Why do we learn art and design technology?
Our approach
Reception
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4
Year 5
Year 6

Why do we learn art and design technology?

As students' progress through Ark Conway they will have a deeper understanding of the five key elements of colour, line, shape, form and texture. Using this knowledge, they will be able to purposefully use a variety of mediums with increasing confidence. 

Through the exploration of a diverse range of artists, students will understand the cultural importance of art as a way for them and others to analysis the world around them and express that in innovative ways.

Our approach

Every year, students begin by creating a self-portrait where students can see themselves reflected in their art and to mark their progression through the curriculum. From there, students will focus on a key element to build a strong foundational understanding of how these elements can be manipulated with a variety of mediums and for a desired effect. 

At the end of the year, Conway dedicates a whole week to exploring a theme to collaborate and create a final piece that can be contributed to Conway’s Art’s week. This week immerses students in the arts and all its disciplines to unearth their passions and contribute to a largescale collaborative art exhibition. 

As a school, we celebrate each other’s accomplishments by gathering pieces from each class to be displayed in our school gallery every half term.

Reception

Autumn
Creating portraits through a range of different materials
Spring

Drawing with intent and purpose 

Labelling parts of drawings

Designing and creating things to use in our imaginative play 
Summer

Making finger puppets to support with our imaginative play and storytelling.


Creating different settings and habitats through our continued junk modelling.

Experimenting with a range of materials, including beads, paint, and chalk. 

All Reception subjects Next Reception Subject - Computing

Year 1

Autumn 1 Autumn 2
Creating our own self-portraits inspired by our focus artist of Barbara Walker. By the end of this unit, we will be able to communicate something about themselves in their drawing and explore moods in in their own drawings using pencil and crayon.  Creating out own moving picture using traditional story books as inspiration and exploring how to construct levers using card. 
Spring
Studying sculpture with a focus on the artist Giacometti. By the end of the unit, we will be able to make different kinds of shapes with clay and use tools to make different textures. 
Summer 1 Summer 2
We will be designing and making a picture with multiple moving parts. We will explore and evaluate how picture books use movement to add to the readers experience and the different mechanisms used. By the end of the unit, we will plan and evaluate the success of our final product to understand the importance of having a plan.  We will be using our knowledge of where food comes from to plan, prepare and evaluate our own fruit kebabs. This term we will have an expert demonstration from the school chef on how to cut and prepare fruit. By the end of the unit, we will be more confident cooks who are able to prepare healthy snacks with assistance. 

All Year 1 subjects Next Year 1 Subject - Computing

Year 2

Autumn 1 Autumn 2
This term the children will be designing and making crowns. They will be exploring different types of crowns before designing, making and evaluating their own crown. 

This term the children will be creating artwork based on the Great Fire of London. They will be using both collage and paint to create their final pieces and will be exploring texture, shape, colour and pattern.
Spring 1 Spring 2

This term the children will be designing and making animal puppets. They will have the opportunity to investigate different types of puppets and practice basic needlework, including running stitch and overstitch.

 This term the children will be studying Henri Rosseau. Pupils will work towards producing a painting of a habitat of their choice in the style of Rosseau. They will begin by sketching animals using different grades of pencil before producing their final piece, mixing paints to produce different shades, tones and tints. 
Summer 1 Summer 2
This term the children will be making a pot plant holder. They will begin by exploring and examining different types of pot plant holders before making two of their own; one from clay and one from a recycled milk bottle. We will then evaluate both designs based on a set of given criteria.  This term the children will be studying printing, producing a final piece inspired by the work of Esther Mahlangu. Pupils will have the opportunity to experiment with a variety of printing techniques before designing and creating their own relief block to produce their final piece. 

