Langer Primary Academy

Art & Design at Langer Primary Academy

Intent

At Langer Primary Academy, we have a real passion for creativity and aspire for pupils to master Art and Design through effective teaching of the key areas:

  • Making, 
  • Generating ideas, 
  • Formal elements, 
  • Knowledge of artists 
  • Evaluation of their art. 

Our pupils are taught art and design through a progression of skills, building on their previous learning and ensuring progress is made. The cyclical curriculum ensures that knowledge is retrieved and built upon through units, and across year groups. We encourage our pupils to enjoy and explore the work of different artists and to appreciate the enrichment that visual art brings to life. 

The national curriculum for art and design aims to ensure that all pupils:

  • produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences
  • become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques
  • evaluate and analyse creative works using the language of art, craft and design
  • know about great artists, craft makers and designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms. 

Our Art and Design teaching and learning, using the CUSP curriculum, allows children to create artwork through the use of formal elements. There is focus on the influence and exploration of great artists to inspire our pupils own artwork. Our Art and Design curriculum is organised into blocks with each block covering a particular set of artistic disciplines:

  • drawing
  • painting
  • printmaking

Vertical progression in each discipline has been deliberately woven into the fabric of the curriculum so that pupils can revisit key disciplines throughout their Primary journey at increasing degrees of challenge and complexity. Pupils are able to express their opinions of artwork with sophisticated use of language. By creating original artwork of their own, documenting their artwork in their sketchbooks and exploring other sources of inspiration for their own artwork, pupils can generate their own ideas of Art and Design. In addition to the core knowledge required to be successful within each discipline, the curriculum outlines key aspects of artistic development in the Working Artistically section. Each module focuses on developing different aspects of these competencies. 


Implementation

At Langer Primary Academy, Art and Design is taught across each year group in blocked modules that enable pupils to study in depth the key skills, understanding and vocabulary. Each module aims to activate and build on prior learning, including EYFS, to ensure better retention of knowledge and skills. Each module is carefully sequenced to allow for prior learning to be built upon and skills to be practiced and advanced as the pupils move through the school. 

To support pupils in their acquisition of new knowledge and skills in line with each learning objective, units have dual coded  knowledge notes. These contain key vocabulary, information and key facts which can be referred to throughout the learning modules. Key vocabulary is explicitly taught at the beginning of each unit, and repeatedly referenced throughout teaching. Children are encouraged to use this vocabulary in their discussions, responses and written work in their sketchbooks. 

Each unit has quizzes for pupils, assessing their understanding and knowledge of new vocabulary and skills gained within the unit. This informs teachers assessment for learning and allows gaps in knowledge to be addressed before new knowledge is introduced. 


Impact

Our pupils leave Langer as confident, creative individuals with a secure knowledge base to transition them onto their next stage of education. They are inspired by the work of great artists, and have the skills in the key areas of art to inform their own masterpieces. Assessment, conducted through a combination of teacher assessment, quizzing and self and peer assessment, informs next steps in learning and allows teachers to identify gaps in knowledge as appropriate before the next stage in the pupils’ learning.


Subject Links

Please follow the subject links below for further information about the subjects taught at Langer Primary Academy.