Skip to main content

Art and Design

Intent

The intent for Art at Sandown School is for the children to build upon a skill based curriculum to enable creativity to develop and flourish. Through a carefully managed small step approach the children will apply skills with greater independence and increasing experimentation in school, at home and into their future lives. We aim to develop self-confidence and a sense of pride in their achievements by allowing time for reflection and review.

The children should leave the school having become:

  • increasingly confident in drawing, painting and sculpture techniques
  • able to identify and talk about the work of great artists, craft makers, designers and architects
  • able to discuss and annotate their work and ideas and make comparisons with that of artists
  • confident to use the language of art, craft and design.

Curriculum overview

Read the content of our Art curriculum for each year group.

For additional information about this subject, please contact the school office and ask to speak to the subject leader.

Drawing Skills

Through the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 the children learn how to hold a pencil correctly and how to use their pencil to draw different lines, shapes and patterns. They learn how to use ‘pressure on’ and ‘pressure off’ to draw dark and light lines and begin to learn how to look closely at objects and draw things as they actually appear.

Moving into KS2 the children start to draw increasingly accurately and learn how to sketch out their work first. They use different drawing materials to show tone, patterns and textures.

Painting skills

The children gradually start to build their confidence using paints. They begin by learning the different equipment they will need and how to set up their ‘painting stations’. They make choices over the correct colours to use and how to paint within the lines.

By the end of KS1 they become proficient at being able to name the primary colours and using red, blue and yellow to mix the secondary colours.

In KS2 the children start to make tones and shades of different colours and start to explore how colour is used to create mood. They are introduced to watercolours and explore and experiment with painting techniques used by different artists.

Sculpture

At Sandown the children have the opportunity to work on their sculpting skills using a range of materials from junk modelling, paper, card and clay. They learn to cut, sculpt, mould and add textures to their models.