Art at Ingatestone and Fryerning C of E (VA) Junior School

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.

Art is the process of creating – exploring, discovering, and experimenting – that allows pupils to express themselves in personal and innovative ways; it is open-ended.

Effective mastery in art encourages all pupils to think deeply about artwork and develop their visual vocabulary. Pupils learn to describe things in their own words, thinking critically.

Higher order questioning during lessons ensures that pupils can reflect on spiritual and ethical issues when exploring art from other times and cultures.

Children are encouraged to ask their own deep-thinking questions and are given time to contribute to peer discussions and debates.

Pupils are encouraged to compare and contrast methods and styles from one artist/painting to another. Thus, leading to self-expression and innovation. They begin to see connections between their ideas and the work of others.

Pupils are given opportunities to research, record and reflect upon their own work and evaluate over a period of time. They can explain it to someone else and identify what they have learnt.

Pupils are encouraged to explore new techniques and develop precision in the use of a range of tools and techniques. They learn to adapt known techniques to suit the purpose.

The use of high-quality resources such as artefacts and pictures is used to stimulate curiosity and deep-thinking ideas.

As a result of this, pupils have a deep understanding of the influences, style and inspiration of artists, designers and craftspeople from a range of times and cultures.

Displays will include key vocabulary and open-ended questions to promote thinking.