Art and Design Curriculum

"If I could say it in words, there would be no reason to paint." 

Edward Hopper

At St. John’s, we aim to develop a lifelong love and appreciation of art and design by providing children with an exciting and stimulating art curriculum. We want to equip them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, explore, take risks, invent and create. We recognise creative and artistic intelligence and aim to nurture it at every opportunity. We explore art through the different curriculum areas making conceptual links where appropriate. All children will be challenged as appropriate for their age and stage of development.  Children from Nursery to Year 6 explore the seven formal elements of art through the progression of knowledge and skills covering five mediums: drawing, painting, collage, printing and sculpture. Children are encouraged to express themselves creatively, develop their ideas and record their experiences. This enables them to be authentic and explore their own identity as well as being curious about, respecting and connecting with others.

From Year 1 onwards, children use sketchbooks to document their learning and creative journeys, where they have the opportunity to practise, review and revisit their ideas. We aim to give children access to a range of memorable experiences such as artist visits, art exhibitions, competitions, theme days and extra-curricular clubs. Children also spend time learning about a diverse range of artists linked to the five different mediums and are encouraged to ‘read’ the stories that artists tell. They learn how to be ‘art detectives’ and use the ‘clues’ present in the details of many great artworks.