Art & DT

At St. Nicholas we teach Design and Technology (D.T) and Art with explicit links to class topics, where appropriate. Throughout the year, we also have dedicated curriculum days for these subject areas, which the whole school joins in with. Our Remembrance Art day last year was very successful and we already have some more exciting days planned for this year! Children also get to meet visitors who have careers linked to these subjects; we have already met an art curator this year!

In Art, each class will explore different mediums; such as sculpture, painting and drawing – developing their creative skills of observation, pattern spotting and using colour. With our whole school topic on Stonehenge; some classes have developed their sketching skills drawing Stonehenge, while others have taken this opportunity to sculpt these famous stones out of clay or ModRoc. We love to use the environment around us; we regularly take the children outside to experience recording landscapes or objects first hand such as John Constable and J M W Turner. At least once a year, our teachers will plan a unit focusing on a great artist or designer and the children will create a piece of art inspired by this artist.

In DT we learn about the developmental process from designing to evaluating. The children will always design and make items which have a relevance to them or an audience they are familiar with, such as making mechanical toys for children from the younger classes. All classes in our school will cook at least once a year; covering the concepts of seasonality, varied diets and where our food comes from. We also have an after school enrichment Cookery Club available to all year groups, which provides further opportunities.