Art and Design
The art and design curriculum has been designed to enhance the children’s understanding and knowledge of the elements of art. This will enable them to develop a greater ability to express themselves through a wide variety of media. With dedicated art rooms and specialist teachers we are able to develop and extend all children’s knowledge and skills and challenge those with a love of art to push themselves to the highest level. The results have won the schools many competitions and accreditations. Two Dimensional Art and Three Dimensional Art are studied across each year, with Digital Media introduced in Key Stage 2, challenging all children at an ever-increasing level as they are introduced to age-appropriate art work. Through our art and design curriculum Broadclyst, Westclyst and Yeo Valley have all achieved the Silver ArtsMark award.
Art Curriculum
Year 1
In Year One Art, we continue to build on the creativity and artistic skills that children have developed in the Early Years. Our curriculum is designed to inspire and nurture young artists through a variety of engaging projects and activities.
Autumn Term:
- Drawing and Christmas Cards: We start the year with drawing, creating beautiful Christmas cards that involve painting and printing techniques.
- Yvonne Coomber: Children work on developing their fine motor control of a paintbrush and explore making marks with different objects.
- Collage: In Autumn Two, we explore collage by creating unique portraits inspired by Dada artist Hannah Höch.
Spring Term:
- Hot air balloons: Children continue to develop their knowledge of primary and secondary colours, painting wonderful patterns for a hot air balloon artwork.
- Story Art: Throughout Spring Two, we delve into the story of “The Tiger Who Came to Tea,” creating impressive tiger pictures.
Summer Term:
- Drawing Skills: At the start of the summer term, Year One students enhance their drawing skills by studying minibeasts, using both pencil and ink.
- 3D Art: In Summer Two, we embark on a three-dimensional project where children learn to work with clay to create starfish.
Year 2
Our Year 2 Art curriculum is designed to further develop children’s creativity and artistic skills that they began to build in Year one. Through a variety of exciting projects and activities children will continue to build their technical skills and knowledge of art .
Autumn Term:
- Christmas Cards: We begin the year by enhancing fine motor control with small paintbrushes as children paint trees in the snow for their Christmas cards.
- Keith Haring Study: Students learn about the artist Keith Haring and create vibrant artworks of people dancing, focusing on bright colours and motifs. This project helps them understand the human figure and how to draw it in a simplified form.
WW2 and Remembrance: After half term, the art project connects to their learning about WW2 and remembrance. Children learn about the significance of poppies and the process of relief printing, creating their own poppy prints.
Spring Term:
- 3D Project Inspired by Hundertwasser: The spring term starts with a 3D project inspired by the abstract artist Hundertwasser. Children create cardboard sculptures of houses, drawing inspiration from Hundertwasser’s unique building artworks.
- Impressionism and Monet: In Spring 2, students learn about the Impressionists, focusing on Monet, and create beautiful waterlily paintings. Expanding their artist and art history knowledge along with their painting skills.
Summer Term:
- Henri Rousseau and Collage: In the summer term, children study the artist Henri Rousseau and create a collage of a tiger in a storm. During this project children focus on their cutting and sticking skills alongside developing the concept of composition through arranging the papers within their artwork.
- Drawing Skills: The final project of the year focuses on advancing drawing techniques. Students work on their use of tone and marks by drawing the other half of their self-portrait.
Year 3
In Year 3, we nurture children’s creativity and critical thinking through a series of engaging projects that further their problem-solving skills and resilience. The projects in Year 3 aim to develop children’s independence and decision-making skills.
Autumn Term:
- Watercolour and Ink Christmas Card: Students blend colours and practice precise mark-making to create a Christmas tree on snowy hills.
- Textile Landscape Project: Children explore the different seasons and capture their chosen season in a landscape made from textiles. This project encourages creative and critical thinking. They are involved in exploration with various fabrics and compositions. Using skills including sticking, painting, cutting, and sewing.
Spring Term:
- Roman Pot Creation: Connected to their project-based learning project about the Ancient Romans the children create a Roman Pot. Using clay and the coiling technique, students learn to score and slip to attach clay pieces. The design a Roman pattern to engrave into the side of the pot.
- Yayoi Kusama Portraits: Inspired by the artist Yayoi Kusama, children are absorbed into the wonderfully abnormal world of Kusama’s art. For children’s final piece they create dot-filled portraits. The focus on skills and knowledge involve pattern making, colour and paper cutting.
Summer Term:
- Ancient Egypt Project: Students connect art with their class project the Ancient Egyptians. Children learn about the ancient method of making papyrus paper and have a go at making a modernised version. Adding Egyptian inspired artwork to the paper with the use of oil pastels. Children learn about some of art history whilst developing their drawing skills.
- Flower Drawing: In the second half of the Summer Term Year 3 focus on developing skills in line and shape through drawing flowers. This project pushes children’s technical skill in drawing alongside their observation, drawing what they see.
