Art and Performance

Art skills and creativity are developed through the St Louis Art curriculum. The quality can be seen in displays around the school. In July 2023, St Louis achieved the Silver Award. Through working towards the Artsmark award, we have developed close links with Theatre Royal in Bury St Edmunds. We have worked in school with Door Step Theatre Company, attended authentic live performance as a whole school, drawn and created within the Writing Festival and brought artists into school to develop children’s skills. In July 2023 St Louis achieved the Silver Award. 

Drama and dance are showcased during the year, including phase-led productions and celebrations of talent.

The PKC art curriculum is designed to enable children make connections between the work of artists, architects and designers and their own work. The curriculum provides meaningful opportunities for self-expression to give children the space to learn who they are as an artist by exploring different mediums. We aim to ignite children’s love for art by giving them the ability to express themselves through drawing, painting, sculpture, printing, collage, photography and textiles. The curriculum also provides extensive opportunity for children to develop their skills in visual literacy by looking at, thinking and talking about art.

The curriculum fulfils the requirements of the National Curriculum for England. This course of study seeks to show how art shapes our history and contributes to our national culture. It looks at key movements and historical periods including, studying art from ancient Greece and Rome, Anglo Saxon England, the Italian Renaissance, Victorian art and architecture, French Impressionism and 20th century Modernism as well as art relating to different religions and cultures such as Islamic art, art from Western Africa and Chinese painting and ceramics.

Children develop and build on their proficiency during their time in school. A summary of our learning from Year 1 to 6 is attached below. 

Art Statement of intent

At St Louis we aim to provide an art curriculum which will enable each child to reach their full potential in learning in art, through investigating and making, through research and the development of skills and through their evaluation of their own art and that made by others. Our art and design education will engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art. They will know how art and design both reflect and shape our history, and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation.

Art statement of implementation

The teaching is based on the National Curriculum and uses a structured scheme which showcases development of skills and techniques through the school. All children in all year groups experience the art disciplines of drawing, painting, collage, printing, textiles and 3D.  The work of famous local, national and international artists is explored to enhance the children's learning. 

Early Years Foundation Stage Pupils explore and use a variety of media and materials through a combination of child-initiated and adult-directed activities. They have opportunities to learn to:

· Explore the textures, movement, feel and look of different media and materials and then use these to express their own ideas and create different effects

The skills developed through school by year group are attached below.

Art statement of impact

We strive to instil an appreciation and enjoyment of the arts enriching the children’s learning experience. Our art and design curriculum is planned to demonstrate progression. We focus on progression of knowledge and skills and discreet vocabulary progression also forms part of the units of work.

· Children will achieve age related expectations in Art at the end of their cohort year.

· Children will retain knowledge about their focus artists for each unit of work.

· Children will understand what being in ‘artist’ means, and feel like they are artists.

· Children create a high-quality body of work which is reflected in the displays in school and in sketch books.