Art and Design

At Hollickwood, we believe that high-quality Art and Design lessons provide opportunities and experiences to celebrate our children’s backgrounds and respect others.

Our Art and Design curriculum includes learning about different artists and movements which promotes diversity, respect and intercultural understanding. We believe that we learn from the works of others and from our own mistakes and challenges, encouraging problem posing, solving and thinking outside the box.

At Hollickwood we adhere to the National Curriculum alongside the locally-agreed development structure of techniques and knowledge to be taught. This was developed by Art and Design subject Leaders and the LA. It has been organised using the key techniques and knowledge to be taught and developed. It includes specific skills and technical vocabulary to be taught. Children develop the following Art and Design skills as they progress through the school:

• Drawing
• Painting
• Printing
• Textiles/Collage
• 3D form/Sculpture
• Digital Media

Our Curriculum Intent, which takes into account the school, local, national and global needs, is embedded throughout our Art and Design curriculum:

Experiences and Opportunities

Through enriching learning opportunities, we aim to provide children with tangible, relevant and memorable experiences that support in acquiring, developing and extending their knowledge and understanding of art and design.

We aim to support children to develop a positive attitude to living in a creative and diverse society, whilst forming positive connections between art and design and other subjects to maximise creative learning.

Inclusion

All pupils will have equal access to the Art and Design curriculum and a high quality, coherent and progressive experience of Art and Design. Learning ability, physical ability, linguistic ability, gender, ethnicity and/or cultural circumstances will not impede pupils from accessing Art lessons.

Hollickwood is committed to teaching our children to respect, accept and celebrate the diversity and difference that exists in our society. Our ethos, culture and curriculum reflects communities and is proactive in promoting belonging and community accountability.

Cognitive rich

Our enquiry based curriculum enables children to explore the different areas of Art and Design and how it relates to their lives: encouraging questioning, reflection and critical thinking. Teaching and learning draws on the experiences of the children and developing their understanding of others’ experiences whilst engaging all of their senses as they are immersed in the ‘hook’ and processes involved.

The skills developed are vital for preparing our children for their future, creating young people who have the understanding, courage and confidence to discover and contribute to the world around them. At Hollickwood School, all children in all key stages will be taught art and design as we recognise its additional values.

Mental Health and Well-being

The arts are an essential part of our lives and they can shape and define who we are and how we understand ourselves. We are committed to supporting pupils through their learning to take notice, give, stay active, keep learning and connect with others, five elements which are also key to well-being

Through the teaching and learning of art and design children engage with the therapeutic processes, are enabled to express themselves in different ways, develop their emotional literacy and can gain an enhanced sense of well-being and self-esteem.

We aim to promote children’s personal, social, emotional, and creative development so they can flourish individually within their own communities, and as citizens in a plural society and the global community.