Art Curriculum

What's happening?

 Year 1

Earth Art

Year 1 children will learn that different cultures painted images on rocks to tell stories. They will make their own pet rocks. The classes will explore what sculptures are and will look at sculptures created from natural materials. Children will explore Rangoli patterns made from flowers and leaves. Children will experience the ancient art of loom weaving. They will begin to understand how weaving works and that many fabrics they wear are woven. Year 1 children will learn about the Indian mandala and why it is important to the Indian culture. 

Giuseppe Archimboldo

These ‘Giuseppe Arcimboldo' lessons for children have children looking at portraits in a whole new light. They will explore a variety of Arcimboldo’s paintings and find out what different natural materials he used to create his portraits. The class will have a go at creating portraits to represent different things, including a portrait made up of their interests.

African Art

Children will explore the colours and patterns of the African landscape and native tribes with this 'African Art' unit. The class will be taught how to create African patterns, explore the Maasai culture and their amazing homemade jewellery. Children will make and decorate tribal masks and water jars, admire the beautiful African sunsets and so much more!

Year 2

Sparks and Flames

Children’s imaginations will be ignited as they create pieces of art themed around The Great Fire of London. They will use chalks, paints, collage and mixed media over the course of the lessons as they create fiery art.

Self-portraits

Children explore famous artists and their self-portraits before challenging them to explore different pencils and paints as well as the medium of collage to create their own artwork. 

Super Sculptures

An introduction at Anthony Gormley's sculptures will occur. They will explore Henry Moore-inspired clay sculptures. Children will look at sculptures by Barbara Hepworth and Anish Kapoor, then look at the structure of some natural objects. Following this, they will make sculptures using a range of materials. Children will look at kinetic sculptures by Alexander Calder, then make mobile sculptures. Sculptures by Dale Chihuly will be explored, then create Chihuly-inspired sculptures

Year 3

Famous Buildings

The classes will be introduced to the role of an architect. Children will find out who Sir Christopher Wren was. Year 3 will then immerse themselves in the history, design and features of St Paul’s and St Basil’s Cathedral. Children will be exposed to the symmetry in the Taj Mahal. The pupils will consider how and why trends in architectural styles change over time. They will find out that the Sydney Opera House was designed as part of a competition before exploring the features of this relatively modern building. The children will design their own building for a particular purpose.

Indian Art

Children will explore the history of Indian painting and how the style has changed throughout the centuries. They will find out about the famous Hastimangala festival. Children will look closely at the intricate decorations which adorn elephants during the festival. They will find out what henna is and how it is used to make mehndi patterns. Focusing particularly on symmetry, they will create their own mehndi patterns. Children will learn about the technique of Indian block printing, exploring the ways in which intricate carved patterns are traditionally used to decorate fabric. They are reminded that rangoli patterns are often used during Diwali celebrations. They will look at some examples of rangoli patterns and find out how they are created. Children can then create their own rangoli using coloured salt.

Plant Art

Children will be immersed in the beauty of nature within these lessons. Children will be introduced to a variety of plant-themed artworks created by famous artists and will be encouraged to express their opinions of them. They will learn how to make careful observations, mix different tints, shades and tones of colour, and create the illusion of depth within a picture. They will also have the opportunity to create their own 3D flower sculpture using clay.

Year 4

Jewellery Designs

Children will explore jewellery from early civilisations to help them understand that jewellery has been around since ancient times. They will be able to identify a variety of different gemstones and explain where they come from. Children will find out about the history of Tiffany & Co. They will then be shown how they can create pendants of their own using polymer clay or other materials. Children will find out about the history and design features of the Bulgari jewellery company. They will look at some of the different pieces they produce, particularly their chunky bracelets. Children are then shown three different methods for making bracelets of their own. Children will find out about the history of jewellery company Van Clef and Arpels. They will study some of their jewellery before looking at some its brooches. They will then design and create a brooch or badge of their own using felt and other materials. Children will use everything they have learnt about jewellery and jewellery design to design and create their own piece of jewellery for a particular person or purpose.

