Art and Design at West Wycombe School

Art and Design at West Wycombe School allows children to explore their creativity, develop artistic skills, and express themselves through a variety of media and techniques. The curriculum encourages experimentation, critical thinking, and an appreciation of different artistic styles and cultures. Pupils are inspired to be imaginative and reflective, building confidence in their own artistic abilities while learning to evaluate and appreciate the work of others.

Intent

Our scheme of work, is designed to inspire pupils and build their confidence in experimenting and creating their own artwork. Developed by subject specialists, the scheme provides pupils with opportunities to enhance their skills, nurture their talents and interests, and express their thoughts and ideas about the world, while also exploring art and artists from different cultures and historical periods.

Our scheme aligns with the National Curriculum’s end-of-key-stage attainment targets and comprehensively covers the National Society for Education in Art and Design’s progression competencies.

Implementation

Our lessons are sequential, allowing children to build their skills and knowledge, applying them to a range of outcomes. The formal elements, a key part of the National Curriculum, are also woven throughout the units. Key skills are revisited with increasing complexity in a spiral curriculum model. 

Our units provide structured, age-appropriate, and progressive, while remaining flexible enough to incorporate cross-curricular links. Creativity and independent expression are deeply embedded, enabling pupils to make their own artistic choices and decisions so that their work remains both knowledge-rich and uniquely personal.

Lessons are highly practical, promoting hands-on, exploratory learning, with pupils using sketchbooks to develop and document their ideas. Differentiated guidance is included in every lesson to ensure accessibility for all pupils, with additional opportunities available to extend and challenge learning where appropriate.

Impact

Our curriculum is structured to actively engage children in evaluating their work, discussing their ideas, and making decisions about how to refine and enhance their outcomes. Through regular reflection and collaborative discussions, pupils not only gain essential knowledge and key insights about art but also develop the confidence to articulate their creative journey. This process fosters higher-level thinking skills, strengthens their ability to assess their own progress, and deepens their understanding of how to improve their work effectively.

As a result of our Art and Design curriculum, children will:

• Produce creative work, exploring and recording their ideas and experiences.
• Be proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques.
• Evaluate and analyse creative works using subject-specific language.
• Know about great artists and the historical and cultural development of their art.
• Meet the end of key stage expectations outlined in the National curriculum for Art and design.

Links Between Topics: 

The progression from Reception to Year 6 in Art and Design demonstrates a structured development of creativity, techniques, and self-expression:

• Exploration and Experimentation: Reception encourages children to explore materials, colours, textures, and forms freely. This foundation supports later work in drawing, painting, sculpture, and design.

• Drawing: Begins with simple mark-making and storytelling through images (Year 2), developing into texture creation (Year 3) and futuristic design (Year 5). By Year 6, drawing becomes a means of self-expression.

• Painting and Mixed Media: Starts with colour mixing (Year 1) and texture-building (Year 2), progressing to exploring light and dark shades (Year 4) and selecting the best media for portraits (Year 5). In Year 6, painting becomes a tool for storytelling.

• Sculpture and 3D: Initially uses simple materials like paper (Year 1) before incorporating clay (Year 2). The focus then shifts to designing 3D forms (Year 3 & 4) and creating sculptures with meaning (Year 6).

• Craft and Design: Introduced in Year 3 with historical influences (scroll-making), evolving to pattern design (Year 4) and architecture-inspired studies (Year 5).

Each topic builds on previous knowledge, fostering increasing independence, creativity, and critical thinking. By Year 6, students are using art as a means of communication and storytelling, demonstrating a mature understanding of artistic expression.