Holly Spring Primary School Art

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up” 
Pablo Picasso 

“Imagination does not become great until human beings, given the courage and the strength, use it to create” 
Maria Montessori

Art plays a key role in everyday school life at Holly Spring Primary School. It allows all children the opportunity to create, understand and respond to the world around them.  

At Holly Spring, we value a high-quality visual arts education that is fully inclusive, skills-based and enables all children to feel a sense of achievement. We believe that art enables all children to be artists in their own right andencourages experimentation, risk and innovation. Through a careful balance of traditional taught skills and experimental learning, children are able to be confident, independent artists who can articulate and value their creative journeys.  

We recognise that art and design enriches our curriculum and strengthens our community as a whole primary school. Throughout the year, all children have various large and smaller-scale art projects to work towards. This is done through whole-school or whole year group collaboration, research, imitation and exploration. Specific examples of these projects include a whole-school art exhibition to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee and our yearly Take One Picture where children from EYFS to year 6 responds to a famous piece of artwork. We also have opportunities for our children to further their skills and deepen their enjoyment of art outside of the classroom environment through after school clubs. These clubs run for all children in years 2-6 and are mixed in ability and age, allowing all children the space to experiment and learn from each other.  

We intend for children to learn and develop skills that reflect our 3 school drivers; Knowledge, Aspirations and Experience: 

Knowledge: 

• Build the children’s understanding and skills in art through our curriculum choices and lesson structure. 
• Encourage children to study a wide range of artists, historical and present and reflect on their artwork. 
• Improve the children’s cultural capital by studying artists from across the globe. 
• Provide the opportunity to use a range of skills and methods that are revisited and developed from EYFS to year 6.  
• Develop skillset, knowledge of composition, materials and techniques through which they can successfully utilise. 
• Implement knowledge and widen experience through outside visits to galleries; inviting artists to the school and exposure to historical and contemporary artists with a variety of styles and methods. 

Aspiration: 

• Provide the opportunity to foster and encourage creativity and experimentation and respond to outside world.  
• Arrange visits from artists, visits to galleries, studios etc to show vast career opportunities in art and design.  
• Raise aspirations through carefully building children and teacher’s self-confidence, artist identity and creativity through the belief that everyone is an artist. 
• Facilitate a school-wide environment where children feel comfortable taking creative risks. 
• Encourage a focus on the children’s individual creative journey and enable them to articulate and value their journey. 

Experience: 

• Offer children the opportunity to experience art outside of the school environment (including visits from artists, visits to galleries, studios etc). 
• Offer children the opportunity to partake in art outside of the school environment (for the local community etc). 
• Opportunities for children to further develop their skills through art clubs and art focused days/ weeks. 
• Encourage children to access art within their local area (introduce them to local artists, arrange a display of artwork within the local community, hold art galleries for the community to attend).  
• Children should experience for themselves, the difference between art made by designers, architects, craftspeople and artists.