Art

At Bywell Junior School, we recognize that Art stimulates creativity and imagination and understand that Art should be inclusive and accessible for all. We will encourage children to explore ideas and meanings through the work of a range of artists and designers. Art at Bywell instils an appreciation and enjoyment of the visual arts.  Art and design stimulates imagination and creativity; involving children in a range of visual, tactile and sensory experiences, which enable children to communicate what they see, think and feel through the use of the elements of colour, texture, form and pattern. Children will develop endurance and show compassion in regards to each other’s work and their own efforts. This will promote self-esteem and positive mindsets within the school.

This year we intend to raise and maintain the profile of Art within school, participate in more local Art opportunities to promote the home/school links that are created within the school environment.

• Art is taught weekly by the class teacher 1 x 1 hour lesson. This is for a half term and then is swapped with DT.
• Have an overview of all the art topics taught, artists covered and skills progression throughout the school.
• It is important that overviews and guidance is available for the teachers at Bywell so they candeliver the lessons.
• Children should have an opportunity to respond and self-evaluate their own work and that of others.
• Looking at planning to ensure progression is clear and offer support and guidance where needed. This also includes undertaking book scrutinies and book celebrations to share good practice and to provide support where needed.
• To involve school with Art in the community, working with other schools and organizations whilst also including parents.
• Organizing opportunities to showcase children’s artwork and celebrate their sketchbooks.

Over the last year, we have developed the delivery of the Art teaching through the use of KAPOW which is used in over 5,800 schools. We have selected units that show progression in the key skills. It encourages diverse outcomes by inspiring creativity through expert demo videos and content, allowing pupils to express ideas and explore global art and artists.

The scheme incorporates 5 strands which fulfil the statutory requirements in the National Curriculum document. Units of lessons are sequential, allowing children to build their skills and knowledge, applying them to a range of outcomes. The formal elements, a key part of the National Curriculum, are also woven throughout units. Key skills are revisited again and again with increasing complexity in a spiral curriculum model. This allows pupils to revise and build on their previous learning.

The curriculum is designed in such a way that children are involved in evaluation, dialogue and decision making about the quality of their outcomes and the improvements they need to make. By taking part in our regular discussions and decision-making processes, children will not only know facts and key information about art, but they will be able to talk confidently about their own learning journey, have higher metacognitive skills and have a growing understanding of how to improve.

The impact of Kapow Primary’s scheme is that it can be constantly monitored through both formative and summative assessment opportunities. Each lesson includes guidance to support teachers in assessing pupils against the learning objectives. An assessment spreadsheet including the learning outcomes for children with secure understanding and those working at greater depth enables teachers to keep records of summative assessments for each child.

Teachers will assess pupils each lesson using formative methods, children who are identified as working below their year group or working above their year group will be highlighted on the assessment document provided. The work produced by each year group is then showcased in the corridor before parents evening for the children and parents to see the Art work created across the year groups at Bywell.

The Kirklees Year of Music programme provided us with the opportunity to join The Royal Opera House in London who are offering our Kirklees primary schools the amazing opportunity to partner with them in a year-long, fully funded programme of Create and Sing and Create and Design. There are a host of great quality learning resources, CPDL for teachers, Meet the Artist events and celebratory events for children to perform alongside the Royal Opera House artists. The Royal Opera House’s Create & Sing programme provides:

• a creative learning resource, created with teachers, providing songs for pupils in primary schools across England.
• classroom-based and digital activities, with strong curriculum links, to give better understanding of singing and opera for pupils, unlocking their imagination and creativity.
• teacher training, classroom films, lesson plans and resources to use in ways that suit the needs of the teachers and their students.
• the opportunity to take part in digital live lessons from your classroom, including ‘Meet the Artists’, an accessible and interactive introduction to opera, suitable for all primary classes

On the 9^th June 2023 I attended the first session to see if this is something we could use to enrich our curriculum.

• Art is now led by the Art lead during PPA
• Staff training is booked for the music element beginning on Friday 13^th
• Art assessments have started to be used to identify any gaps in knowledge across all year groups.
• A pre- knowledge assessment was given to all children prior to starting the units
• Key vocabulary is being displayed each lesson and the children are becoming familiar with the terms.
• I have familiarised myself with KAPOW and the new resource additions this academic year. I have given details of how to access the website to new staff members.
• The curriculum overview has been updated.
• Each class has been given new sketchbooks to work in and style in their own way.

• Art is now being taught by the class teachers.
• All new staff are able to access KAPOW and the training videos.
• Y3 have taken part in the ROH performance (6^th December), the feedback from staff and children was fantastic. Meeting the artists was a really valuable experience for the children.
• The beginning of unit assessments showed what children already knew and helped to inform the planning as the unit went on.
• The response from discussion with the children was all positive, they enjoyed having Art each week and using sketchbooks. They enjoyed the freedom of being creative and presenting their work in different ways.

• Speaking with a range of children from the year groups showed they have enjoyed the Art units they have completed.
• The staff completed a questionnaire, this highlighted some key areas that they feel they need support with and showed they are very confident and feel with have adequate resources to complete the Art lessons.
• The Art sketch books show consistency throughout school and increasing amounts of independent creativity, some children are putting their own spin on the task they are given.
• We have made links with the Royal Opera House in London, looking at the block of units they are rolling out throughout Kirklees to support the Kirklees Year of Music project. We have completed the Create & Sing module (Y3) and the Create & Design module (Y5)

• Art lessons have continued being delivered by class teachers.
• Class teachers have been using the Kapow resource to deliver structured lessons.
• Art has featured in class showcase assemblies to show the excellent Art work completed throughout school.
• Art sketch books continue to improve as the year has gone on. Meeting with other schools at the create & design showcase showed more capacity for creativity in the sketchbooks which we hope to incorporate in the coming year.
• Children will continue to have sketch books next academic year.

Art has been used to support transition by learning mentors and in Blossom.