Art and design contributes to children’s personal development in creativity, critical thinking and self-reflection. Moreover, it enables pupils to develop a natural sense of wonder and curiosity about the world around them. At Park Road Academy, our art and design curriculum aims to give every pupil the opportunity to develop their skills, explore their interests and express their ideas and thoughts about the world, as well as learning about art and artists across cultures and through history.

 The Art and Design curriculum at Park Road Academy Primary School derives from Kapow primary's carefully crafted art and design scheme of work. Kapow Primary’s Art and Design program has been selected based on its unique attributes that resonate with our educational objectives to inspire pupils and develop their confidence to experiment and invest their own words of art. We aim to nurture our children’s creativity as artists and provide opportunities to develop a range of ways in which our pupils can share and express their individual creativity.

Our Art and Design curriculum is meticulously structured to provide pupils with a plethora of opportunities. These opportunities, in turn, serve to develop our pupils’ artistic skills, nurture their growing talents, and stimulate their curiosity.

 Additionally , our Art and Design curriculum supports our pupils to meet the national curriculum end-of-key-stage attainment targets, while also covering the National Society for Education in Art and Design’s progression competencies.

At Park Road Academy Primary School, our dedication to fostering a vibrant and enriching art education is demonstrated through our thoughtful implementation of the Kapow Primary Art and Design scheme of work.

Our Art and Design curriculum is structured around four interconnected strands, which guide our pupils on a journey of creativity, skill development, and artistic exploration. These strands include:

• Generating Ideas: Encouraging students to ignite their imagination and foster innovative concepts.
• Using Sketchbooks: Guiding students to employ sketchbooks as valuable tools for brainstorming and refining their artistic ideas.
• Making Skills: Encompassing formal elements such as line, shape, tone, texture, pattern, and color, key components in artistic expression.
• Knowledge of Artists: Exploring the world of art and artists, enriching students' understanding of artistic diversity.

Our curriculum is organised into sequential units of lessons, providing a structured pathway for students to progressively develop their skills and understanding. This method empowers our pupils to apply their learning across diverse creative outcomes. Importantly, the national curriculum's formal elements are included in our art and design units for each year group, employing a spiral curriculum model that revisits and advances key skills, ensuring pupils continually build upon their prior knowledge.

To further our students' skills in Art and Design, units within each year group are organised into four core artistic areas:

• Drawing
• Painting and Mixed-Media
• Sculpture and 3D

Our Art and Design Curriculum Overview shows which of our art and design units cover each of the national curriculum's attainment targets. Our Curriculum Progression document outlines the skills taught within each year group, showcasing how these skills develop to ensure that attainment targets are securely met by the end of each key stage. This document also shows how pupil knowledge builds in the formal elements of art and design as our pupils move through each year group.  

 Art and Design lessons are practical in nature and promote exploratory learning, encouraging our pupils to use their sketch books to document their ideas and new learning. Art and design lessons at Park Road Academy are differentiated appropriately in line with our pupils’ needs to ensure that our art and design curriculum is accessible to all. We also ensure that there are opportunities for learning to be stretched and pupils to be challenged to suit individual needs.

 At Park Road Academy, Art and Design is taught in dedicated half-termly blocks throughout the year. This deliberate approach ensures that our pupils not only grasp the breadth of the subject, but also immerse themselves deeply in each unit of work, cultivating a thorough understanding. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Department follows the developmental outcomes of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum and Development Matters 2020. This curriculum aims for all children to have achieved the Early Learning Goals of ‘Physical Development’ and ‘Expressive Arts and Design’ by the end of the Foundation Phase (Reception).

Our commitment to raising the awareness of art is evident through captivating displays of pupils' creations, assemblies that underscore the significance of the arts, and our extracurricular Art Club. Our Art Club is synchronised with our timetabled art teaching, providing a dynamic platform for pupils to further explore their artistic passions.

At Park Road Academy, our approach to education in art and design embraces the ethos of Kapow Primary's Art and Design curriculum, where students are actively engaged in evaluating, discussing, and participating in decisions regarding the quality of their outcomes and the avenues for improvement. Through regular discussions and decision-making processes, our pupils not only learn factual knowledge and essential information about art, but they also foster the ability to talk confidently about their learning journey. This practice encourages enhanced meta-cognitive skills and an increased understanding amongst our pupils of how to enhance their own progress.

Art and design is continuously monitored through both formative and summative assessment opportunities. Through the provision of effective CPD from Kapow Primary’s Art and Design scheme, our teachers are equipped to assess pupils against the learning objectives each lesson. A spreadsheet including the learning outcomes for children with secure understanding and those working at greater depth enables teachers to maintain comprehensive records of formative assessments for each child.

 Our Art and Design units are built around the following assessment areas:

• Generating ideas
• Utilising sketchbooks
• Developing artistic skills (including formal elements)
• Acquiring knowledge of artists
• Engaging in evaluation and analysis

 Pupils' artistic journey in art and design is carefully evaluated through the work in their sketchbooks - a canvas that captures not just their ideas and reflections, but also their insightful analysis of artists and the mastery of technical skills. At Park Road Academy, we celebrate the uniqueness of each child and their individual sketchbook, nurturing an environment where independence and creativity naturally thrive.

 Our commitment to guiding pupils towards excellence is notable in our provision of clear objectives and success criteria, cultivating a culture where our pupils engage in self-assessment and peer review. This collaborative approach empowers our pupils to work individually and in groups to engage in critical reflection, identifying areas of strength and opportunities for growth, instilling a sense of ownership that increases motivation. We also employ engaging Pop Quizzes, serving as a summative assessment tool at the end of each art and design unit, providing our teachers with a comprehensive perspective on pupil progress.

 We aspire for our pupils to leave Park Road Academy equipped with a repertoire of techniques, increased confidence, and creativity that lays a strong foundation for their art and design journey throughout Key Stage 3 and beyond.

We anticipate that our pupils will achieve the following outcomes as a result of the implementation of our art and design curriculum, based on Kapow Primary’s Art and Design scheme:

• Produce creative work, exploring and recording their ideas and experiences.
• Be proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques.
• Evaluate and analyse creative works using subject-specific language.
• Know about great artists and historical and cultural development of their art.
• Meet the end of key stage expectations outlined in the national curriculum for Art and Design.

Some of our children have shared their views on Art and Design lessons in school. See their comments below:

 "I love Art and Design at Park Road because I get to be creative and express myself. We get to use different materials and tools.'

 "I like Art because it's a chance to make something from my imagination. It's like telling a story without words."

 "I learn patience in art. Sometimes, you have to take your time to get the details just right."

 ""When I grow up, I want to be an artist. Art lessons are helping me practise and get better every day!"

Have a look at some of the creative work our children have produced. We are Young Artists!