Intent

Art and Design at West Lane motivates children to think creatively and equips them with the skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design.  As pupils progress throughout the school, they will study the work of British and international artists and learn how their work has reflected and shaped history, as well as contributed to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation and the wider world.

Implementation

The teaching of Art and Design at West Lane is based on the National Curriculum to ensure a well-structured and progressional approach to this creative subject. Staff at West Lane know that our children learn best when knowledge is linked to other areas of the curriculum so, wherever possible, each year group’s Art and Design Curriculum is linked to current areas of enquiry in history, geography, science or a class novel in order for children to understand the significance of their work in a wider context.

Impact

Children at West Lane will have a wide variety of art knowledge.  They will be able to recognise world-famous pieces of art work and will be enthusiastic about taking part in art lessons and creative activities.  The impact of the art curriculum will ensure that children are made aware of using their own ideas, the processes involved in different art concepts, various types of media and gathering ideas in order to arrive at a final piece. Overall, we aim for this to encourage and enhance social interaction, resilience, confidence and creative

Useful art websites for parents

• Art For Kids Hub - Art Lessons - How To Draw For Kids - Step by step videos on how to draw, create and make.
• Tate Kids - Explore art, artist and play a range of games.
• Art-Making Activities Families Can Do at Home | Magazine | MoMA - Interesting and thoughtful drawing exercises and ways of looking at paintings.
• Art Games by Artsology | - Lots of fun art games to play.

How you can encourage Art at home.

Get messy!

Try to get hold of as many different types of drawing and painting resources as you can to let your child get creative and explore creating art using different materials. Paints, chalk, crayons, pens, pencils, modelling clay and much more can be found in discount shops. Just don’t forget to put lots of newspaper down first!

Use household objects creatively

Alternatively, instead of buying materials, let them get creative using things around the house – for example, pasta and pulses to create pictures using glue.

Keep a sketch book

Encourage your child to keep a sketch book. Suggest that they take it with them when they go out so that they can look for things to sketch – a tree, a building, a scene. Alternatively, if they see something they would like to draw, take a photo on your phone and let them sketch from it when they are home.

Celebrate your child's art

Praise your child’s creations and encourage them not to get disheartened if they feel they have made ‘mistakes’. Explain that art is about being creative and trying out different things. There is no right or wrong way to do things. You could even ‘frame’ their work using coloured paper or card and create a little gallery on the kitchen wall or in their bedroom to display their work.

Discuss and enjoy art together

Find out about local art galleries or museums that you can visit with your child. Encourage them to talk about what they see and to share their opinions – about subject matter, colours, what materials the artist used, and so on.