Art and Design

Intent

At St Nicholas we value Art and Design as a vital part of the children’s entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum and our drive for our Global Explorers to be 'skillful.'  Art and Design provides all children with the opportunity to develop and extend their creativity skills, as well as an opportunity to express their individual interests and ideas.

Art and design embodies some of the highest forms of human creativity. 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 wealth of our nation.

Art and Design at St Nicholas

The Art and Design Curriculum at St Nicholas is based on the National Curriculum guidelines and has been developed to ensure a structured and varied approach to this creative subject.

The children are taught Art as part of their termly topic work.  The skills taught each year include drawing, painting, sculpture (clay and papier-mâché), textiles and printing. The children develop and explore a variety of styles including pointillism, mandala and rangoli patterns, graffiti and the works of the Impressionist artists.  More detail can be found in our Long Term plans.

Each year group will also explore the work of famous local, national and international artists in order to enhance the children's learning and raise their aspirations.

Design and Technology

Intent

At St Nicholas we value Design and Technology as a vital part of the children’s entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum and is supported by our drive for our Global Explorers to be 'skillful'.  Design and Technology also provides all children with the opportunity to develop and extend their problem solving and creativity skills.

Design and Technology prepares children to deal with tomorrow’s rapidly changing world. It encourages children to become creative problem solvers, working both independently and as part of a team.  The design process enables children to identify needs and opportunities and to respond to them by developing a range of ideas and developing a final outcome.  Design and Technology combines practical skills with an understanding of function, aesthetics, social and environmental issues, and industrial processes.

Design and Technology at St Nicholas

Our Design Technology curriculum is taught in all year groups through the topics of at least two of the six terms, which includes one topic relating to food. Design Technology projects are often made cross curricular - linking to other subjects taught. During their time with us all children will be taught to:

• develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world.
• build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users
• critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products and the work of others understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook.