Art and Design

The EARTH without ART is just EH?
The Value Of Art And Design At Catton Grove Primary School, each and every child is an artist. Our children know that art is one of the highest forms of human creativity and imagination. In fact, it is widely believed that art was the earliest form of
creative expression for humans!

- An example of prehistoric art discovered in Patagonia, Argentina Our pupils recognise art is one of the most powerful ways to convey their thoughts and feelings; they also
know it can influence the way others think and feel about themselves and the world too.

Originality

Our children feel free to express themselves through art.They are encouraged and inspired to become original artists with unique ways of looking at and representing the world around them - and beyond! Risk-taking, unexpected ideas, accidental effects and out-of-the-box-thinking are celebrated as truly imaginative behaviours. Their original artwork receives a wide audience in a range of ways including class galleries, our
school 'Jenny Toll Art Gallery', our school website and in the local area.

Curriculum Content

The art curriculum immerses the children in a dynamic range of artists, artwork, mediums and elements. It is carefully sequenced to allow children to build upon previous knowledge, techniques and inspirations, motivating them as they continue their artistic journey. The children's experiences are anchored around the key art elements: line, tone, colour, space, shape, pattern and texture and they develop their understanding of these throughout their time at Catton Grove. As their toolkit grows, each artist will develop their own unique styles to communicate with the world. The curriculum also capitalises on the power of art by demonstrating its value alongside other subjects, including computing (e.g. digital media) and science (e.g. observational
sketching).

- A selection of original artwork from Catton Grove pupils

Catton Grove Milestones

Our art curriculum is crafted to support children in achieving key artistic knowledge and skill milestones throughout their artistic careers at Catton Grove. Children and adults frequently reflect on pupil achievements in 'Generating Ideas', 'Making', 'Evaluating' and Knowledge and Understanding' to identify which children are surpassing the milestones and need further extending and which children need increased support
to help achieve these goals.

EYFS: Our artists can safely use and experiment with a variety of materials, tools and techniques. They have had experience with, and are introduced to the language of, all of the visual and tactile elements. They can
represent their own thoughts and feelings through their artwork and explain what they have created.

Year 1 - Year 2: Our artists have developed a wider repertoire of techniques relating to the visual and tactile elements. They will also have experienced other new mediums to create pieces of art with and will be applying them with more prior consideration. They can compare their art and the work of other artists. They are
beginning to utilise creative albums (sketchbooks) to capture their creative journeys.

Year 3 - Year 4: Our artists create a broader variety of pieces influenced by other artists and their own interests. They tailor techniques more precisely to achieve certain effects. They expand their artistic vocabulary and learn more specific language to discuss artwork. They understand that their creative albums
(sketchbooks) are to be used whenever inspiration strikes.

Year 5 - Year 6: Our artists will have developed their own artistic style and preferences. They confidently draw
on a range of visual and tactile elements, medium and inspirations to create artwork for a variety of reasons. They justify their choices, linking to artistic intent, and confidently use a range of subject specific vocabulary to
analyse their own work and the work of others.

Core Values

Our art curriculum encapsulates each of our fundamental Catton Grove core values. Pupils are constantly inspired and challenged to utilise their creativity to produce original content. The children take pride in the artwork they produce. They develop their resilience by listening to and acting on feedback throughout their artistic journey from teachers, peers and the wider community. Our artists work with independence to produce artwork wholly personal to them and also have opportunities to develop their unity by collaborating on group
projects.

Wider Context

On a local level, our pupils are given the opportunity to explore and interact with art galleries including the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Art and Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery. They also experience a vast and
inclusive range of art and artists on a global and historical scale through our inspiring art curriculum.

•- Banksy artwork in Lowestoft, Norfolk

Life-Changing

We promote the fact that art is life-changing; it has a positive impact on health & wellbeing, communication
and confidence. Creative thinking also opens up many career paths and is highly-regarded within industry. The children have numerous opportunities during their time at Catton Grove to explore art through a
career-based context.

Inclusion

ALL our children are given the opportunity to succeed in the subject through first-hand experiences with artists and their artwork. They engage in ambitious, adventurous work inside and outside the classroom. They understand that art transcends language but are also empowered with the language to effectively discuss artwork. Staff and pupils embrace the 'openness of experience: making sure we don't inadvertently close
down what 'art' is and exclude or alienate pupils, for example by purely focusing on technical skills.

Time To Reflect

Art teaches us that problems can have more than one solution and questions can have more than one answer. In an ever-changing world, in which art, design and creativity play a pivotal role, it is important to remember:
your artwork can truly make a difference. What will you create next?