1. Intent
This section outlines the overall curriculum plan, including its structure, sequencing and the specific knowledge and skills students are expected to acquire.
Curriculum aims
Kapow Primary’s Art and design scheme of work aims to nurture pupils’ creativity, imagination and visual literacy, encouraging them to think like artists and designers. The intention is for pupils to develop the confidence to experiment, express ideas and communicate meaning through visual and tactile media.
The scheme promotes an appreciation of art as a powerful form of human expression, helping pupils to understand its role across different cultures, time periods and creative industries. It encourages children to value originality, take creative risks and reflect critically on their own work and that of others.
The scheme supports teachers in developing their subject knowledge and pedagogical confidence, enabling the delivery of rich, engaging and purposeful lessons. The curriculum is designed to be both inclusive and ambitious, ensuring all pupils are equipped to enjoy, create and respond to art in meaningful ways.
The strands
Kapow Primary’s Art and design curriculum is structured around five strands that run through each unit:
- Generating ideas.
- Using sketchbooks.
- Making skills (including formal elements).
- Knowledge of artists.
- Evaluating and analysing.
These strands ensure a balanced coverage of the practical, theoretical and disciplinary knowledge pupils need to progress in Art and design, while supporting the development of both creative confidence and critical thinking.
Progression
The Art and design: Progression of skills and knowledge document provides an overview of the skills and knowledge covered in each phase and strand. It explains how Art and design skills and knowledge are developed to support pupils in reaching the key stage outcomes as outlined in the National curriculum.
New learning is weighted toward the start of each key stage, allowing ample opportunity for it to be revisited and applied in later years. As a result, knowledge accumulation may appear heavier in some year groups than others.
Types of knowledge
Knowledge is defined differently depending on the subject in question. Ofsted’s helps to define knowledge in Art and design as:
- Practical knowledge – the skills and techniques pupils use when making art, including methods, materials and formal elements.
- Theoretical knowledge – knowledge of artists, art movements and contexts that help pupils understand and interpret creative work.
- Disciplinary knowledge – understanding how art is studied, discussed and evaluated through critical reflection and questioning.
Digital literacy
Kapow Primary’s Art and design scheme integrates technology through activities such as digital drawing and image manipulation. This helps develop pupils’ confidence in using digital tools to create, research and respond effectively to visual information.
Oracy
Through Kapow Primary’s Art and design curriculum, pupils have opportunities to develop their oracy skills by:
- Explaining and justifying their choices of materials, methods and techniques.
- Engaging in paired and group discussions.
- Presenting and explaining their artwork and ideas to peers and the class.
- Analysing and critiquing the work of others, as well as established artists.
- Collaborating on group artwork.
- Responding to high-level questions such as ‘What is art?’ by articulating and defending their ideas.
Sustainability
Kapow Primary’s Art and design curriculum supports sustainability education by encouraging pupils to reflect on their role as creative citizens.
Through exploring themes such as environmental art, waste and the use of natural and recycled materials, pupils develop an appreciation of how art can respond to and represent ecological concerns.
Art can be a powerful medium for expressing ideas about climate change, conservation and social responsibility.
By making and discussing artwork that addresses environmental themes, pupils are empowered to think critically, act thoughtfully and see themselves as contributors to a more sustainable future.
Critical thinking
Pupils explore and evaluate artistic works, experiment with different techniques and reflect on their own and others’ creations. This helps them to question assumptions, develop their creativity and form thoughtful responses to artistic ideas and visual culture.
Because of our Art curriculum, The Howard children are:
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