Art Policy

Art and Design Policy

Art, craft and design embody some of the highest forms of human creativity. A high-quality art and design education should engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design. As pupils progress, they should be able to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of art and design. They should also know how art and design both reflect and shape our history, and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation.

Introduction

This policy is a statement of the aims, principles, strategies and expectations of effective teaching of Art and Design at Barton St Lawrence Primary School. Please read this policy in conjunction with: 

• Teaching and Learning Policy 
• SEND Policy 
• Health and Safety Policy
• Statutory Guidance

Aims

The national curriculum for Art and Design aims to ensure that all pupils: 
• produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences 
• become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques 
• evaluate and analyse 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.

Teaching and Learning in Art and Design

All lessons need clear learning objectives which are shared and reviewed with the pupils effectively. A variety of strategies are used to assess progress. The information is used to identify what is taught next. Lessons must make effective links with other curriculum areas and subjects. Activities should be challenging, motivating and extend pupils’ learning. As they move through school pupils have more frequent opportunities to develop their skills and select and use appropriate tools and mediums, and combine these for a given purpose with confidence and increasing independence.

Coverage of Skills

Drawing skills are to be taught and developed continually throughout the year. The remaining six elements will be covered over a two year period, where they best fit within the creative curriculum. These elements are:

• Digital Media
• Painting
• Printing
• Textiles
• 3D
• Collage

 Time allocation

 All children are taught approximately 45 hours of art each year.  The exact time allocation for each half-term will depend on the topic being taught.

Making Cross Curricular Links

At Barton St Lawrence Primary School we believe that making links between curriculum subjects and matters, skills and processes will deepen the children’s understanding by providing opportunities to reinforce and enhance learning. A majority of the formative assessment at Barton St Lawrence Primary School will be taken from cross curricular work where children are applying taught matters, skills and processes.

Continuity and Progression

The school ensures curriculum continuity by close liaison between staff and the planning stages.

Key stage 1 Pupils should be taught to: 

• to use a range of materials creatively to design and make products
• to use drawing, painting and sculpture to develop and share their ideas, experiences and imagination
• to develop a wide range of art and design techniques in using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space
• about the work of a range of artists, craft makers and designers, describing the differences and similarities between different practices and disciplines, and making links to their own work.

Key stage 2 Pupils should be taught to develop their techniques, including their control and their use of materials, with creativity, experimentation and an increasing awareness of different kinds of art, craft and design. Pupils should be taught: 

• to create sketch books to record their observations and use them to review and revisit ideas
• to improve their mastery of art and design techniques, including drawing, painting and sculpture with a range of materials [for example, pencil, charcoal, paint, clay]
• about great artists, architects and designers in history.

Inclusion

Planning at all levels ensures that the interests of boys and girls are taken into account. The pupils work individually, in pairs, as part of a small group and as a whole year group each term. They use a variety of means for communicating and recording their work. All pupils, including those with special educational needs, undertake the full range of activities, differentiated according to their own specific needs. Teacher assessment determines the depth to which individuals and groups go during each unit of work.

Art Leadership

Barton St Lawrence is committed to giving the children chance to have a voice. Once every half-term, an ‘Arts Council’ meets with the subject leader to discuss art and design. They will talk about what they have learned, enjoyed and would like to have done differently, as well as put forwards suggestions as to what they would like to do in upcoming art lessons. The Subject leader then feeds this back to class teachers who are responsible for taking this into account in future planning.

Organisation

Art is taught discretely within a topic with the children then being provided with opportunities to develop their skills in cross curricular activities independently.

Activating Prior Knowledge

Using prior assessment information to guide activities and strategies this enables teachers to accurately identify the start point for learning.

Learning Intentions/ Objectives

Based on prior assessment information and outcomes from the activation of prior knowledge teachers identify ordered learning objectives for each group within the class to ensure that progress in learning is made. Learning objectives and success criteria are to be shared with the children at the beginning of each Art and Design lesson so that children know their learning steps throughout the lesson.

Differentiation

There are a number of different forms of differentiation: 
• By outcome – where a task is given and the children respond at different levels 
• Different tasks around the same topic matched to the needs of the children 
• Variety of input for the same task 
• Variety of questioning 
• Completing different task

Assessment, Recording and Reporting in Art and Design

Types of Assessment

• Formative – assessment for learning – allows the teacher to see what the child knows, understands and can do
• Summative – assessment of learning – records overall achievement of the child
• Diagnostic – identifies areas of strength and weakness
• Evaluative – allows teachers and school leaders to see the effectiveness of teaching in terms of performance

Formative Assessment

Formative assessment is embedded in the teaching and learning process of Art and Design at Barton St Lawrence Primary School. It involves:

1. Evaluating pupils level of knowledge 
2. Setting explicit learning intentions 
3. Sharing learning intentions and success criteria with pupils 
4. Questioning effectively 
5. Pupils evaluating their own and peers performance against success criteria 
6. Teacher s and pupils reflecting and reviewing performance and progress 
7. Effective oral feedback to inform pupils what they should do next 
8. Children responding to feedback

Self-Assessment and Peer Assessment

Peer and self-assessment are ways of engaging children in understanding their progress in learning and identifying next steps in their learning that can be used in addition, and to support, oral feedback from teachers and Support Staff. The aim is to involve children in the analysis and constructive criticism of their own and others work. Learners use the success criteria to make judgements on their own, and peers, learning and identify areas for development – next steps.

