Intent:
At Leyland Methodist Schools, our Art and Design curriculum is designed to engage, inspire, and challenge pupils through a knowledge-rich approach. We aim to equip all children with the essential skills and knowledge needed to experiment, invent, and create their own works of art, craft, and design. Our curriculum provides every opportunity for pupils to develop their abilities, nurture their talents and interests, and express their ideas and thoughts about the world around them. Pupils also explore the rich heritage and culture of the British Isles and beyond.

Art and Design at Leyland Methodist Schools supports pupils in meeting the National Curriculum end-of-key-stage attainment targets and is carefully structured to align with the National Society for Education in Art and Design’s progression competencies. We aim to foster a lifelong love for art, inspiring pupils to create, experience, and participate in great arts and culture.

Implementation:
Art and Design at Leyland Methodist Schools is built around four key strands that underpin all learning:

• Making skills
• Formal elements (line, shape, tone, texture, pattern, colour)
• Knowledge of artists
• Evaluating

These strands are revisited in every unit, ensuring pupils progressively deepen their understanding and skills. In our Art and Design skills and Formal Elements units, pupils focus on specific techniques, which they later apply in broader creative projects. Our spiral curriculum structure enables pupils to revisit key skills with increasing complexity, consolidating and extending their knowledge over time.

Our Curriculum Overview clearly maps how each unit addresses the National Curriculum attainment targets and integrates the four strands. The Progression of Skills document outlines the development of artistic skills across year groups, ensuring pupils build towards meeting end-of-key-stage expectations.

Pupils develop their understanding of key artists and art movements through dedicated Every Picture Tells a Story units and by making links to artists within their practical work. Lessons are designed to be flexible, allowing for cross-curricular connections that reflect the wider school curriculum.

Creativity and independent thinking are at the heart of our curriculum. Pupils are encouraged to make their own creative choices, resulting in unique, knowledge-rich art outcomes. Practical, hands-on lessons promote experimentation and exploration, with Key Stage 2 pupils using sketchbooks to document their ideas and artistic journey.

Knowledge organisers for each unit support the development of factual knowledge, helping pupils recall key vocabulary and concepts. Teachers draw on a range of resources, including published schemes like Kapow and bespoke school-written units, to deliver high-quality Art and Design lessons.

Impact:
Our Art and Design curriculum empowers pupils to reflect on their learning, evaluate their work, and make informed decisions about how to improve. Through regular discussions and reflection, pupils not only gain key knowledge about art but also develop metacognitive skills, allowing them to talk confidently about their artistic journey.

We use a combination of formative and summative assessment strategies to monitor progress. Each lesson includes clear assessment guidance, and every unit features quizzes and knowledge catchers to assess learning before and after the unit.

Through Art and Design, we aim for pupils to:

• Produce creative work, exploring and recording their ideas and experiences.
• Develop proficiency in drawing, painting, sculpture, and other art, craft, and design techniques.
• Evaluate and analyse creative works using subject-specific vocabulary.
• Gain knowledge of great artists and understand the historical and cultural development of their art.
• Successfully meet the end-of-key-stage expectations outlined in the National Curriculum for Art and Design.

Ultimately, we strive to nurture confident, creative, and reflective artists who can express themselves and appreciate the power of art in the world around them.