Art

"The Arts enable us to have experience we can have from no other source and through such experience to discover the range and variety

of what we are capable of feeling."     

- Elliot Eisner

Through our teaching of Art and Design, we aim to nurture the innate creativity and imagination of our children and give them the skills to express themselves with confidence. We seek to inspire them as we look at the lives and work of a diverse range of artists and understand the impact of their work in its historical context.

Art and Design goes beyond words and offers a unique way of understanding, responding to and communicating with the world. What a privilege to be part of opening the door to this for our children!

The children in Year Two launched their learning about Yorkshire sculptor, Barbara Hepworth, with a visit to The Hepworth in Wakefield. It was a fabulous opportunity to see some of Hepworth's work at close quarters and appreciate the scale and impact of her sculptures first-hand. The children learned about Hepworth and her career and then enjoyed working in small groups to respond to her work. A highlight of the day was a clay masterclass in which the children practised and honed their new skills ready to create their own animal sculptures back at school. They were unanimous in recommending The Hepworth as a great day out!

The children keep their sketchbooks from Reception to Year Two, as a record of their ideas, exploration and outcomes throughout their time at Oatlands Infants.

Our Curriculum Intent 

Through our Art and Design curriculum, we want to encourage and develop creativity and imagination. We strive to provide lots of hands-on artmaking opportunities using a range of materials and in a range of contexts. We want to open the children's eyes to what they can achieve and teach them the skills they need to realise their vision and express themselves confidently. Art and Design challenges our children, teaching them to be resilient, to be problem-solvers and critical thinkers. It also supports wellbeing, as a means of self-expression and an opportunity to explore the beauty and depth of the human experience.  

During their time at Oatlands Infant School, our children have the opportunity to learn about and develop skills in drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking and textiles. Progression is carefully planned throughout the school, so that skills are developed and built upon. In addition to becoming technically competent, we aim to empower the children to become confident in making their own choices and decisions regarding their own work. At the end of each unit, we allow time for the children to look back, reflect and evaluate their work, asking themselves what went well but also, what they might do differently next time. This critical thinking is vital in developing their own style and practice.

We want our children to be excited about the visual arts and we have carefully selected a diverse range of inspiring famous artists for the children to learn about.  These artists have all worked in the twentieth century and around half of them are still working today.  This enables the children to place the artists in the historical context of their learning in other curriculum subjects and explore the impact their work has, or had, on contemporary life.