Horfield Church Of England Primary School

Art and design

Statement of Intent

Our aim is to provide an Art education which enables children to reach great heights in their creativity and skills whilst appreciating and understanding the creative world in which we live. We want children to know more, understand more and remember more about art and design so that they can express their ideas with increasing creativity and sophistication.

At Horfield we consider art and design to be a vital part of every child’s education and therefore has a significant and valuable role in our curriculum. We intend to we aim to facilitate meaningful, memorable learning experiences within our vibrant, varied curriculum. Through effective teaching and a clear progression of learning children will develop their understanding of the visual language of art, allowing the children to flourish whilst producing creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences in their sketchbooks. Their sketchbooks are a personal space to try out ideas & techniques and to describe and annotate their thoughts, ideas, learning, discoveries, opinions, strengths and areas for development.

A clear understanding of the visual elements of art and design (line, tone, texture, colour, pattern, shape and 3D form) will be firmly rooted within a clear progression of knowledge throughout the following strands: drawing, colour, sculpture, printing and textiles.

Through our careful choice of artists studied we want to develop children's cultural capital with the inclusion of classic artists such as Gaudi or Da Vinci. We also want to help children understand that artists come from a variety of cultures and backgrounds including right here in Bristol. Through studying a mix of local, classic and diverse art we want children to know that artists can come from any background and help them to understand that they could be the artists and designers of the future.

Children will always be encouraged to: think critically, develop their understanding of art & design and learn about great artists (craft, design, architecture, textiles, sculptors etc) from a variety of backgrounds and cultures (past and present) and understand the historical and cultural links. What they learn will influence their own art. Children will also learn about local Bristol artists and experience some of the amazing art and culture that Bristol has to offer. Overall our intention is to provide an art and design curriculum which will enable all children to reach great heights whilst appreciating and understanding our vibrant and creative city and world that we live in. I

Inspired by The Little Ships of Dunkirk by Louise Borden, Year 5 embarked upon an exploration of different media to capture their “little heroic boats.” They developed their skills in water colour, textural direct press print, oil pastel and mixed media collage using acetate and torn layers of tissue paper.

Imagination Station

Imagination Station, a cross-curricular, creative writing strategy that was created here at Horfield, blurs the lines between Art and Design and English, sometimes truly merging the two. In Imagination Station lessons, children combine Art and Design and English to create truly unique, inspirational, innovative pieces of work. Imagination Station can provide an additional opportunity, beyond Art and Design lessons, for children to develop key Art and Design skills. Laurel Steel, our Creative Arts Lead, has delivered Imagination Station training throughout Bristol and beyond and now many schools have also adopted this exciting, creative strategy.

“Horfield’s Imagination Station sketchbooks are truly stunning. The combination of Art and English is so inspiring. I’m taking it back to my school immediately! The books are clearly evidence of outstanding, imaginative teaching and inspired children.”

Delegate feedback from a Headteacher at Mrs Steel’s training, Sharing Best Practice Conference in Cornwall,

June 2019

Inspired by the illustrations of Eric Carle in Mister Seahorse, Year 1 children developed their understanding of primary and secondary colours and experimented with brusho dye and oil pastel mark making to create wax resist. They then created their own descriptive writing to capture the magic of Mister Seahorse floating through the water.

In response to The Island by Armin Greder, Year 6 developed their skills in using directional mark marking to create texture, tone and depth. Their dramatic, expressive characters inspired superb first person narratives.