All Year 2 subjects Next Year 2 Subject - Computing

Year 3

Autumn 1 Autumn 2
Children will learn how draw do self-portraits. They will study how to use line, shape, proportion, tone and texture in order to create their own portrait at the end of their learning journey.  Children will be working on designing and creating their own biscuits. The children will need to learn about and evaluate effective packaging; taste and critique current biscuits on the market and then design and make their own.
Spring 1 Spring 2
This term the children will be learning about still life drawing and the work of Paul Cezanne. We will be using various techniques in both pencil and pastel and consider different still life arrangements before creating a final still life piece. This term the children will continue to learn about still life drawing and the work of Paul Cezanne. We will be using various techniques in both pencil and pastel and consider different still life arrangements before creating a final still life piece. 
Summer 1 Summer 2

This term in Art, we will be looking at Still Life. We will be: 

Learning about a famous Still Life artist; Cezanne. 


Creating texture and tone in our artwork. 


 

Using pastels to add colour to our work. 


Creating our own Still Life artwork! 

This term in Art and Design, we will be making Ancient Greek pots! We will be learning about: 

What Ancient Greek pottery looks like. 


Painting images found on Greek pottery 


Designing and sculpting Greek pottery 

All Year 3 subjects Next Year 3 Subject - Computing

Year 4

Autumn 1 Autumn 2
This term the children will be working on a design and technology unit. We will be learning about Roman mosaics and collage. First, we will study real-life examples of Roman mosaics, and then use paper to create a simple centre image. We will then consider mosaic borders, before using different materials to construct these. Finally, we will plan and create our own mosaic.  This term the children will be working on self-portraits in the style of Picasso. The children will need to learn about Picasso’s influence on cubism and how the style represents facial features, before ultimately planning and creating their very own cubist self-portrait. 
Spring 1 Spring 2
This term the children will be working on a design and technology unit. They will be using pencil cases as a case study of how to join two materials together through stitching. Once learning the stitching technique, they will design and create their own product with different materials.  This term the children will be developing their line, shape, and colour skills by taking part in mono printing, collagraphy, and block/tile printing. They will explore printing on different materials to create an image and they will experiment with images and textures in a collagraph print. They will finally cut a simple stencil and use this for making printed shapes. 
Summer 1 Summer 2
 

This term we will be painting and drawing self-portraits inspired by Frida Kahlo.

 This term the children will be working on a design and technology unit. They will be creating moving models and pictures. To do this, they will investigate levers and linkages, how these work within an image, and which levers or linkages will work most effectively in their own plan of a moving picture.

All Year 4 subjects Next Year 4 Subject - Computing

Year 5

Autumn 1 Autumn 2
Over the half term, pupils will experiment with using a variety of pencil grades and techniques. Their culminating piece of work will be a self-portrait.  Pupils will learn about the Surrealism art movement. They will use paint, exploring different colours, shades and tints to convey different moods and emotions.
Spring 1 Spring 2
Pupils will explore bread making with a focus on understanding different cultures and how they make bread. We will expand our sensory vocabulary to articulate taste, texture and smell. 
 		 Pupils will work with sculpture. Their final project will be to create their own scultures inspired by the Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama and to add paint and pattern. 
 
Summer 1 Summer 2
Pupils will be exploring traditional Islamic geometric patters as well as printing methods. Pupils will investigate and analyse a range of existing products. They will then use gears and cams to design and build their own moving toy. 
 

All Year 5 subjects Next Year 5 Subject - Computing

Year 6

Autumn 1 Autumn 2

Our artist of the half term is Stephen Wiltshire.

We will be re-creating his famous cityscape drawings using a range of sketching pencils and charcoal.

 We will be exploring the style of a photomontage, combining both images and words, taking inspiration from Hannah Höch. We will learn how to use artwork to portray important messages.
Spring 1 Spring 2
We will be exploring the style of a photomontage, combining both images and words, taking inspiration from Hannah Höch. We will learn how to use artwork to portray important messages. This half term, we will be incorporating art and design into many other curriculum subjects. This includes making model planes from World War II, mini replica Anderson shelters, interactive DNA models, and artwork inspired by the stories of World War II.
Summer 1 Summer 2
This term we will be 

Painting Pop Art Self Portraits inspired by Lichtenstein. 

 In Art we will be planning and creating our final set pieces for our end of year production. This will include multiple large backdrops, smaller set design and stage props. We will also be tailoring our production costumes, seeing how to alter predesigned outfits as well as adding our own flair to different materials and costumes. 

All Year 6 subjects Next Year 6 Subject - Computing