At White Mere, we believe all children have a right to an excellent art education. We recognise it is a subject with unique qualities and benefits for young people. We expect our art and design curriculum to contribute to the development of pupils’ creativity, independence, judgement and self-reflection. We understand the value of the subject for children’s personal well-being and enabling them to become more rounded and confident human beings.

By encouraging experimentation, risk and innovation, we aim to help all children be more inquisitive, persistent, imaginative, disciplined and collaborative, qualities which will assist them for life. Our curriculum is designed so that basic skills are introduced and then built upon. Skills are revisited and the use of ongoing sketchbook work underpins this process.

We believe our role is to provide a broad and balanced art curriculum where we introduce key skills, materials and ideas to the pupils in such a way that each pupil can then explore his or her own creativity. Teachers act as positive role models, not afraid to be seen to be learning alongside the children. Pupils are encouraged to take creative risks and to learn from the journey, rather than head towards a pre-defined end result.

Across the children’s time at White Mere, our curriculum provides the children chances to explore art in a range of different contexts: Traditional skills alongside experimental work; small-scale and large-scale work; individual work as well as group work; two-dimensional work balanced with three-dimensional work. Importantly, pupils are given access to great ‘historical’ artists, makers and designers, yet become familiar with contemporary artists too. Art takes pupils to other worlds, cultures and times, as they explore ideas in the work of a variety of artists.

Children will progress through our six key ‘pillars’:

• Techniques
• Tools
• People
• Art and design vocabulary
• Architecture
• Cultural understanding

At White Mere, we appreciate that art and design is an excellent way to enrich the school’s wider curriculum. Connections to other subjects are made where art can be connected to a wider context (historical or geographical, for example), but in a way which maintains art as a distinct subject in a skills-based manner.

We see it as our responsibility to foster a love of art in children, therefore children in their time at White Mere will visit a local art gallery as well as participate in whole-school art activities and competitions with the opportunity for their work to be presented to a wider audience.

Our intent is always to ensure our pupils are ready for their next phase of education. Our skills progressions outline the end-of-year expectations.