Art and Design at Monkfield Park:
Art and Design at Monkfield Park Primary School helps children become confident, creative and reflective learners who love learning together. Rooted in The Monkfield Way, our curriculum encourages pupils to express themselves, explore ideas, develop artistic skills and engage meaningfully with the world around them. Through an ambitious and progressive journey from EYFS to Year 6, children build the knowledge, techniques and vocabulary needed to think and work as artists, craftspeople and designers.
In line with the National Curriculum for Art and Design, pupils are taught to produce creative work, explore and record their ideas, become proficient in a range of artistic techniques, evaluate artwork belonging to themselves and others, and study the work of great artists, craft makers and designers. Our curriculum supports children's creative, cultural, emotional and intellectual development, enabling them to thrive within our diverse community in Cambourne and beyond. Through studying a wide range of artists, cultures and traditions, children develop respect, curiosity and appreciation for the richness of human creativity.
Key Aims
· To enable pupils to produce creative work by exploring, developing and expressing their own ideas and experiences.
· To support children in developing confidence, resilience and independence through experimentation, risk-taking and reflection within the creative process.
· To develop children’s proficiency in a range of art and craft skills, including drawing, painting, sculpture.
· To encourage pupils to evaluate, analyse and improve their own work and the work of others using subject-specific vocabulary.
· To provide opportunities for children to study and learn from a diverse range of artists, designers, craftspeople and architects from different cultures, time periods and backgrounds.
· To nurture all creativity, imagination and innovation while promoting high standards of craftsmanship and presentation.
· To ensure all pupils, regardless of background or need, can access, enjoy and succeed in Art and Design.
Content and Skills
Pupils build secure, sequenced skills in drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking and mixed media. From the Early Years, children develop observation, colour mixing and mark-making skills through self-portraits, nature art and painting. As they move through the school, they learn to use line, shape, tone, texture, form and composition with increasing control and accuracy.
Drawing is at the heart of the curriculum. Pupils progress from portraits and continuous line drawings in Key Stage 1 to still-life studies, landscape sketching, Roman architecture, Greek portraits and Renaissance figure drawing. They develop skills in observation, shading, proportion, perspective and movement through the study of artists including local artist Tony Hillier, and other significant artists such as Henry Moore, Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo and Michelangelo.
Painting and colour work develop through projects such as African sunsets, cave art, Roman mosaics and studies of water. Pupils learn colour mixing, tinting and shading techniques, explore pointillism through the work of Georges Seurat, and investigate light, reflection and movement through the work of Claude Monet and Leonardo da Vinci.
Pupils also develop skills in sculpture, construction and printmaking. They create Stone Age clay figures, model Ancient Roman buildings such as the Pantheon, construct Ancient Greek pottery and make Terracotta Army sculptures Whilst exploring the work of ither interesting artists, such as Giuseppe Arcimboldo, Beatriz Milhazes and Katsushika Hokusai, children are introduced to mono-printing and relief printing techniques. Studies of Indian art, Ancient Greece, Rome, China, South America and Africa deepen their understanding of pattern, symmetry, decoration, architecture and design.
Throughout the curriculum, sketchbooks are used to record observations, develop ideas, experiment with materials and refine outcomes. Pupils learn to evaluate and discuss artwork using artistic vocabulary, building increasing confidence and independence as artists.
Progression
Learning in Art is carefully sequenced from Early Years to Year 6, enabling pupils to develop increasing confidence, technical skill and creativity. In the Early Years, children explore colour, texture, pattern, shape and form through a range of practical experiences. They experiment with materials, develop fine motor control and begin to represent their ideas and observations through drawing, painting and model making.
In Key Stage 1, pupils build foundation skills in drawing, painting, sculpture and collage. They learn to observe closely, using their sketchbooks to record ideas, mix colours and create texture. They develop their control of a range of tools and materials. Through studying artists and designers, they begin to recognise different styles and understand how art can communicate ideas.
As they move through Key Stage 2, pupils refine their observational drawing skills, developing their understanding of line, tone, shading, perspective and proportion. They become increasingly confident when using paint, print, clay and mixed media, selecting the most appropriate materials and techniques for their purpose. Sketchbooks are used to explore, collect, develop and evaluate ideas, while the study of significant artists, architects and designers broadens their understanding of artistic traditions and influences.
By the end of Year 6, pupils can draw from observation, imagination and memory with increasing accuracy, use a range of artistic techniques effectively and create thoughtful, original outcomes. They can evaluate their own work and that of others using appropriate artistic vocabulary, explaining how artists use colour, composition, texture and form to achieve different effects. Through revisiting and building upon key skills over time, pupils leave primary school as confident, skilled and reflective young artists.
Wider Impact
Art and Design plays a vital role in promoting The Monkfield Way by nurturing confident, responsible and tolerant learners who can work together and independently, valuing creativity, diversity and self-expression. Through studying the achievements of artists, craftspeople and designers from different cultures, times and backgrounds, pupils develop a deeper understanding of the world now, and the people within it.
The curriculum supports pupils' emotional wellbeing by providing meaningful opportunities for self-expression, reflection and personal achievement. It develops resilience, problem-solving, communication and critical-thinking skills that enhance learning across the wider curriculum.
Our intention is that pupils will leave Monkfield Park Primary School with a strong foundation in artistic knowledge, skills and cultural understanding. They will have developed the confidence to communicate ideas visually, the ability to think creatively and critically, and an appreciation of the impact of art and design on society. They will have the foundation that will enable them to engage with and contribute to the creative world around them.