Sonia Delaunay

Children will find out about the early life of Sonia Delaunay, and discuss the influence the work of other artists had on her early paintings. Children will be challenged to recreate their own portrait in the style of Sonia Delaunay. They will focus on her experimentation with colour using a style of art known as Orphism. Children will learn about complementary and harmonious colours and will focus on how Sonia Delaunay created a sense of rhythm and movement in her artwork. Children will create their own visual accompaniment to a Robert Louis Stevenson poem about a train journey. In the FSD? activity, children design a piece of artwork to represent their journey to school. Children will learn how Sonia Delaunay began to design clothes. They will explore how her artistic style impacted on her design and create their own clothes, They will discover just how wide-ranging and successful her art and fashion designs became, and how she brought art into everyday life.

Can we change places?

In this thought-provoking topic, pupils will think about how environments can affect how we think and feel. They will explore sculptures and describe what they think and feel about them. Year 4 children will take rubbings, sketches and photos of interesting patterns, lines, or images to use in future sculpture designs. They will focus particularly on making sure their design reflects the area they are designing the sculpture for. In this topic, papier mâché or Modroc will heighten the children’s artistic interests.

Year 5

A Sense of Place

We will introduce our classes to the world of landscape art with these creative art lessons. We will start by using a viewfinder to find interesting features and views of a local area and then go on to study the work of some of the most famous landscape artists and how they use perspective to give a sense of depth to their work.

People in Action

Children will start by exploring body movement. They will then practise some poses and slow-motion movements together before sketching some of these poses. Children will explore how the features of the face change when engaged in physical activity. They can then have a go at sketching some different facial expressions and look at how the expression on cartoon faces can be altered with a few simple tricks. Children will study the work of different artists who portray movement in their work, including Muybridge, Boccioni and Delaunay. Children will think about how they can extend and improve their work throughout this topic. They will use a press print to create a similar piece of artwork, considering how they can create  the illusion of movement. They will evaluate their final finished pieces and discuss what they feel about them.

Monet

Year 5 will immerse themselves in the Impressionist movement and the life of Claude Monet. They can then create their own landscape paintings in the style of Monet. They will explore how the light changes landscapes at different times of the day and during different seasons. They will work to recreate Monet's famous 'Sunset in Venice'. They will consider the impact Monet’s cataracts had on his artwork and find out how he felt about his work in his later life. Children will explore some other Monet paintings including his famous ‘Water Lilies’.

Year 6

Famous Fashion

These designers William Morris, Jasper Conran, Cath Kidston, and Emma Bridgewater will inspire the children to think about design, style, materials and colour. Year 6 pupils will be introduced to the shoe designers Jimmy Choo, Vivienne Westwood, Christian Louboutin, and Dan Sullivan: stimulating their design techniques of their own shoes. They will look at different events hats are worn at and design a hat for a chosen event. They will also be introduced to a variety of iconic British clothing designers, such as Mary Quant and Stella McCartney. Children will look at examples of costumes from some familiar film characters. They will then design a costume for a character of their choice.

Street Art

In this Graffiti series of lessons, children will find out all about the many varied forms of art in public spaces, and develop their own ideas for quick, colourful, eye-catching, humorous or satirical pieces of street art through sketching and annotating. We will also discuss how street art polarises opinion, when and where it is acceptable, and how it can improve or damage public spaces.

Cityscapes

Exploring what 3D pop art is and how it is created, looking at cityscape images and discussing the detail and layers they can see is what occurs first in this exciting topic. Children will then get the chance to create their own 3D pop art city. Children will look at artwork by Leonid Afremov who uses a palette knife to create textured, bold and colourful cityscapes. They will find out how they can make palette knives of their own using card to mimic the process used by Afremov. Children will explore how the sky and light in photos of cityscapes changes at different times of the day. They will explain what a silhouette is before looking at how they can create some cityscape art using silhouettes and creative, colourful backgrounds. Children will explore the reflections in bodies of water and will learn how to paint with watercolours to create different effects. They will look at how to use lines and patterns to create their own ink cityscapes. 

