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Art

At the Ridgeway School, Art is taught from Nursery through to Key Stage 4, taking account of pupils’ levels of understanding and how old they are. The guidelines from the National Curriculum updated in May 2015, and the EYFS, Creative Development, form the basis of how we teach art at Ridgeway. We believe that art should be taught in a highly creative and engaging way, taking into account each individual’s needs and targets.  

As a subject art enables pupils to consolidate their learning from other subjects. They are required to use mathematical skills including; space and measure, using and applying and number skills. Literacy skills such as reading and communication, as well as PSHE skills such as turn taking and sharing.  

During EYFS and Key stage 1, pupils experience art through a multi-sensory approach and are able to express likes and dislikes and make choices. Pupils are provided with a range of materials and tools to use and explore. There is a strong emphasis on the development of fine motor skills as pupils increase in dexterity and are able to manipulate items of different sizes and shapes. As they move through the school, pupils are given the opportunity to use tools in a more formal way and create art in response to given stimuli.  

There is strong focus on the Thinking skills curriculum as pupils are encouraged, for example, to explore using their senses, plan, link, imagine and reflect on and review their work. 

Art is not assessed as a subject in its own right, but the progress pupils make is reflected in assessment using COMPAS in the Core subjects, Thinking skills and Engagement. We realise the importance of engagement and we acknowledge that deeper learning can only occur when pupils are fully engaged and have resources matched to their personal learning styles.

Art