Year 4
The Year 4 Art Curriculum aims to build on the independent creative skills that children acquired in Year 3. Throughout the year children are challenged in various projects that allow them to succeed in creating artworks they are passionate about. Their skill in reflecting and evaluating their own and others work makes influential impact to their art and progression of skills.
Autumn Term:
- Mixed Media Christmas Card: To begin the academic year, in Year 4 Children create a festive collage background and digitally edit themselves into the card. This uses a wide range of skills that supports them in future Year 4 projects.
- Quentin Blake Illustrations: Students are immersed in the illustrations of Quentin Black. During the project they study his style and use their imagination to draw their own character like Quentin Blake.
- Famous Women Artists Project: Exploration of works by Frida Kahlo, Alma Woodsey-Thomas, and Tseng Yuho. During this project children learn about these Woman in art and are inspired to create artworks similarly to them.
Spring Term:
- John Dyer Inspired Paintings: Students enhance their painting techniques by creating animal-themed canvases inspired by the Cornish artist John Dyer. During this project children learn to paint on canvas working with acrylics. Children are pushed to manipulate the paintbrush with confidence and control.
Summer Term:
- Blackthorn Project: During the Summer term Year for take part in the Blackthorn Project which integrates art with other subjects. Each year is different as Children generate ideas for what they want to create. In the past it has involved observational sketches, 3D sculptures, paintings, and collages based on the given brief.
- Digital Art and Pop Art: Expanding on digital techniques from the Christmas card project, students explore pop art and create vibrant portraits inspired by Andy Warhol.
Year 5
The Year 5 Art Curriculum is designed to build on the skills and knowledge acquired in Year 4. Throughout the year, students are engaged in diverse projects that challenge their creativity and technical abilities, fostering a deeper passion for art. They are encouraged to reflect on and evaluate their own work and that of their peers, which significantly enhances their artistic development and skill progression.
Autumn Term:
- Patterned Tree Christmas Cards: Students create festive cards using drawing inks to design patterned trees.
- Clay Sculpture Project: Inspired by Dame Barbara Hepworth, students create small sculptures, learning about negative space and shapes.
- Cave Art and Basquiat: After the half-term break, students compare cave art to the works of Basquiat, creating art filled with motifs and symbols that tell their own stories.
Spring Term:
- Collagraph Printing: Students learn the collagraph process, designing and making printing plates inspired by plants, building on their understanding of negative and positive space from the autumn term.
- Landscape Painting: In the second half of the term, students explore Devon landscapes and the work of local artist Heather-Bell Barlow.
Summer Term:
- Still Life Exploration: Students develop their drawing and painting skills, focusing on observation and creating the form of objects.
- Mary Fedden and Cubism: After mastering form, students learn about still life artist Mary Fedden and her abstracted still life inspired by Cubism.
Year 6
Building on the foundation laid in Year 5, the Year 6 Art Curriculum immerses students in a range of projects that push their creative and technical boundaries. This year is designed to deepen their love for art while honing their skills. Students are encouraged to thoughtfully critique their own work and that of their classmates, which is essential for their artistic growth and the refinement of their abilities.
Autumn Term:
- Watercolour Winter Animals: Students create festive Christmas cards featuring winter animals using watercolours.
- Collage Landscape Project: Inspired by American artist Megan Coyle, students create collages of local places that are important to them.
Spring Term:
- David Hockney Digital Drawings: Students take inspiration from Hockney’s art book “My Window” to create digital drawings of views through windows, imagining the perspective of a particular person.
- Picasso and Cubism: In the second half of the term, students learn about Picasso and create a 3D cubist portrait.
Summer Term:
- Sunflower Paintings: Students explore the works of Vincent Van Gogh and Georgia O’Keeffe, painting detailed sunflowers on small canvases.
- Monoprinting Project: Inspired by the sea, students design and create monoprints, focusing on; line, shape, and texture.
Art Squads for Year 5 and 6
At Cornerstone, we offer Year 5 and 6 pupils the exciting opportunity to join our lunchtime Art Squads. These squads are perfect for children who are eager to deepen their knowledge, skills, and passion for art. Participants are challenged with various projects and have the chance to enter trust, local, and national art competitions.
In Year 5, students can look forward to an Art Squad residential trip to St Ives, where they will explore the rich creative community and history of the area. Throughout their time in the Art Squad, children develop a strong sense of community within their group, nurturing both their own and their peers’ creative talents.
After School Art Clubs
We are excited to offer after school art clubs across the trust, providing additional art activities beyond the regular school curriculum. These clubs are designed to be fun and engaging, helping to expand children’s skills while giving them the freedom to explore their creativity.
Our dedicated art team carefully plans and prepares a variety of exciting tasks for the children to complete. Throughout the year, our clubs participate in local community events such as festive lantern making and Christmas tree decorating. Additionally, students have the opportunity to become prop and set designers for our school performances.