Art Curriculum

What's happening?

 Year 1

Earth Art

Year 1 children will learn that different cultures painted images on rocks to tell stories. They will make their own pet rocks. The classes will explore what sculptures are and will look at sculptures created from natural materials. Children will explore Rangoli patterns made from flowers and leaves. Children will experience the ancient art of loom weaving. They will begin to understand how weaving works and that many fabrics they wear are woven. Year 1 children will learn about the Indian mandala and why it is important to the Indian culture. 

Giuseppe Archimboldo

These ‘Giuseppe Arcimboldo' lessons for children have children looking at portraits in a whole new light. They will explore a variety of Arcimboldo’s paintings and find out what different natural materials he used to create his portraits. The class will have a go at creating portraits to represent different things, including a portrait made up of their interests.

African Art

Children will explore the colours and patterns of the African landscape and native tribes with this 'African Art' unit. The class will be taught how to create African patterns, explore the Maasai culture and their amazing homemade jewellery. Children will make and decorate tribal masks and water jars, admire the beautiful African sunsets and so much more!

Year 2

Sparks and Flames

Children’s imaginations will be ignited as they create pieces of art themed around The Great Fire of London. They will use chalks, paints, collage and mixed media over the course of the lessons as they create fiery art.

Self-portraits

Children explore famous artists and their self-portraits before challenging them to explore different pencils and paints as well as the medium of collage to create their own artwork. 

Super Sculptures

An introduction at Anthony Gormley's sculptures will occur. They will explore Henry Moore-inspired clay sculptures. Children will look at sculptures by Barbara Hepworth and Anish Kapoor, then look at the structure of some natural objects. Following this, they will make sculptures using a range of materials. Children will look at kinetic sculptures by Alexander Calder, then make mobile sculptures. Sculptures by Dale Chihuly will be explored, then create Chihuly-inspired sculptures

Year 3

Famous Buildings

The classes will be introduced to the role of an architect. Children will find out who Sir Christopher Wren was. Year 3 will then immerse themselves in the history, design and features of St Paul’s and St Basil’s Cathedral. Children will be exposed to the symmetry in the Taj Mahal. The pupils will consider how and why trends in architectural styles change over time. They will find out that the Sydney Opera House was designed as part of a competition before exploring the features of this relatively modern building. The children will design their own building for a particular purpose.

Indian Art

Children will explore the history of Indian painting and how the style has changed throughout the centuries. They will find out about the famous Hastimangala festival. Children will look closely at the intricate decorations which adorn elephants during the festival. They will find out what henna is and how it is used to make mehndi patterns. Focusing particularly on symmetry, they will create their own mehndi patterns. Children will learn about the technique of Indian block printing, exploring the ways in which intricate carved patterns are traditionally used to decorate fabric. They are reminded that rangoli patterns are often used during Diwali celebrations. They will look at some examples of rangoli patterns and find out how they are created. Children can then create their own rangoli using coloured salt.

Plant Art

Children will be immersed in the beauty of nature within these lessons. Children will be introduced to a variety of plant-themed artworks created by famous artists and will be encouraged to express their opinions of them. They will learn how to make careful observations, mix different tints, shades and tones of colour, and create the illusion of depth within a picture. They will also have the opportunity to create their own 3D flower sculpture using clay.

Year 4

Jewellery Designs

Children will explore jewellery from early civilisations to help them understand that jewellery has been around since ancient times. They will be able to identify a variety of different gemstones and explain where they come from. Children will find out about the history of Tiffany & Co. They will then be shown how they can create pendants of their own using polymer clay or other materials. Children will find out about the history and design features of the Bulgari jewellery company. They will look at some of the different pieces they produce, particularly their chunky bracelets. Children are then shown three different methods for making bracelets of their own. Children will find out about the history of jewellery company Van Clef and Arpels. They will study some of their jewellery before looking at some its brooches. They will then design and create a brooch or badge of their own using felt and other materials. Children will use everything they have learnt about jewellery and jewellery design to design and create their own piece of jewellery for a particular person or purpose.

