Welcome to Art and Design

At Ark Bentworth, we recognise that a high-quality Art and Design Curriculum should stimulate imaginations, inspire and engage pupils and instil an appreciation and enjoyment of the visual arts. The curriculum develops the creativity of pupils by providing them with a knowledge and understanding of the work of great artists alongside providing them with the skills needed to experiment, invent and create with confidence across a range of art forms. Throughout their time at Ark Bentworth, pupils explore ideas and meanings in art through building an awareness and understanding of the visual and tactile elements found within it. These include shape, line, colour, pattern, form and space. Pupils learn about the roles and functions of art, meaning they are able to explore the impact is has had and continues to have on life in different periods and across different cultures. 

• Year 1: Drawing (Barbara Walker), Sculpture (Alberto Giacometti), Painting and Colour Theory (Wassily Kandinsky) 

• Year 2: Collage (Henri Matisse), Painting and Drawing (Henri Rousseau), Printing (Esther Mahlangu) 

• Year 3: Painting (Lascaux Caves), Drawing (Paul Cezzane), Sculpture and Painting (Greek Pottery) 

• Year 4: Collage (Roman Mosaic), Printing (William Morris), Painting and Drawing (Frida Kahlo) 

• Year 5: Drawing (Van Gogh), Sculpture and Painting (Yayoi Kusama), Printing (Islamic Geometric Patterns) 

Our approach

The units are organised to that pupils are building on their knowledge and skills in drawing and painting each year and are building on their knowledge and skills in sculpture, collage and printing once in each two-year cycle. Knowledge and understanding between units is applied and 'kept alive' through the revisiting, discussion and application of the formal elements of art and through the continued use of sketchbooks to record and develop ideas. Where appropriate, in order to provide a holistic learning experience for our pupils, the art curriculum makes links with history, science and geography. However, this will never be at the expense of art as a subject in its own right.