Curriculum Intent

We strive for every child to experience freedom of expression, creativity, subjectivity and explore their individuality. Children will know about great artists both in the past and present, and make links with art and cultural change as well as utilising and exploring local artists.  They learn a range of skills and have access to wide variety of medium to create artwork that they are proud of.

At Greswold, we are extremely proud of the children’s artistic talent and their work is displayed throughout the school. We have art projects to enhance our school environment, such as corridor murals and galleries, which are designed and made by our children. We participate in national and local competitions and initiatives so children’s work can be also seen in the local community.

Click here to view the National Curriculum for Art & Design.

Early Years 

Children develop their artistic skills through child initiated activities. They have an opportunity to use a range of media and materials as well as a selection of tools to develop preferred skills. Children use their own imagination and observations from both their environment and other artists to design their own creations for example, when making Christmas card designs that are then printed into authentic cards. Children are encouraged to take part in projects or competitions when opportunities arise in the local community. 

Year 1

Pupils will explore the work of a variety of different artists from different backgrounds in order to celebrate the diverse culture of our school and foster our value of belonging. The children will develop their techniques, control and use of materials through exploring craft makers such as Gunta Stölzl during their weaving topic and creating their own woven pieces using a range of materials. They will have the chance to investigate a range of sculptors, such as Andy Goldsworthy, evaluating and interpreting their work. The children will experiment with texture, colour and pattern through the work of different illustrators and painters such as Lauren Child and George Seuratt. They will continue to develop their pencil skills through specific techniques and applying these to their wider learning. They will work towards their final projects of creating a self-portrait using the skills they have cultivated throughout the year. 

Year 2

The children develop their artistic skills including sketching, colour mixing, painting and sculpting. They draw inspiration from a range of artists including LS Lowry, Gaudi, Hunterwasser and William Morris, using their work as the starting point for the children’s own creations. They develop their observational drawing by sketching locations at Greswold and Dunfield House. The children apply their skills to create pictures linked to their topics of the Great Fire of London, Polar regions and Africa using a suitable colour palate for each. They also sculpt minibeasts out of plasticine which are subsequently brought to life using stop motion animation. 

Year 3

Pupils will develop their artistic techniques, including their control and their use of materials, with creativity, experimentation and an increasing awareness of different kinds of art, craft and design. The children create mosaics using a variety of materials, whilst learning about the Romans in History. Pupils review the work of artist Paul Klee before learning how to mix a variety of paint colours and use shades and tones to create a painting in the style of ‘Legend of the Nile’. The children use a range of media to create rainforest artwork, drawing outlines, developing sketching techniques and blending colours.

Year 4

Pupils explore a range of techniques and have the opportunity to use different materials. Linked to their history topic, they look at the use of simple patterns to make intricate designs such as the Josephine Knot. The children explore how relationships are portrayed in art by looking at the work of different artists. They have the opportunity to study the works of American artists, Andy Warhol and John Sargent to inspire them to create their own painting. In addition, after researching clay sculptures in the environment both locally and nationally, children evaluate their own school environment to see how it could be aesthetically improved. They then design and make miniature clay sculptures.

Year 5

The children link their Art with their wider topics to foster the children’s imagination. Children design and create Greek theatre masks using papier mache, which ties in with their work on Greek Myths in English. Using a selection of mediums the children create a variety of space themed artwork. The children will also learn how to use light and shadow to create depth in their artwork using pencil, chalk and pastels. While learning about Victorians, the children learn how to use one and two-point perspective to create three-dimensional pictures of a Victorian street. As part of this topic, pupils also look at famous Victorian artists, William Morris and Claude Monet. Children link how Victorian life and events influenced artwork at the time, recreating their own artwork in the same style. 

Year 6

Pupils will be taught to develop a range of skills and knowledge, including: pencil control and shading techniques; using a variety of materials for effect and purpose; creativity, experimentation and curiosity within their own art creations and an increasing awareness of modern artists such as, Banksy and Andy Warhol, who have impacted the cultured and diverse world that they live in.

To further develop their drawing and shading techniques, all pupils will create self-portraits which will then be displayed as part of their Year 6 gallery, linking to our school value of ‘Belonging’. To link in with their ‘Healthy Me’ unit of work, they will then focus on depicting people in motion, creating the illusion of movement. In order to experiment with a range of media, and linking in with their English studies, the children will use pastels, charcoal and chalk to develop pictures inspired by the poem 'The Highwayman'. Additionally, children will also choose the most effective media to apply when creating artwork inspired by World War II, specifically evacuation.