The Art and Design Curriculum at St Mary's 

At St Mary’s, we recognise art and design as a vital part of a broad and balanced curriculum and for the role that it plays in allowing children to share and express their individual creativity. Art at St Mary’s is designed to promote our learning value of creativity and helps pupils to develop a sense of awe and wonder about the world around them.

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Through our art curriculum, we aim to provide students with the opportunity to explore a selection of cultural heritage through a diverse range of male and female artists from around the world and throughout history. Our aim is to develop pupils who are passionate about art in all its various forms and can express thoughtful and critical opinions about the art that they study.

St Mary’s teaches a skills-based curriculum of art and design, which provides opportunities for children to practise and gain an understanding of the key practices of art, such as drawing, painting and sculpture. Lessons are taught with cross-curricular links to science, history and geography learning and ensure that children are careful and considerate in their approach to their artwork. Evidence of their artwork is gathered in sketchbooks, which will follow the children through their school journey and promote reflective practice. Children are encouraged to evaluate and assess their own work and that of their peers in order to think about their next steps. Celebrations of the children’s learning are designed to enable staff and peers to evaluate and assess the progression of pupils.

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At St Mary’s, we strive to ensure that, when children leave our school to move onto the next phase of their learning, they have developed a strong sense of individuality and creativity, which has been supported by the development of critical artistic skills. We intend to give students an appreciation for art in its various forms and a confidence in their own skills, which will enable them to continue to foster and celebrate their individual artistic talent.