Art and Design

At Brierley, Art and Design gives children opportunities to explore, experiment, create and express their own ideas. Our curriculum has a strong focus on developing children's knowledge and practical skills in sketching, painting and sculpture. Across the year, pupils experience artistic skill development alongside two-dimensional and three-dimensional projects, allowing techniques to be revisited and developed over time. We want children to become confident in making artistic choices, experimenting with materials and developing their own responses rather than feeling that there is only one way to create a successful piece of art. Children's work is valued and celebrated within classrooms and across school. Our values of Nurture, Aspire, Believe and Achieve are reflected naturally through Art. Children are encouraged to explore without fear of making mistakes, aspire to improve their skills, believe in their own creative ideas and take pride in what they achieve.

Strong Foundations from the Beginning

Artistic learning begins as soon as children join Brierley. In Little Bears Nursery, children develop early drawing skills through mark making and self-portraits, explore painting and printing to create patterns, and begin creating sculptures using playdough. In Reception, children build on these foundations through sketching and self-portraits, mark making using gross and fine motor skills, exploring tone through painting and creating sculptures using natural materials. They continue to encounter the work of Jackson Pollock and Andy Goldsworthy.

Children explore a range of tools, materials, colours, textures and forms while developing the fine motor control needed to use them with increasing confidence. Adults model techniques and introduce artistic vocabulary while giving children the freedom to experiment and develop their own ideas. These experiences provide strong foundations for more deliberate drawing, painting and sculpture as children move through school.

How We Teach Art and Design

Art is taught through a combination of explicit skill development, exploration and creative application. Teachers model how to use tools, materials and techniques before children practise them and apply their learning within their own artwork. Our teaching follows the principle of I do, We do, You do. Children first see techniques demonstrated clearly, then explore and practise with support before using them with increasing independence. We want children to learn from artists without simply copying them.

Artists provide inspiration, introduce new ways of working and help pupils notice how line, colour, tone, pattern, texture, form and composition can be used. Children then use this knowledge to make their own artistic choices. The creative process matters as much as the final piece.

Sketching and Drawing

Sketching is a core part of Art at Brierley and develops progressively from the Early Years through to Year 6. Children begin with mark making and developing pencil control before learning to use line, shape, tone and space with increasing purpose.

As pupils progress, they encounter a wider range of drawing materials and approaches, including pencils, charcoal, pens and fineliners. Older children learn to select tools according to the effect they want to create.

Our progression moves from early mark making towards increasingly controlled and purposeful drawing, with Key Stage 2 pupils using sketchbooks to record observations, practise techniques and revisit ideas. Each year provides a different context for applying these skills. Year 1 children develop self-portrait skills, while Year 2 explores character sketching through the work of Quentin Blake. Year 3 pupils develop detailed animal portraits inspired by Monica Lee, and Year 4 explores self-portraiture through Frida Kahlo. In Year 5, pupils study Steven Wiltshire and use their developing observational skills for architectural sketching linked to the local area. By Year 6, children apply increasingly confident sketching skills through work influenced by Vincent van Gogh.

Painting and Colour

Children develop their understanding of colour and painting techniques throughout school. Early learning involves exploring paint freely, making marks, noticing colour and creating patterns. As children become older, they develop greater control and encounter different types of paint and ways of applying them. Our progression includes poster paint, watercolour, acrylic and other painting approaches, with children increasingly expected to choose and use media for a particular purpose.

Artists provide different contexts for exploring colour, pattern, tone and composition.

Year 1 pupils encounter the work of Alma Thomas, while Year 2 explores the unusual colours and patterns associated with Yayoi Kusama. Year 3 develops painting through Bridget Riley and Op Art. Year 4 pupils explore landscapes through Georgia O'Keeffe. In Year 5, children investigate Pop Art through Andy Warhol, while Year 6 pupils develop their painting through the work of David Hockney. We want children to understand that colour is not simply about filling a space. Artists use colour deliberately to create mood, pattern, contrast, emphasis and visual effect.

