Our vision

At Morningside, we value the creative curriculum. We believe art and design technology can have a powerful and positive effect on children, helping them to become confident, creative learners who are able to express their individual interests, thought and ideas. We believe that a high-quality art and design education should engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design. We encourage children to learn from and be inspired by the work of great artists, architects and craft people from different cultures and understand the contribution art and design has made to society, both past and present. As pupils progress, we support them to be able to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of art and design.

Curriculum Overview Art and DT

Art

Through art work in the classroom, the children at Morningside have the opportunity to develop their skills in drawing, textiles, sculpture, painting, print making and collage. These areas are developed continuously throughout the school from foundation stage through to year six and the children have the opportunity to revisit skills from previous years before learning new ones. Developing skills in drawing is given a high status and children are encouraged to draw not only in art lessons, but across the curriculum. We encourage children to express individuality in their work and to keep their own personalised sketch books where they can explore ideas, be inventive and take risks. When children leave Morningside, we expect them to have a wide range of well-developed art skills in the six areas of our curriculum that they can then build on and develop further as they continue in their education.

How we plan for and teach art

At Morningside, art is taught every other half term with key skills carefully sequenced across the curriculum. Our specialist art teacher has planned sequences of lessons  that build on and develop the children’s skills culminating in a final piece.

The skills and knowledge that children will develop throughout each art topic are mapped across each year group and across the school to ensure progression. The emphasis on knowledge ensures that children understand the context of the artwork, as well as the artists that they are learning about and being inspired by. This enables links to other curriculum areas, with the children developing a considerable knowledge of individual artists as well as individual works and art movements. A similar focus on skills means that children are given opportunities to express their creative imagination, as well as practise and develop mastery in the key processes of art: drawing, painting, printing, textiles, collage and sculpture.

Whole-school project work ensures that art is given high status in the curriculum and the school takes part in the annual ‘Federation Art Exhibition’ which enables further focus on children’s artistic skills and knowledge in collaboration with the other schools within the Federation. Trips to art galleries and exhibitions are carried out to enhance the children’s learning experiences and deepen their understanding and knowledge and teachers are able to draw on the expertise of our specialist art teacher.

How we evaluate learning in art

The impact of our art curriculum can clearly been seen in the children’s sketchbooks which pass on with them to the following year group. At the beginning of each unit, a detailed overview outlines the main learning objective alongside the skills that the children will build on and those which will follow. The opportunity to evaluate and reflect on the learning is planned for towards the end of the unit to enable the children to see how their learning is progressing and where they need to take it next. On completion of the unit of work, key assessment targets are identified and the children are able to self-assess against them. Class teachers then use the children’s research and preparatory work, along with the final piece in order to make a judgement as to whether each child is working towards, at or above the expected level.

Design and Technology

Design and Technology is an inspiring, rigorous and practical subject. We encourage the children to use their creativity and imagination to design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values. We make links to designs and designers throughout history, providing opportunities for children to critically reflect upon and evaluate others designs and the overall effectiveness of the product before evaluating their own. As pupils progress, we support them to be able to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of design and technology.

Through DT work in the classroom, the children at Morningside have the opportunity to develop their skills in mechanisms, structures, textiles, mechanical systems, electrical systems and cooking and nutrition. These areas are developed continuously throughout the school from foundation stage through to year six and the children have the opportunity to revisit skills from previous years before learning new ones. We encourage children to express individuality in their work and to keep their own personalised sketchbooks where they can explore ideas, be inventive and take risks. When children leave Morningside, we expect them to have a wide range of well-developed skills in the six areas of our curriculum that they can then build on and develop further as they continue in their education.

How we plan for and teach DT

At Morningside, DT is taught every other half term with key skills alternating in each year group. Food Technology is taught every year as we believe this is a vital part of children’s learning. Our specialist teacher has planned sequences of lessons that build on and develop the children’s skills culminating in a final piece.

The skills and knowledge that children will develop throughout each DT topic are mapped across each year group and across the school to ensure progression. The teaching of DT across the school follows the National Curriculum. Children design products with a purpose in mind and an intended user of the products. Food technology is implemented across the school with children developing an understanding of where food comes from, the importance of a varied and healthy diet and how to prepare this.

The teaching of DT follows the design, make and evaluate cycle, with technical knowledge and relevant vocabulary shared at each stage. The design process is always linked to real life, relevant contexts to give meaning to the learning. When making their products, the children are given choice and a wide range of tools and materials to choose from. When evaluating, the children are taught to evaluate their own products against the initial design criteria to see how well it has met the needs and wants of the intended user and to identify any changes that could be made.

How we evaluate learning in DT

The impact of our DT curriculum can clearly been seen in the children’s sketchbooks which pass on with them to the following year group. At the beginning of each unit, a detailed overview outlines the main learning objective alongside the skills that the children will build on and those which will follow. The opportunity to evaluate and reflect on the learning is planned for towards the end of the unit to enable the children to see how their learning is progressing and where they need to take it next. On completion of the unit of work, key assessment targets are identified and the children are able to self-assess against them. Class teachers then use the children’s research and preparatory work, along with the final piece in order to make a judgement as to whether each child is working towards, at or above the expected level.

Useful Links

• Art Project
• Moma
• National Gallery
• Tate Kids