At St. Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Art and Design is valued as an essential part of every child’s entitlement to a broad, balanced and enriching curriculum and plays a vital role in the development of the whole child.

Art and Design provides pupils with opportunities to explore, develop and extend creative skills, while expressing and celebrating their individual interests, thoughts and ideas. Through Art and Design, children build self belief, develop confidence in their abilities and show resilience when experimenting, refining and improving their work.

We recognise Art and Design as a subject that supports learning across the curriculum. The skills of observation, creativity, problem solving and evaluation are transferable and enhance learning in a wide range of subjects.

Our aim is to ensure that pupils become:

  • Creative and reflective artists, confident in evaluating their own work
  • Skilled and confident in drawing, painting, sculpture and other media
  • Knowledgeable about a wide range of art styles and the work of famous local, British and global artists
  • Resilient learners who take creative risks and learn from experimentation
  • Aware of creative careers, understanding how art and design skills link to real world opportunities

Our Art and Design curriculum is progressive, expressive and inclusive, building securely on prior learning and enabling all pupils to succeed.

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Implementation

As a school within the Bishop Hogarth Catholic Education Trust, we deliver a carefully sequenced and progressive Art and Design curriculum developed by subject specialists with expertise and industry knowledge in Art and Design education.

This ensures that:

  • Skills progression is clearly mapped from Early Years through to the end of Key Stage 3
  • Learning builds cumulatively and systematically across phases
  • Clear end points for skill acquisition are identified at each stage

Our skills progression fully covers:

  • The Statutory Framework for the Early Years
  • The National Curriculum for Key Stages 1, 2 and 3

Skills Progression Strands

The curriculum is organised into five key strands, ensuring depth, breadth and progression:

  • Artists and Artwork
  • Drawing
  • Painting
  • Sculpture and Collage
  • Printing

Artists, Artwork and Career Links

The study of famous artists and artworks is embedded within every unit of learning. Pupils explore the work of local, British and global artists, spanning a range of cultures, styles and historical periods.

Each unit also includes:

  • Discussion of how artists and designers work
  • Exploration of creative career pathways, such as illustrators, designers, architects, sculptors and digital artists
  • Opportunities for pupils to see how artistic skills are used in real world contexts

This approach builds pupils’ cultural capital, broadens aspirations and supports understanding of how creativity can lead to future career opportunities.

Developing Knowledge and Skills

Knowledge and understanding of the formal elements of art (including line, colour, shape, tone, texture and pattern) are woven throughout all strands. This ensures that key concepts and artistic vocabulary are regularly revisited, reinforced and extended.

Each strand includes:

  • Clear progression of practical skills
  • Contextual study of artists and artworks
  • Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary, enabling pupils to articulate ideas confidently and accurately

Art and Design may be taught through:

  • A skills based approach
  • A topic based approach
  • A blended approach, ensuring strong links with the wider curriculum while maintaining subject integrity

Impact

By the time pupils leave St. Joseph’s, they will have:

  • Developed a wide range of artistic skills across drawing, painting, sculpture and mixed media
  • Gained a secure foundation of knowledge of artists, styles and techniques
  • Built confidence and self belief in expressing ideas visually and verbally
  • Demonstrated resilience through experimentation, reflection and refinement
  • Developed an understanding of creative careers and future pathways

Pupils will be able to discuss their work and the work of artists using accurate vocabulary and thoughtful evaluation. They leave St. Joseph’s well prepared for Key Stage 3, with the creativity, confidence and aspiration needed to continue their artistic journey.