Art

At Heathland School, we believe that learning in art allows pupils to express their creativity and imagination through visual forms such as drawing, painting, sculpture and mixed media. Art learning allows pupils to experiment with this wide range of media through trying things out for themselves and giving themselves the freedom to take risks in their work. Pupils’ artwork is celebrated and displayed proudly throughout the school.

Art lessons, which are linked to the topic being studied in different year groups, give pupils the opportunity to respond creatively to a variety of artwork including their own. We aim for pupils to become confident in using a range of techniques in drawing, sketching and mark-making, painting and printing, and other media. Pupils explore their ideas imaginatively, record observations and plan their art learning and produce completed creative outcomes. They are encouraged to evaluate their own learning, their classmates’ learning and the work of artists studied. They develop knowledge of the language of art, craft and design through learning about different artists from throughout history, including women artists and artists from diverse cultures, and understand the historical and cultural development of different art forms. Children use sketchbooks to record their observations and review, revisit and refine their ideas. As they move through the school, they learn to create compositions using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space. They develop techniques using a range of media including pencils, charcoal, oil pastels, paint, ink, clay and recycled materials and have opportunities to collaborate in small groups to produce larger pieces of learning.