Welcome to Art at Wallace Fields Junior School

Art at Wallace Fields Junior School

Art is a much loved subject. At Wallace Fields Junior School we give all children the opportunity to explore their ideas by experimenting, inventing and creating their own varied works of art using a range of resources. They will learn how to draw, paint, sculpt, and print, experimenting with a range of different materials and techniques to develop their skill set.

Click here or on the image below to see a loom video about art and D&T at Wallace Fields Junior School.

Art and DT Update

Updated: 13/12/2023 574 KB

An important aspect of the art curriculum at Wallace Fields Junior School is learning about how art has shaped our history and how it reflects it. As part of the curriculum each year group studies particular artists, looking at their techniques, famous creations and the culture and story of that particular artist or art form.

Artists covered:

  • Year 3: Georgia O'Keeffe and Wassily Kandinsky 
  • Year 4: Leonardo Da Vinci, Claude Monet and Frida Kahlo
  • Year 5: Vincent Van Gogh and Banksy 
  • Year 6: Clarice Cliff and Banksy 
     

Art Exhibitions and Celebrations

  • WFJS has organised and participated in the annual Epsom and Ewell Art Festival. This wonderful exhibition is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the artistic talents of the children across Epsom And Ewell area. Children that show a particular passion or flair for art, have their work framed and hung at Bourne hall over the course of the 2 week exhibition. The exhibition is open to the public and is celebrated throughout the school. All of the framed art work can now been seen on the walls around our school.
  • All the children are given the opportunity to enter into local MP's Christmas card competition. Their efforts are celebrated throughout the school and if they win, they will have their card design printed.
  • We participate in the art exhibition at The Horton
  • We do "Cauliflower Cards" Christmas artwork in class which is an excellent way to help the PTA to raise funds for the school.

Linking Art across the Curriculum

At WFJS art is embedded across the curriculum. Often, it is carefully tied in with the current learning topics that the children are focusing on. Art is regularly linked to other subjects across the curriculum and is used to not only develop the children’s skills as artists, but to deepen their understanding of a given subject’s focus.

Progression in Art

The skills and knowledge that children will develop throughout each art topic are mapped across each year group and throughout the school to ensure progression. The emphasis on knowledge ensures that children understand the context of the artwork, as well as the artists that they are learning about and being inspired by.

For further details on the teaching of Art across the school, please view our progression map.

Art progression map

Updated: 22/11/2024 537 KB

Curriculum Intent

At Wallace Fields Junior School, we value Art and Design as an important part of a child’s opportunity to access a broad and balanced curriculum. Our intent is to provide children with a variety of opportunities to develop their artistic skills, a sense of creativity and to express their individual thoughts, interests and ideas. We also aim to inform the children about artists throughout history, how they have shaped the world around us and contributed to the culture, creativity and wealth of a region or nation. 

The National Curriculum for art and design aims to ensure that all pupils:

  • Produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences 
  • Become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques
  • Evaluate and analyse creative works using the language of art, craft and design
  • Know about great artists, craft makers and designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms.

Curriculum Implementation

The implementation of the Art and Design curriculum at Wallace Fields Junior School is based on the National Curriculum and is linked to a variety of topics that encourage cross-curricular links, creativity and opportunities for both self and peer reflection. Furthermore, we promote Art and Design around the school through whole school exhibitions and projects including:

  • There is Only One You Art Exhibition
  • Diversity Day Exhibition 
  • Climbing Wall Mural Competition 
  • Ubuntu Project 
  • Autumn Trees Project 

We teach Art and Design woven into our overall termly and half termly topics like Ancient Greeks, Shang Dynasty and the Stone Age. Areas include: impressionism, pointillism, sculpture, printing, self portraiture, still life and observational drawings. Some of the artists that we study are: Van Gogh, Georgia O’Keeffe, William Morris and Clarice Cliff. More details of these can be found in the progression map. 

As a result of children's feedback of which artists they would like to learn about, new artists will be added to the list of artists learnt about in each year group. 

  • Year Three: Wassily Kandinsky 
  • Year Four: Leonardo Da Vinci
  • Year Five: Banksy 
  • Year Six: Banksy

The National Curriculum for Art and Design aims to ensure that all pupils:

  • Produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences  
  • Become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques
  • Evaluate and analyse creative works using the language of art, craft and design 
  • Know about great artists, craft makers and designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms.

Curriculum Impact

Within Art and Design, we strive to instil both appreciation and enjoyment of art and artists. We focus on a planned progression of skills and knowledge to ensure that children are being appropriately supported and challenged across each year group. We aim to measure the impact of our curriculum by:

  • Images and videos of the children’s practical learning
  • Interviews with pupils about their learning (pupil voice)
  • Marking work in the children’s books
  • Children’s reflections of their own and other’s learning
  • Moderation through book looks (and online classroom) 
  • Assessment of children’s understanding of topic vocabulary at the beginning and end of a unit
  • Summative assessments of pupil discussions about their learning
  • Speakers from outside of school

Teaching Art and Design to children with special needs

We teach Art and Design to all children, whatever their ability. Art and Design is an important part of the school curriculum policy in line with providing a broad and balanced curriculum for all children. We provide learning opportunities that are matched to the needs of children with special educational needs. Our lessons take into account any information from the children’s SEND support arrangements that need to be considered. As Art and Design is a creative and open-ended subject, it is imperative that children are given the opportunity to experiment and produce a range of final pieces. Click on this link for further information about SEND and inclusion.

National Curriculum

To find out more about the national curriculum for Art and Design in Key Stage 2 that the school is using click here.