underpinned by National Curriculum. 

Art, craft and design embody some of the highest forms of human creativity. 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. As pupils progress, they should be able to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of art and design. They should 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)

Intent Statement

Our Art and Design Curriculum aims to provide a broad and balanced Art and Design curriculum that pupils from Early Years to Year Six enjoy and that enables them to acquire a wide range of skills and techniques using a variety of materials. We believe every child can find their inner artist and we encourage them to pursue creative expression, rather than an obsession with the photographic image. Our goal is to teach children to look and observe, to capture what they can see, rather than what they think they can see. We believe in providing children with an artistic skill set, which they build upon as they progress through the school, following a coherently planned and implemented curriculum. Children will also develop their knowledge of famous artists and designers and reflect on the ways this can influence their own work as well as the messages and intent behind the work of great artists and cultural traditions. Our aim is to provide a curriculum that is ambitious for all pupils whilst also being adapted and developed for those children with special educational needs, and/or disabilities. We understand the importance of creating positive attitudes towards Art from an early age and aim for every child to leave Grove Road with a confidence in their own creativity. 

Intended Impact

Arts education gives children the opportunity to explore the world around them, to learn about and appreciate their cultural heritage, to collaborate, be creative and express themselves in ways that many other subjects don’t. 

Art and design learning is loved by teachers and pupils across school. Teachers have higher expectations and more quality evidence can be presented in a variety of ways. All children use technical vocabulary accurately and pupils are expected to know, apply and understand the matters, skills and processes specified. Children improve their enquiry skills and inquisitiveness about the world around them, and their impact through art and design on the world. Children will become more confident in analysing their work and giving their opinion on their own and other works of art. Children show competences in improving their resilience and perseverance by continually evaluating and improving their work. All children in school can speak confidently about their art and design work and their skills.

Pupil Views

"I like to experiment and see what will happen” - Jacob, Year 3

"We have learned about the colour wheel - the primary colours (red, yellow and blue), the secondary colours (purple, orange and green)” - Year 3 Children

"We have learned how to do ink wash, cross hatching and making lines” - Year 2 Children

"We have learned to use our pencil lightly and then you can easily smudge it” - Year 2 Children

“I love Art, I love being creative!” - Year 2 Child

"I like Art because there is no wrong answer and you can be creative” - Lennie, Year 6 

"We should learn about Art because it helps us to understand and learn about people and the way they are feeling. Art is a way of expressing yourself and different colours can represent how they are feeling, so it is a way to understand” - Evie, Year 6

"I love showing my imagination in Art” - Ollie, Year 6

"I love Art because I can express myself in different ways” Year 5 pupil