Day to Day Assessment

The main focus involves teachers using their professional skills to observe a child to see if the work provided for them is sufficiently challenging to ensure progress or that misconceptions or ‘gaps’ are not impacting on progress. The assessments are recorded on the planning sheets and used to inform future planning. This may be achieved through: 
• Questioning 
• Observing 
• Discussing 
• Analysing 
• Checking children’s understanding 
• Engaging children in reviewing progress

Assessment of Learning – Summative Assessments

At the end of a unit of work summative assessments are made about each child’s achievements throughout the unit and are recorded in the front of each child’s sketchbook with a coloured sticker. Red denotes that the child is working below age expectation, yellow that they are working at a level expected for their age and green, that they are working above expectations. Teachers also note where evidence for each achievement can be found. Strengths and areas for development are identified and this informs future learning of the skills matters and processes for the next unit of work. Then at the end of each year a summative judgement is made as to whether individual children are emerging, expected or exceeding their year group expectations in Art and Design. This is reported to parents in the end of year report.

Assessment for Learning – Formative Assessments

The skill, matter or process objectives and success criteria are made explicit in all planning. Key questions and cross-curricular opportunities are identified on weekly planning. Assessment opportunities are identified in weekly foundation planning and these form the basis of the planning for learning for the next lesson. Teachers make brief notes in the assessment note column on planning to inform subsequent teaching and learnings. It is best practice to be constantly revising planned learning.

Success Criteria

Success criteria are shared with all children and displayed throughout the lesson to be used by the learner, peers or teacher. These should be differentiated where appropriate.

Marking and Feedback

Rationale

We are committed to providing relevant and timely oral feedback to pupils. Feedback intends to serve the purposes of valuing pupils’ learning, helping to diagnose areas for development or next steps, and evaluating how well the learning task has been understood. Feedback should be a process of creating a dialogue with the learner, where questions can be asked; the learner is actively involved in the process. At Barton St LawrencePrimary School, we aim to: 

• Improve standards by encouraging children to give of their best and improve on their last piece of work;
• Develop children’s self-esteem through praise and valuing their achievements;
• Create a dialogue which will aid progression.

Effective Feedback Strategies

The following strategies can be used to assess and provide feedback: 

1. Verbal Feedback: This means the discussion of work in direct contact with the child/ group of children. It is particularly appropriate with younger, less able or less confident children.
2. Success Criteria Checklists: Success Criteria checklists can be used in all subjects and may include columns for self/peer assessment and teacher assessment. These should be differentiated where appropriate. For example:

Moderation

Moderation is the process of bringing individual judgements into line with general standards and those throughout school and nationally. Moderation is carried out annually for Art and Design.

Monitoring and Evaluation of the Art and Design Policy and teaching and learning

Monitoring and evaluation of teaching, learning and the curriculum enable us to: 
• Find out about the quality of teaching and learning and standards of achievement 
• Identify strengths and areas for development 
• Identify areas for development and take appropriate action 
• Ensure consistency in continuity and progression 
• Provide appropriate support and resources 
• Ensure the needs of all groups or children are addressed 
• Share good practice

The Headteacher monitors: 
• Long term, medium term and short term planning 
• Co-ordinates and monitors moderation of judgements 
• Scrutinises assessment notes 
• Ensures policy is implemented

Subject Leaders monitor: 
• Long term, medium term and short term planning 
• Annual assessments when a summative judgement is made. 
• Co-ordinates and monitors moderation of judgements 
• Ensures policy is implemented 
• Supports and guides teachers in teaching and learning of Computing. 
• Monitors and evaluates practices in school 
• Keeps up to date with latest initiatives, research and resources and communicate these to staff 
• Attends relevant CPD 
• Prepares, organises and delivers appropriate CPD

All staff: 
• Complete weekly planning that indicates assessment focus 
• Assess pupils work in each lesson and provide notes on planning 
• Plan learning that is in response to assessment information
 • Highlights children’s achievements on the Art and Design Assessment Sheets at the end of a unit of work. 
• Makes a summative judgement at the end of the year or upper/lower key stage for each child.

Review and Evaluation of the Policy

The policy will be reviewed annually, to ensure it is kept in line with any curriculum changes that take place within the school or externally. Equal Opportunities and Differentiation It is important when planning work in Art and Design that the teacher pays close attention to equal opportunity in respect of gender, race , the needs of the most able children and those children with special educational needs.

Points for consideration by teachers when planning Art and Design work are: 

• Am I promoting Art and Design equally to both sexes?
• Is the material I am using attractive to all children- particular care should be taken when using illustrations in books or worksheets
• Take care when planning work so that racial ethics are given consideration, especially in work connected with the human body and food
• Am I catering for the needs of the most able and those with learning difficulties? Will the work provided enable all children to feel that they are achieving and progressing?
• If there is evidence of underachievement by any group, positive corrective action must be initiated.

Financial Commitment

The financial commitment for Art and Design will differ each year, details of which will be found in the SDP. However, in order that staff can deliver the Art and Design Curriculum effectively, the following financial commitment is envisaged. 

• an annual resources budget
• a budget for staff development
• bids for specialised amounts of funding
• a financial commitment for Art and Design will be presented each year to the Head teacher for discussion and approval.

 Role of the Art and Design Co-ordinator

The role of the Art and Design co-ordinators is 

• to co-ordinate the teaching of Art and Design within the school
• to be involved in the induction of new staff
• to monitor the use of the policy and scheme of work
• to ensure continuity and progression of the teaching and learning of Art and Design across the Key Stages
• the review the Policy and Scheme of Work
• to make staff aware of Art and Design courses on offer and encourage them to attend when appropriate
• to provide, where necessary, staff training and development
• to show by example good Art and Design practice

Monitoring and Review

Monitoring of the standards of children’s work and the quality of teaching in Art and Design is the role of the Art and Design Co-ordinator and the Senior Leadership Team in the following ways: 

• systematic analysis of medium and short term plans
• classroom observations
• through samples of children’s work
• through areas of Art and Design identified for development through the School Development Plan.