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Art

Art Curriculum Intent Statement

At Co-op Academy Oakwood we want children to be passionate about our Art curriculum and understand the value of it. We want it to be a vehicle for children’s empowerment through enhanced opportunities in an area of Leeds that has always suffered from high levels of multiple deprivation. For example, 50% of the resident population have no qualifications (https://www.streetcheck.co.uk/postcode/ls83lz). We have developed a curriculum, which covers the full scope of the National Curriculum, to deliver insight, creativity and experience (ICE) so that significant gaps in cultural capital can be overcome. Acknowledging that our children come from such diverse cultural backgrounds, allows us to place a clear focus upon developing their vocabulary so that they can fully immerse themselves in our exciting curriculum. Wherever possible the Co-op ways of being are woven throughout the curriculum so to deliver a genuine, long-lasting interest in Art. At Co-op Academy Oakwood, we want our children to love art, craft and design! We want them to have no limits to what their ambitions are and to grow up wanting to be illustrators, graphic designers, fashion designers, curators, architects or printmakers.

There are five threads which run through all our teaching in Art, in each and every topic: Creativity, Proficiency, Technical Mastery, Evaluation and Analysis, and Art History. 

Creativity

Art contributes to children’s personal development in creativity, independence, judgement, critical thinking, and self-reflection. Moreover, it enables pupils to develop a natural sense of wonder and curiosity about the world around them. It is important to the development of pupils’ well-being, appreciation of the world and understanding and empathy of others. We aim to give all children the confidence to express themselves through a range of chosen mediums. 

Proficiency

Our curriculum provides children with an opportunity to experience all art forms: drawing, painting, 3D designs and print making. Pupils are encouraged to experiment with a range of different materials and taught techniques that will bring their ideas to life. Opportunities to practise art and design techniques when using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space are embedded across the Art curriculum through the use of individual sketchbooks.

Technical Mastery

Children will develop their understanding of the visual language of art with effective teaching and a carefully thought-out sequence of lessons and experiences. Understanding of the visual elements of art and design (line, tone, texture, colour, pattern, shape, 3D form) will be developed by providing a curriculum which enables children to reach their full potential. 

Evaluation and Analysis 

We also expect children to be able to look at an image or a piece of art and to have an understanding of it, not just react to it. We equip them with the skills required to have an insight and understanding of the language of art and design. This enables them to describe what they see in detail and to provide evidence for their observations.nChildren will also be equipped with the skills to evaluate and analyse their own pieces of artwork. 

Art History

We want our children to have an insight into how Art & Design has contributed to our culture and understanding of our history and the world through studying a diverse range of artists and designers. These artists have been carefully selected to represent the different nationalities within our school and to show our children that anybody can be an artist. Children will be introduced to a range of works and develop knowledge of the styles and vocabulary used by famous artists. The children will have opportunities to take inspiration from these key artists and create their own artworks in their particular styles. Children are given the opportunity within lessons to work on their own and collaborate with others, on projects in two and three dimensions and on different scales. All children will have the experience of visiting an art museum before they leave our school. 

EYFS- Andy Goldsworth and Wassily Kandinsky 

Year 1- David Hockney and Romero Britto

Year 2- Vincent Van Gogh and Georgia O’Keefe

Year 3- Henry Moore and Andy Warhol

Year 4- Frida Kahlo and Henri Rousseau

Year 5- Barbara Hepworth and Zara Hadid

Year 6- Pablo Picasso and Shakir Ali