Art & Design

“I learn art through 3 different units of work – paint, sculpture and mixed media. I practise my drawing skills in all art units. I learn about lots of different artists and develop my ability to paint people and the world around me. I become more technical in my sculpting skills and express myself through different types of mixed media. I learn about how art has been used throughout time and around the world to represent different things." 

Art at Dallow is taught through a spiral curriculum of three strands: paint, sculpture and mixed media. Drawing skills are taught throughout the strands. The curriculum is designed this way to ensure children explore a range of artistic skills and develop their cultural understanding through learning about how art is used around the world.  There is progression in each area. 

 In paint children are exposed to a range of diverse artists from around the world and of different genders. In Year 1, they begin by painting simple faces and experimenting with cubism. In Year 4, children develop the skill of drawing people using accurate proportions. In Year 5, children develop this skill further by drawing faces In accurate proportions and representing themselves through self-portraits.  

 In Year 2, children begin looking at how they can use paint to represent the world around them by studying dynamism to show movement. In Year 3, they look again at the world around them through watercolour paintings. In Year 6, children explore how nature is painted in many different ways. They have the opportunity to express their own creativity through experimentation.  

In sculpture, children develop their technical skill using malleable materials including clay. In Year KS1, children explore sculpting by rolling, pinching, pulling and moulding. In Lower Key Stage 2, children learn to create a simple pinch pot and how these are decorated and were used in history. In Upper Key stage 2, children learn to make more technical pots using different joining techniques. In Year 5, they create a coil pot using crosshatch and slip to join. This is finished using carving.  In Year 6, children practise accuracy by creating a slab pot, using coils and slip to join and finishing by carving in detailed patterns.  In each group, children learn to finish their products using paints. 

In Mixed Media, children develop their collaging skills and learn to print in a variety of ways, taking inspiration from different times and parts of the world. In Key Stage 1, children learn to print using string in Year 1. In Year 2, they develop their collaging skills by using a range different materials for collaging. In Year 3, children return to printing and learn about how our earliest ancestors used handprints. In Year 4, children develop their collaging skills through creating mosaics. In Year 5, children develop their understanding of printing, focusing on using line and shape to tile print. In Year 6, children use layering and spacing to create 3D art. 

By the end of Year 6, we want children to have knowledge of a range of artists, and be able to accurately create paintings to show depth, perception and texture. We want children to be confident using different mixed media techniques and be confident in a range of sculpture structures.

 Please click here to follow the learning journey from YR - Y6 in Art

Please click here to see the progression grid from YR - Y6 in Art__