Intent

At Thornton Primary School, we strive to create an art curriculum that engages and inspires children to express their individual creativity and to produce their own works of art. Our art curriculum has been carefully planned around each year group’s curriculum overview to create meaningful cross-curricular links. Through this, children engage purposefully with their learning. Our curriculum provides a clear progression of knowledge, skills, and vocabulary from the Early Years Foundation Stage through to Year 6. Children are introduced to a wide range of artists, craft makers and designers, exploring diverse styles, cultures, and periods of art. This enables them to develop their own creative ideas, understand artistic techniques, and appreciate the value of art in the wider world.

Implementation

Working with an Art Specialist from Lancashire County Council, we have created a high-quality, engaging curriculum that builds on prior learning. Each unit of work has been planned to align with curriculum themes, ensuring strong cross-curricular links that make art meaningful and relevant for every child. Teachers deliver art lessons that focus on developing key skills in drawing, painting, sculpture, printing, and digital art, while promoting the use of rich and age-appropriate vocabulary. Children learn about artists from different backgrounds and time periods, using this knowledge to inspire and inform their own work.

We monitor the effectiveness of our art curriculum through regular pupil and staff voice, lesson observations, and work scrutiny. Feedback from these activities informs ongoing improvements, ensuring that lessons remain engaging, inclusive, and of a consistently high standard.

Supporting SEND

Our art curriculum is inclusive and accessible to all pupils. Lessons are adapted to meet individual needs so that every child can experience success and express themselves creatively. We use a range of resources, adaptations and approaches to support children with SEND, ensuring they can fully participate and make progress alongside their peers. We also create an ethos of not being afraid to make ‘mistakes,’ but instead, for children to be risk-takers, problem solvers and to develop resilience.

Impact

Our children develop a secure understanding of artistic concepts, techniques, and vocabulary as they progress through the school. They become confident and imaginative young artists who can evaluate their own work and the work of others. The strong progression from EYFS to Year 6 ensures that children leave our school with a broad knowledge of art, an appreciation for creativity, and the ability to apply their artistic skills across the curriculum and beyond.