Sculpture and Three-Dimensional Art

Sculpture gives children opportunities to explore shape, form, texture, construction and space. In the Early Years, children begin by building, joining and modelling with materials such as playdough and natural resources. As pupils progress, they encounter increasingly challenging materials and processes, including paper, papier-mâché, junk modelling and clay. They learn that sculpture can be built, joined, shaped, carved and added to in different ways. Year 1 children encounter ceramic design through Emma Bridgewater. Year 2 develops three-dimensional form through the work of Barbara Hepworth, while Year 3 pupils create toy-inspired sculpture influenced by Jeff Koons. Year 4 explores architecture through Zaha Hadid, allowing children to think about form on a much larger scale. Year 5 pupils investigate recycled sculpture through the work of Larry Harvey and Jerry James, while Year 6 explores sculptural form through Henry Moore. Through these experiences, children increasingly understand that three-dimensional art involves both creative ideas and careful decisions about materials, construction and form.

Artists, Designers and Architects

Children encounter a wide range of artists, designers and architects throughout their time at Brierley. These include Jackson Pollock, Andy Goldsworthy, Alma Thomas, Emma Bridgewater, Quentin Blake, Yayoi Kusama, Barbara Hepworth, Monica Lee, Bridget Riley, Jeff Koons, Frida Kahlo, Georgia O'Keeffe, Zaha Hadid, Steven Wiltshire, Andy Warhol, Larry Harvey, Jerry James, Vincent van Gogh, David Hockney and Henry Moore. Our progression deliberately introduces pupils to artists from different countries, backgrounds, periods and artistic traditions. Children learn to look carefully at artwork, notice techniques and artistic choices and discuss what they see. Their work broadens children's understanding of what art can be and provides inspiration for pupils to develop their own ideas.

Art in Our Diverse School Community

Brierley is a diverse school community, with families whose languages, cultures and experiences connect us with many parts of the world. Our Art curriculum provides valuable opportunities to encounter artists and artistic traditions from different places and backgrounds. Children see that creativity is not limited to one country, culture or period in history. The artists within our curriculum include perspectives from Britain and across the wider world.

Where appropriate, children's own experiences and cultural knowledge can enrich discussion and creative work, but no pupil is expected to represent a particular country or culture. We want every child to see Art as a subject in which different ideas, identities and perspectives can be explored and valued.

The Creative Process

Art at Brierley is not about producing a class of identical pictures. Children are encouraged to explore materials, practise techniques, make choices, experiment with ideas and respond to what happens as their work develops. Sometimes an idea works immediately. At other times, an artist needs to change direction, try another technique or revisit part of a piece. We want children to understand that this is a normal and valuable part of being creative.

Sketchbooks, practical experimentation, discussion and final pieces allow pupils to record ideas, practise techniques and see how their work develops over time. As children move through school, they are increasingly expected to explain the choices they make and become more independent in selecting tools, materials and techniques.

Revisiting and Remembering

We know that artistic knowledge and practical techniques need to be revisited if children are to become increasingly confident and skilled. Important vocabulary, tools and techniques are therefore returned to throughout the curriculum. Early mark making develops into increasingly controlled sketching. Children's first exploration of paint develops into more purposeful choices about colour, tone and media. Early modelling and construction provide foundations for increasingly complex sculpture. Art lessons regularly provide opportunities to recall previous techniques and vocabulary before pupils apply them in a new context.

Our teaching follows the principle of I do, we do, you do. Teachers model a technique clearly, children practise it with support and then increasingly make their own artistic decisions. Retrieval, questioning, sketchbook work and practical demonstration help teachers understand what children remember and what needs further development.

A Sequenced Curriculum

Our Art and Design curriculum develops progressively from the Early Years through to Year 6, with a sustained focus on sketching, painting and sculpture. In Little Bears and Reception, children develop mark making, pencil control, early painting, pattern and sculpture through exploratory and practical experiences. In Year 1, pupils develop self-portrait sketching, painting inspired by Alma Thomas and sculpture linked to Emma Bridgewater. Year 2 explores character sketching through Quentin Blake, painting through Yayoi Kusama and three-dimensional sculpture through Barbara Hepworth.

Year 3 develops detailed animal portraits through Monica Lee, Op Art through Bridget Riley and toy sculpture through Jeff Koons. Year 4 develops self-portraiture through Frida Kahlo, landscape painting through Georgia O'Keeffe and architectural sculpture through Zaha Hadid. In Year 5, pupils use the local area for architectural sketching inspired by Steven Wiltshire, explore Pop Art through Andy Warhol and create recycled sculpture influenced by Larry Harvey and Jerry James.

