Art and DT
Slade aims to facilitate and nurture a passion for the Arts from a very early age. We thrive to give all pupils creative opportunities and ultimately nurture them to become active and confident explorers of the arts.
The Art curriculum at Slade provides pupils with great exposure to artists, skills and significant artistic movements in time. Pupils come across a range of artists, sculptors and craftsmen associated with different times and cultures. Miro, Kusama, Di Vinci, Van Gogh, Monet and Caravaggio are just some of the significant figures embedded with our curriculum. Sculptors also play a crucial role: installations by Goldsworthy and Calder provide technique as well as inspiration. We examine artists at length including the historical background and impact the work has had. We also encourage pupils to self-assess in relation to their personal experiences – are there any links between them and the artist(s)? Can they re-interpret the art in their own way? Not only does the Slade curriculum introduce great art works, pupils are also able to study, explore and critique these. This allows pupils opportunities to explore and become critical thinkers.
Slade’s EYFS use the ‘In the Moment’ approach which allows room for creativity, this is usually driven by the pupils themselves. It enables adults to tap into pupils’ interests in order to facilitate their learning from the very beginning. We believe that self-exploration is key in order to nurture a pupil’s creative confidence.
In KS2, there is a high expectation of working independently. Pupils are encouraged to express themselves within their art. Sketch books play a significant part in journaling our pupils artistic thought process. They are encouraged to use these books as a creative outlet; double paged art research pages have been an exciting venture for Slade allowing pupils further versatility. Our Slade ‘Visual Elements of Art allow pupils to describe paintings, drawings and sculptures like professional artists and make vocabulary explicit in learning; line, colour, texture, space and shape are key areas of exploration. The use of Slade Staples enables Art to be in line with other subjects across the curriculum: knowledge organisers, thinking maps and word explorers have been adapted for use.
To develop pupil schema, art topics are, where purposeful, linked with other subjects. Teachers plan and deliver lessons which enable pupils to access a range of knowledge and skills. The teaching of Art takes place on a two-week basis (often rotated alongside Design Technology), it enables opportunities for a regular creative outlet.
As a culturally diverse school based in a thriving area of Erdington, we use the Arts to celebrate our uniqueness. We have hosted events with the Arts being in the forefront. We have also taken part in community projects allowing us to contribute to the wider community. Our pupils have been able to demonstrate their talents and also understand how effective and inspirational Art can be to others. We have recently taken part in the Safer Streets project where we hosted a competition for pupils to create posters for our local community – this has been an amazing way for our pupils to exhibit their talents and get recognised! Slade believes that creating links within our community is the first step in allowing pupils to understand the big wide world, this will inevitably provide a richer school experience for our pupils. Our ultimate goal is to enable all pupils to be creatively active; be able to imagine, apply and succeed.