Sonia Delaunay

Children will find out about the early life of Sonia Delaunay, and discuss the influence the work of other artists had on her early paintings. Children will be challenged to recreate their own portrait in the style of Sonia Delaunay. They will focus on her experimentation with colour using a style of art known as Orphism. Children will learn about complementary and harmonious colours and will focus on how Sonia Delaunay created a sense of rhythm and movement in her artwork. Children will create their own visual accompaniment to a Robert Louis Stevenson poem about a train journey. In the FSD? activity, children design a piece of artwork to represent their journey to school. Children will learn how Sonia Delaunay began to design clothes. They will explore how her artistic style impacted on her design and create their own clothes, They will discover just how wide-ranging and successful her art and fashion designs became, and how she brought art into everyday life.

Can we change places?

In this thought-provoking topic, pupils will think about how environments can affect how we think and feel. They will explore sculptures and describe what they think and feel about them. Year 4 children will take rubbings, sketches and photos of interesting patterns, lines, or images to use in future sculpture designs. They will focus particularly on making sure their design reflects the area they are designing the sculpture for. In this topic, papier mâché or Modroc will heighten the children’s artistic interests.

Year 5

A Sense of Place

We will introduce our classes to the world of landscape art with these creative art lessons. We will start by using a viewfinder to find interesting features and views of a local area and then go on to study the work of some of the most famous landscape artists and how they use perspective to give a sense of depth to their work.

People in Action

Children will start by exploring body movement. They will then practise some poses and slow-motion movements together before sketching some of these poses. Children will explore how the features of the face change when engaged in physical activity. They can then have a go at sketching some different facial expressions and look at how the expression on cartoon faces can be altered with a few simple tricks. Children will study the work of different artists who portray movement in their work, including Muybridge, Boccioni and Delaunay. Children will think about how they can extend and improve their work throughout this topic. They will use a press print to create a similar piece of artwork, considering how they can create  the illusion of movement. They will evaluate their final finished pieces and discuss what they feel about them.

Monet

Year 5 will immerse themselves in the Impressionist movement and the life of Claude Monet. They can then create their own landscape paintings in the style of Monet. They will explore how the light changes landscapes at different times of the day and during different seasons. They will work to recreate Monet's famous 'Sunset in Venice'. They will consider the impact Monet’s cataracts had on his artwork and find out how he felt about his work in his later life. Children will explore some other Monet paintings including his famous ‘Water Lilies’.

Year 6

Famous Fashion

These designers William Morris, Jasper Conran, Cath Kidston, and Emma Bridgewater will inspire the children to think about design, style, materials and colour. Year 6 pupils will be introduced to the shoe designers Jimmy Choo, Vivienne Westwood, Christian Louboutin, and Dan Sullivan: stimulating their design techniques of their own shoes. They will look at different events hats are worn at and design a hat for a chosen event. They will also be introduced to a variety of iconic British clothing designers, such as Mary Quant and Stella McCartney. Children will look at examples of costumes from some familiar film characters. They will then design a costume for a character of their choice.

Street Art

In this Graffiti series of lessons, children will find out all about the many varied forms of art in public spaces, and develop their own ideas for quick, colourful, eye-catching, humorous or satirical pieces of street art through sketching and annotating. We will also discuss how street art polarises opinion, when and where it is acceptable, and how it can improve or damage public spaces.

Cityscapes

Exploring what 3D pop art is and how it is created, looking at cityscape images and discussing the detail and layers they can see is what occurs first in this exciting topic. Children will then get the chance to create their own 3D pop art city. Children will look at artwork by Leonid Afremov who uses a palette knife to create textured, bold and colourful cityscapes. They will find out how they can make palette knives of their own using card to mimic the process used by Afremov. Children will explore how the sky and light in photos of cityscapes changes at different times of the day. They will explain what a silhouette is before looking at how they can create some cityscape art using silhouettes and creative, colourful backgrounds. Children will explore the reflections in bodies of water and will learn how to paint with watercolours to create different effects. They will look at how to use lines and patterns to create their own ink cityscapes. 

