Art

Art Curriculum Intent

The Art and Photography curriculum at St Helena School aims to engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with the Knowledge and Skills to achieve in Art. The Art department values the importance of nurturing a love of the arts whilst allowing pupils of all abilities to develop Character and enjoy the wider benefits of studying this subject.  We aim to provide pupils with a range of opportunities to express and share their individual Character and Imagination, whilst learning about and making links with different types of artists, designers, and photographers.

In all years of the curriculum students are encouraged to develop their critical Thinking Skills and question artists' ideas and intentions behind the artwork. At each stage of the curriculum, the aim is for students to build on their Knowledge, practical Skills whilst producing a range of outcomes that they are proud of and want to take home.

Over the course of study, students will become proficient in a wide variety of materials, techniques, and processes. Pupils are taught to develop their creativity and ideas through exploration and experimentation. To support PPG and Send pupils we strive to maintain an inclusive learning environment, plan inclusive lessons, taking into account pupils' needs and celebrating individual Character and expression in art. In the classroom, we ensure all students can access art resources and equipment.

Displays are informative and engaging, to create a calm yet imagination learning environment. Through the curriculum and lesson planning multisensory approaches are considered to support students of different learning styles. These include artist videos, tactile handling of objects and discussing sounds, touch and smells within an artwork.

The Art curriculum has also been planned to motivate pupils and stimulate Thinking tasks are challenging but manageable for all. We follow the PPG first checklist to ensure we know our pupils and have planned questioning, seating, feedback and pupils have everything they need to complete both art classwork and homework.  The Art curriculum is also supported with cultural visits to local galleries. Visiting workshops and photography field trips. The school also has a popular art club and also regularly promotes pupils to enter competitions. This all supports building students' cultural experience and personal  Character. The art department also has an Art Instagram page to promote and celebrate students' Imagination and Skills.