Intent - Our vision

At St Nics', we want our children to:

• Develop a range of art skills and an understanding that art can be used to express ideas and emotions, as well as inspiring these in the viewer.
• Grow in confidence in using art to express themselves, explore their imaginations and become confident and communicative people.
• Gain an understanding that styles of art vary across the world and through time.
• Take inspiration from artists and craft makers.
• To consider the value of different art skills, styles and resources.
• To be able to use and understand art vocabulary with a range of contexts.

Implementation - How we deliver this to achieve our goal

• Our delivery of the art curriculum is cross curricular, linking to other areas of our learning.
• We provide children with first hand experiences (trips and visitors eg, local artist).
• We make use of quality books/resources/materials and online resources to enrich our art curriculum.
• We promote awe and wonder opportunities, such as introducing an element of surprise, posing problems for children to investigate and solve and encouraging appreciation of detail through looking closely at natural objects.
• We plan for a range of opportunities for children to explore concepts for themselves through continuous provision approach.
• We encourage children to share opinions and responses to art and to ask their own questions (Wondering Walls), and to seek answers (applying the research skills they have been taught).
• We promote reflection and evaluation to support the development of skills.
• There are also numerous opportunities to take art outside, for example through outdoor artwork in EYFS, Garden and Grotto and Forest School.

In addition to this:

• World Church collective worship introduces an understanding of similarities and differences in styles of art and architecture across the world.
• Pause Days include Christmas and Easter traditions, celebrations and art across the world.
• Our Art Gallery in the Hall celebrates children’s artwork and inspires children to create artwork of their own.
• We promote collaboration, and our Pause Days often include the creation of large-scale collaborative artwork, such as our values canvasses.
• ELSA activities often use art to explore and express emotions, as well as a mindful activity for calming down. 

Impact - How we know our vision has come to fruition

Our children are ready for the next stage of their educational journey through:

• Having a love of art and creativity.
• Valuing art as a mindful wellbeing activity (both looking at and creating art themselves), and understanding how it can make them feel calm, peaceful and happy.
• Demonstrating an interest in subject, enthusiastic, self-led, motivated.
• Having the ability to make links and reason, discussing artwork using subject specific vocabulary.
• Being able to apply skills and knowledge they have gained to new situations.
• Having an understanding of art, and of how to use different tools and media.