Art Curriculum

What's happening?

 Year 1

Earth Art

Year 1 children will learn that different cultures painted images on rocks to tell stories. They will make their own pet rocks. The classes will explore what sculptures are and will look at sculptures created from natural materials. Children will explore Rangoli patterns made from flowers and leaves. Children will experience the ancient art of loom weaving. They will begin to understand how weaving works and that many fabrics they wear are woven. Year 1 children will learn about the Indian mandala and why it is important to the Indian culture. 

Giuseppe Archimboldo

These ‘Giuseppe Arcimboldo' lessons for children have children looking at portraits in a whole new light. They will explore a variety of Arcimboldo’s paintings and find out what different natural materials he used to create his portraits. The class will have a go at creating portraits to represent different things, including a portrait made up of their interests.

African Art

Children will explore the colours and patterns of the African landscape and native tribes with this 'African Art' unit. The class will be taught how to create African patterns, explore the Maasai culture and their amazing homemade jewellery. Children will make and decorate tribal masks and water jars, admire the beautiful African sunsets and so much more!

Year 2

Sparks and Flames

Children’s imaginations will be ignited as they create pieces of art themed around The Great Fire of London. They will use chalks, paints, collage and mixed media over the course of the lessons as they create fiery art.

Self-portraits

Children explore famous artists and their self-portraits before challenging them to explore different pencils and paints as well as the medium of collage to create their own artwork. 

Super Sculptures

An introduction at Anthony Gormley's sculptures will occur. They will explore Henry Moore-inspired clay sculptures. Children will look at sculptures by Barbara Hepworth and Anish Kapoor, then look at the structure of some natural objects. Following this, they will make sculptures using a range of materials. Children will look at kinetic sculptures by Alexander Calder, then make mobile sculptures. Sculptures by Dale Chihuly will be explored, then create Chihuly-inspired sculptures

Year 3

Famous Buildings

The classes will be introduced to the role of an architect. Children will find out who Sir Christopher Wren was. Year 3 will then immerse themselves in the history, design and features of St Paul’s and St Basil’s Cathedral. Children will be exposed to the symmetry in the Taj Mahal. The pupils will consider how and why trends in architectural styles change over time. They will find out that the Sydney Opera House was designed as part of a competition before exploring the features of this relatively modern building. The children will design their own building for a particular purpose.

Indian Art

Children will explore the history of Indian painting and how the style has changed throughout the centuries. They will find out about the famous Hastimangala festival. Children will look closely at the intricate decorations which adorn elephants during the festival. They will find out what henna is and how it is used to make mehndi patterns. Focusing particularly on symmetry, they will create their own mehndi patterns. Children will learn about the technique of Indian block printing, exploring the ways in which intricate carved patterns are traditionally used to decorate fabric. They are reminded that rangoli patterns are often used during Diwali celebrations. They will look at some examples of rangoli patterns and find out how they are created. Children can then create their own rangoli using coloured salt.

Plant Art

Children will be immersed in the beauty of nature within these lessons. Children will be introduced to a variety of plant-themed artworks created by famous artists and will be encouraged to express their opinions of them. They will learn how to make careful observations, mix different tints, shades and tones of colour, and create the illusion of depth within a picture. They will also have the opportunity to create their own 3D flower sculpture using clay.

Year 4

Jewellery Designs

Children will explore jewellery from early civilisations to help them understand that jewellery has been around since ancient times. They will be able to identify a variety of different gemstones and explain where they come from. Children will find out about the history of Tiffany & Co. They will then be shown how they can create pendants of their own using polymer clay or other materials. Children will find out about the history and design features of the Bulgari jewellery company. They will look at some of the different pieces they produce, particularly their chunky bracelets. Children are then shown three different methods for making bracelets of their own. Children will find out about the history of jewellery company Van Clef and Arpels. They will study some of their jewellery before looking at some its brooches. They will then design and create a brooch or badge of their own using felt and other materials. Children will use everything they have learnt about jewellery and jewellery design to design and create their own piece of jewellery for a particular person or purpose.

