Art and Design

Click here to see the Art National Curriculum

Learning through Art and Design in Kingsley Community School.

INTENT

At Kingsley Community School we are passionate about the arts. We believe that the purpose of Art and Design education is to give pupils the skills, concepts and knowledge necessary for them to express their responses to ideas and experiences in a visual or tactile form. While it is essentially a practical subject, art should provide opportunities for reflection and, with increasing sensitivity, pupils should acquire the ability to make informed, critical responses of their own work and that of others.

At Kingsley School we believe that Art and Design fires the imagination and we highly value the arts as a vehicle for personal expression and promotion of positive mental health and wellbeing. Art and Design at Kingsley is part of a wider spiritual, moral, social and cultural curriculum, which will enable children to gain important knowledge and understanding of the world around them and its people, and prepare them for the future by:

• Valuing diversity and individuality
• Promoting innovation, risk taking and problem solving
• Developing a positive awareness of different cultures and traditions
• Fostering a sense of belonging
• Promoting playfulness and curiosity
• Self-awareness and awareness of others
• Independence
• Developing confidence
• Encouraging experimental approaches
• Being excited, absorbed, and motivated
• Respecting our school environment, equipment and each other

IMPLEMENTATION

Here at Kingsley we are committed to providing all children with rich learning opportunities to engage in Art and Design.  Every child within our school has full access to Art and Design as laid down in the National Curriculum once a term as a discreet, skills-based subject in order for teaching and learning to be focussed and pupils to develop clear progression. Progression is achieved through repeated exploration of materials and choice linked to different artistic disciplines (drawing, painting, sculpture, textiles etc.). Our children also learn to develop, use and apply skills through wider projects and experiences such as Art Week, visitors, trips and other curriculum lessons. Art and Design at Kingsley school has carefully planned, rich cross-curricular links, such as to our English texts, topic work or Black History. Sketch books are used throughout the Key Stages which allow pupils to develop ideas and basic skills which they may then apply to a final piece. Progression can be seen through continuous revisions made during the creative journey, linking to a final piece, or through work in subsequent lessons or year groups.

IMPACT

We will measure impact through learning walks, work scrutiny, observations, photographs and pupil voice.

The impact of our Art and Design curriculum is also obvious when you come into our school. We are very proud of our environment and visitors often comment on the vibrant art work on display. Classroom, corridor and communal displays reflect the children’s effort and sense of pride in their artwork and creative projects. Our school environment celebrates children’s achievements and demonstrates the subject’s high status in the school, with outcomes, including sculptures, graffiti art and mosaics enhancing the outdoor as well as indoor spaces.

EVENTS

Each year, our Art Week ensures that Art and Design is given high status in our school and this also enables further focus on developing children’s artistic skills and knowledge. Art week creates a buzz around school and children work with purpose and excitement. We have had different themes, such as portraits, multicultural art and art history, and we have worked with many visiting artists to create inspiring and quality work.

KINGSLEY MOSAIC

During Art Week 2019 we worked with artist Mark Stamms on a project to create a whole school mosaic. The mosaic represents our diverse school community, our past, present and future. This project was an enormous undertaking and involved every member of our school community, giving us all a great sense of ownership. You can see the impressive effort and hard work that went into the mosaic from start to finish. As well as Art and Design, we developed patience and resilience and are very proud of the work we created. A true reflection of our school motto: Learning together, respecting each other.

The idea is a large multi-coloured dandelion type flower shown on the left, the wind blows the seeds across the scene, attached to the flowers as they float over the scene are icons or pictures of things from the students’ home country or faith or interests of family. The Mersey estuary is shown between panel 1 and 2, the map outline to Liverpool and around it, in panel 2 and 4, in the rectangles are pictures of places and people, along the base portraits of students.

Centre panel 3 is the school logo a crown, it sits on a learning tree, that emerges from a globe of the world, interspersed with the leaves of the tree are words describing the school ethos…these are in different languages and signs….the globe is on a sea/waves of blue, around the tree is sky with planets and stars.

Panel five is future aspirations of the students: astronauts, doctors and nurses, etc…

ART WEEK

LIVERPOOL BIENNIAL

At Kingsley Community School we are thrilled to have worked with Liverpool Biennial of Contemporary Art and International artist Mohamed Bourouissa to build a new community garden which can be accessed from the Granby Street entrance. This holistic, therapeutic space looks at the story of therapy and wellbeing through gardening. It offers a place to organise thoughts and restructure mental space. In 2018, Bourouissa did not only recreate a North African garden but applied the lessons of therapy through gardening to his work with the community in Granby. It is a space of resilience for those who need it. A true legacy of Liverpool Biennial 2018. In school, our children joined the Biennial project and took part in a variety of art and design workshops involving drawing and sculpture making.