Our Art & Design Curriculum Intent

At Rosewood, we value art and design as an important entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum. Art, craft and design provides children with the opportunities to develop and extend skills, express their interests, thoughts and ideas.

Art, craft and design embody some of the highest forms of human creativity. Our high-quality art and design curriculum engages, inspires 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, we encourage them to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of art and design. They begin to understand how art and design both reflect and shape our history, and contribute to the culture, and creativity of our school environment.

Rosewood Art & Design policy and Curriculum Maps

At Rosewood we are following the Access Art split curriculum.

By creating a safe and nurturing environment, pupils are encouraged to take creative risks and to learn from the journey, rather than head towards a pre-defined end result. Basic skills are introduced and then built upon, including drawing, printmaking, sketchbooks, painting and making. Skills are revisited and the use of ongoing sketchbook work underpins this process.

What does Art and Design look like at Rosewood?

EYFS

• Children are being given the opportunity to explore sculpture using a range of different materials. Pictures are provided to allow children to develop their ideas and evaluate their outcome based on visual information.

• Children can experiment with printing using natural materials to create and combine shape.

• Children have a choice of resources to use and are encouraged to explore a variety of drawing tools.

• Children can develop techniques in painting or their mark making by using the variety of resources provided (thick and thin brushes, rollers and stamps.) This encourages progression in their painting skills by allowing them to press, roll, rub and stamp. They are also encouraged to experiment with paint by mixing colours together allowing them to make choices in their painting process.

• Children develop their collage techniques by using a combination of materials that can be cut, torn and glued to create texture. They can sort and arrange materials allowing them to respond and develop their ideas.

• Children are handling, manipulating and enjoying using a range of materials when visiting their creative area.

Art and Design in Years 1-6

During their art and design journey, pupils will learn a wide range of skills, develop understanding and use a variety of mixed media resources.  But crucially, the knowledge and understanding pupils will build will go far beyond the technical and factual knowledge. Rosewood will encourage pupils to build self-knowledge, explore their individual creativity and will nurture traits in all learners which will hold them in good stead whichever direction their learning takes them.

Art and design is studied every term throughout years 1 - 6.

Each term has a focus area in which every year group will follow sequentially.

SKETCHBOOKS

A sketchbook is a space where children can freely express, create, develop and learn, often with limited guidance from the teacher. The sketchbook should be at the centre of their creativity.

In year one, the sketchbook is introduced as being a place to record an individual’s response to the world. Children will understand some of the activities which might take place in a sketch, for example, drawing, cutting, sticking, collecting. They will begin to develop a sketchbook habit and start to feel a sense of ownership about the sketchbook.

In year two, children will further develop their sketchbook habit using it as a place to record their individual response to the world and they will start to deepen a sense of ownership. They will practice and develop sketchbook use, incorporating the following activities: drawing to discover, drawing to show they have seen, drawing to experiment, collecting, sticking, writing notes…

In year three, the children will continue with their sketchbook journey and build upon year one and two. Their sense of ownership will grow and they will start to work at their own pace, following their own exploration.

Practice and develop sketchbook use, incorporating the following activities:  drawing to discover, drawing to show they have seen, drawing to experiment, exploring colour, exploring paint, testing ideas, collecting, sticking, writing notes, looking back, thinking forwards and around…

In year four, as above and…

Practice and develop sketchbook use, incorporating the following activities:  drawing to discover, drawing to show they have seen, drawing to experiment, exploring colour, exploring paint, testing ideas, collecting, sticking, writing notes, looking back, thinking forwards and around, reflecting, making links…

In year five and six as above and…

Increasingly see the sketchbook as a place which raises questions which can be explored/answered outside the sketchbook, so that the link between sketchbook and journey and outcome becomes understood.

Parental engagement and enrichment activities: 

Art week 2023 introduced pupils to current, local, real life artists. Children enjoyed workshops delivered by local artists with a variety of exciting activities taking place. Parents were invited to Rosewood's Virtual art gallery at the end of art week, allowing children to showcase their creativity.

We study artists, designers and craftspeople not so we can make copies of their style, but so we can learn from the way they see the world.