Sonia Delaunay

Children will find out about the early life of Sonia Delaunay, and discuss the influence the work of other artists had on her early paintings. Children will be challenged to recreate their own portrait in the style of Sonia Delaunay. They will focus on her experimentation with colour using a style of art known as Orphism. Children will learn about complementary and harmonious colours and will focus on how Sonia Delaunay created a sense of rhythm and movement in her artwork. Children will create their own visual accompaniment to a Robert Louis Stevenson poem about a train journey. In the FSD? activity, children design a piece of artwork to represent their journey to school. Children will learn how Sonia Delaunay began to design clothes. They will explore how her artistic style impacted on her design and create their own clothes, They will discover just how wide-ranging and successful her art and fashion designs became, and how she brought art into everyday life.

Can we change places?

In this thought-provoking topic, pupils will think about how environments can affect how we think and feel. They will explore sculptures and describe what they think and feel about them. Year 4 children will take rubbings, sketches and photos of interesting patterns, lines, or images to use in future sculpture designs. They will focus particularly on making sure their design reflects the area they are designing the sculpture for. In this topic, papier mâché or Modroc will heighten the children’s artistic interests.

Year 5

A Sense of Place

We will introduce our classes to the world of landscape art with these creative art lessons. We will start by using a viewfinder to find interesting features and views of a local area and then go on to study the work of some of the most famous landscape artists and how they use perspective to give a sense of depth to their work.

People in Action

Children will start by exploring body movement. They will then practise some poses and slow-motion movements together before sketching some of these poses. Children will explore how the features of the face change when engaged in physical activity. They can then have a go at sketching some different facial expressions and look at how the expression on cartoon faces can be altered with a few simple tricks. Children will study the work of different artists who portray movement in their work, including Muybridge, Boccioni and Delaunay. Children will think about how they can extend and improve their work throughout this topic. They will use a press print to create a similar piece of artwork, considering how they can create  the illusion of movement. They will evaluate their final finished pieces and discuss what they feel about them.

Monet

Year 5 will immerse themselves in the Impressionist movement and the life of Claude Monet. They can then create their own landscape paintings in the style of Monet. They will explore how the light changes landscapes at different times of the day and during different seasons. They will work to recreate Monet's famous 'Sunset in Venice'. They will consider the impact Monet’s cataracts had on his artwork and find out how he felt about his work in his later life. Children will explore some other Monet paintings including his famous ‘Water Lilies’.

Year 6

Famous Fashion

These designers William Morris, Jasper Conran, Cath Kidston, and Emma Bridgewater will inspire the children to think about design, style, materials and colour. Year 6 pupils will be introduced to the shoe designers Jimmy Choo, Vivienne Westwood, Christian Louboutin, and Dan Sullivan: stimulating their design techniques of their own shoes. They will look at different events hats are worn at and design a hat for a chosen event. They will also be introduced to a variety of iconic British clothing designers, such as Mary Quant and Stella McCartney. Children will look at examples of costumes from some familiar film characters. They will then design a costume for a character of their choice.

Street Art

In this Graffiti series of lessons, children will find out all about the many varied forms of art in public spaces, and develop their own ideas for quick, colourful, eye-catching, humorous or satirical pieces of street art through sketching and annotating. We will also discuss how street art polarises opinion, when and where it is acceptable, and how it can improve or damage public spaces.

Cityscapes

Exploring what 3D pop art is and how it is created, looking at cityscape images and discussing the detail and layers they can see is what occurs first in this exciting topic. Children will then get the chance to create their own 3D pop art city. Children will look at artwork by Leonid Afremov who uses a palette knife to create textured, bold and colourful cityscapes. They will find out how they can make palette knives of their own using card to mimic the process used by Afremov. Children will explore how the sky and light in photos of cityscapes changes at different times of the day. They will explain what a silhouette is before looking at how they can create some cityscape art using silhouettes and creative, colourful backgrounds. Children will explore the reflections in bodies of water and will learn how to paint with watercolours to create different effects. They will look at how to use lines and patterns to create their own ink cityscapes.