By Year 6, pupils draw on increasingly secure artistic skills through sketching linked to Vincent van Gogh, painting through David Hockney and sculpture through Henry Moore. Across this journey, children develop greater control of tools and materials while becoming increasingly thoughtful and independent in the artistic choices they make.

Supporting Every Child

Art and Design is for every child. The subject gives pupils many different ways to communicate ideas, explore materials and demonstrate creativity. Teachers adapt access to the artistic process where necessary while maintaining high expectations for the learning itself. Support may include adapted tools or materials, larger-scale working, visual instructions, additional live modelling, vocabulary support, extra opportunities to practise techniques or alternative ways to manipulate materials. For pupils learning English as an additional language, artwork, visual examples, demonstration and practical modelling can provide particularly valuable access to new vocabulary and ideas. Art also gives children opportunities to communicate thoughts and experiences in ways that are not dependent entirely on written language. Our aim is for every pupil to participate meaningfully, make choices and develop increasing confidence and independence as an artist.

Assessment and Feedback

Assessment in Art is about much more than whether a finished piece looks attractive. Teachers consider children's developing knowledge, practical skills and artistic decision-making. Sketchbooks, experimentation, discussion, observations and completed pieces all help teachers understand what children know and can do. We consider whether pupils can use taught techniques, control materials with increasing confidence, use artistic vocabulary, make purposeful choices and explain aspects of their creative process.

Feedback is often given while children are working so that they can experiment, refine techniques or reconsider a choice. We want children to see feedback as part of developing an idea rather than as a judgement of whether their artwork is "good" or "bad".

Art Beyond the Classroom

Children's artwork is celebrated within classrooms and across school, giving pupils opportunities to see their work valued as part of our school environment. The local area also provides inspiration. In Year 5, for example, pupils develop architectural sketching through the work of Steven Wiltshire and use the local environment as a focus for observational drawing. Art also provides opportunities to connect with the natural environment, buildings, objects and visual culture children encounter in everyday life. We want pupils to understand that art does not only exist in galleries. It can be found in architecture, ceramics, illustration, landscapes, public spaces and the objects that surround us.

How You Can Help Your Child at Home

Families can support artistic development without needing specialist materials or artistic expertise.

You can help your child by:

• providing opportunities to draw and create freely

• encouraging them to look carefully at objects, buildings and the natural world

• experimenting with pencils, paints, collage and recycled materials

• asking them to explain choices they have made in their artwork

• visiting galleries, museums or public artworks when opportunities arise

• looking at artists' work together online or in books

• encouraging children to practise rather than expecting everything to be perfect first time

• valuing their individual ideas rather than asking them to copy a particular outcome

• keeping interesting packaging, card or recycled materials for creative projects

Questions such as "What do you notice?", "Why did you choose that?" and "What might you try next?" can help children think like artists.

Useful Art and Design Resources

Tate Kids provides child-friendly opportunities to explore artists, artworks and creative activities.

Tate Kids https://www.tate.org.uk/kids

The National Gallery also provides resources that can help children and families explore paintings and artists together.

National Gallery Families https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/families

Most importantly, children benefit from having opportunities to draw, make, experiment and enjoy being creative.

Knowing Our Curriculum Is Working

Our Art and Design Subject Leader works closely with staff to make sure that knowledge and practical skills develop progressively. Sketchbooks, children's artwork, discussions, lesson visits and curriculum monitoring help us understand what pupils know and can do. We consider whether children can remember and apply previously learned techniques, use artistic vocabulary, make informed choices about materials and explain how their ideas have developed.

We also look at whether pupils become increasingly independent rather than relying on adults to tell them exactly how an artwork should look. We want to know not simply that children have produced a finished piece, but that they understand the techniques they have used and can draw on previous learning when approaching a new artistic challenge.

Confident and Creative Artists

By the time children leave Brierley, we want them to see themselves as confident and capable artists. We want pupils to observe carefully, experiment willingly, use materials with increasing control and make thoughtful choices about their own work. We want children to appreciate the work of different artists, designers and architects while also understanding that their own ideas have value. Most importantly, we want them to have the confidence to create something that is genuinely their own. We aim to develop curious, imaginative and increasingly independent young artists who are proud of their creativity and ready to continue exploring Art at the next stage of their education.