Art

Art and Design Curriculum Intent
At Hexham First School, we value Art and Design as an important part of the children’s
entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum. Art and Design provides the children
with the opportunities to develop and extend skills and an opportunity to express their
individual interests, thought and ideas.
 
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 the wealth of our nation.
 
Aims 
The national curriculum for art and design aims to ensure that all pupils:
1.  produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences
2.  become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design
techniques
3.  evaluate and analyse creative works using the language of art, craft and design
4.  know about great artists, craft makers and designers, and understand the historical and
cultural development of their art forms.
 
Curriculum Implementation
The teaching and implementation of the Art and Design Curriculum at Hexham First
School is based on the National Curriculum. We follow the Access Art curriculum. Basic skills are introduced and then built upon, including drawing, printmaking, sketchbooks, painting and making. Skills are revisited and the use of ongoing sketchbook work underpins this process. AccessArt believes in fostering an open-ended exploration of creativity. Our resources do not follow prescriptive outcomes, instead we believe the role of the teacher is to introduce key skills, materials and ideas to the pupils in such a way that each pupil can then explore his or her own creativity. By creating a safe and nurturing environment, pupils are encouraged to take creative risks and to learn from the journey, rather than head towards a pre-defined end result. The resources included are suitable for pupils of all abilities, and can be confidently delivered by specialist and non-specialist teachers alike.
 
 
 
 

Curriculum Impact
 

Children’s work has been showcased to parents in exhibitions in school and has also been shown in Hexham Town Exhibitions, outside Hexham hospital.  Most recently our children were involved in making aa spectacular paper dragon lantern that was paraded through the streets of Hexham as part of the town centre lantern parade.

Our children take part in many local art events such as  Hexham Space for Nature in partnership with Hexham in Bloom. Our children’s artwork made up a picture bug trail in Hexham.