Why do we learn art and design?
Our approach
Reception
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4
Year 5
Year 6

Why do we learn art and design?

At Ark Atwood, we place creativity at the heart of our art and design technology curriculum. We aim to engage, enthuse, inspire and challenge the artists, designers and engineers are the future, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design.

As pupils progress, they are encouraged to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of these subjects. They will also come to understand how art and design both reflect and shape our history, and contribute to culture, creativity and wealth around the world. They are exposed to a range of artists and art and design techniques, spanning genres and styles across time, countries, cultures, and backgrounds.

We aim to inspire the innovative engineers and product designers of the future. Design and Technology develops children’s skills and knowledge in design, structures, mechanisms, electrical control and a range of materials, including food. It encourages children's creativity and to consider important issues. It gives children the opportunity to develop skills, knowledge and understanding of designing and making functional products. We feel it is vital to nurture creativity and innovation through design, and by exploring the designed and made world in which we all live and work.

Our approach

Art aims to ensure that all pupils:

  • Produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences, often working collaboratively with others to develop their designs
  • Become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques
  • Become reflective learners by evaluating and analysing 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

Design Technology aims to ensure that all pupils:

  • Develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world
  • Build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users
  • Critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products and the work of others being both a kind and critical friend in supporting others to improve.
  • Understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook

Art and Design Curriculum map

Reception

Autumn 1 Autumn 2

Children to draw and paint their own self-portrait using paint.

Skills:

Use various techniques, experimenting with colour, design, texture, form and function

Children to create their own 3d models of emergency vehicles.

Skills:

Share their creations and can explain the process they have used.
Spring 1 Spring 2

Children create their own superheroes, monsters and fictional characters using paint, collage and 3d construction.

Skills:

Invent, adapt and recount narratives and stories with peers and their teacher.

Sing a range of well- known nursery rhymes and songs.

Collage using Matisse as a stimulus

Children make their own fairy tale masks, puppets and bake gingerbread man.

Skills:

Make use of props and materials when role playing characters in narratives and stories.
Summer 1 Summer 2

Children create their own dinosaurs using paint and collage materials.

Skills:

Perform songs, rhymes, poems and stories with others, and (when appropriate) try to move in time with music.

Paint dripping using Jackson Pollock as a stimulus

Constructing 3d models of animals.

Skills:

Create with a purpose explaining the process

Make choices about the materials, tools and methods that they use.

All Reception subjects Next Reception Subject - Computing

Year 1

Autumn 1 Autumn 2
Art - Self Portraits Art - Colour Theory & Kandinsky
Spring 1 Spring 2
DT - Vehicle Construction Art - Sculpture & Alberto Giacometti
Summer 1 Summer 2
DT - Making a Picture with multiple moving parts DT - Fruit kebabs (food)

All Year 1 subjects Next Year 1 Subject - Computing

Year 2

Autumn 1 Autumn 2
Art - Self Portraits Art - Landscapes (collage and painting)
Spring 1 Spring 2
Art /  DT - Puppets Art - Landscapes
Summer 1 Summer 2
DT -  Pot plant holder Art - Printing & Esther Mahlangu

All Year 2 subjects Next Year 2 Subject - Computing

Year 3

Autumn 1 Autumn 2
Art  -  Self Portraits DT - Biscuits (food)
Spring 1 Spring 2
DT - Bridge building Art - Pastel still-life drawing & Cezanne
Summer 1 Summer 2
DT - Making mini greenhouses Art - Ancient Greek pottery

All Year 3 subjects Next Year 3 Subject - Computing

Year 4

Autumn 1 Autumn 2
Art - Self Portaits in the style of Picasso Art - Roman Mosaic
Spring 1 Spring 2
DT - Pencil cases (textiles) Art - Pastel drawing & Georgia O"Keefe
Summer 1 Summer 2
DT - Moving pictures DT - Skyscrapers

All Year 4 subjects Next Year 4 Subject - Computing

Year 5

Autumn 1 Autumn 2
Art - Self Portraits Art - The imagination, dreams & Dali
Spring 1 Spring 2
Art - Yayoi Kusama DT - Baking bread (food)
Summer 1 Summer 2
Art - Islamic geometric tiles DT - Using gears and cams when designing a toy

All Year 5 subjects Next Year 5 Subject - Computing

Year 6

Autumn 1 Autumn 2
Art - Self-portraits Art - Cityscapes
Spring 1 Spring 2
DT - Cushions (textiles) Art - Phto montage
Summer 1 Summer 2
DT- Birdboxes DT - Fairground ride

All Year 6 subjects Next Year 6 Subject - Computing