"I found I could say things with colour and shapes that I couldn't say in any other way - things I had no words for." Georgia O'Keefe

What does art and design look like at Uplands?

At Uplands Primary School, we aim for all our children to be exposed to a breadth of creative art forms and encourage them to develop their ideas, to try new techniques and new mediums and to learn from the great artists from a range of cultures. Each term, teachers inspire the children to explore and extend their skills including drawing, painting, printing, collage and sculpture. Children learn about a range of artists, designers, art movements and styles across time and cultures. Sketchbooks are used across the school to explore and investigate ideas, media and techniques to develop observational drawings and representations. Children also study an artist in depth and use their observations and understanding to inspire their own work.

The curriculum is structured in a way that allows for children to make links between current and previous learning. Elements such as line, shape, pattern, colour, texture and form are built up and re-visited year upon year. We make links to our five Big Ideas that appear throughout all subjects in our curriculum: environment, similarities and differences, diversity, relationships and changes. All classes start their lessons with a retrieval practice activity focusing on the key knowledge and key vocabulary about their current unit or a previous unit with the aim to support the children to know more, remember more and understand more.

Enrichment Opportunities

We enrich our art curriculum through relevant trips, visitors into school and additional activities offered to the children. In the past, these have included:

• Art enrichment weeks where the children got to experience different types of art such as a felting, mosaic art and weaving; artists visited to carry out workshops and the children worked collaboratively across the age groups.
• Our own art show at the local art gallery (see links below).
• Trip to Bristol to look at graffiti art.
• Trip to Bristol to make watercolour paintings of the Suspension Bridge.
• Trips to our local park to sketch the wildlife.
• Visits to and from our local potter.
• Various afterschool clubs including pottery, art, sewing and craft club.

Art Outcomes

At Uplands, we communicate our learning through a variety of outcomes. These can include research on specific artists, work in our sketchbooks, sketches, paintings, model making uses various medium, textile work, collage and art shows.

Class teachers formatively assess the children’s understanding of the key knowledge, vocabulary and skills taught throughout their lessons. They also record an overall understanding of key areas at the end of each unit to enable the subject leader and future teachers to have a picture of each child’s learning journey across their time from Reception to Year 6.

Watch the video below to see some examples of the children's wonderful art in their sketchbooks.

Artist of the Term

Every term, each class is introduced to an artist who they learn about - this could include researching about the artist, looking at their artwork and discussing how we feel about it, and producing work inspired by their techniques or final pieces. We have ensured that we have a good range of artists from different countries, cultures, time periods and art styles.

Click on the document below to see the full list of artists that we cover with our Artist of the Term overview.

Art Exhibitions at Lansdown Gallery

Every few years, we hold an art show at the wonderful Lansdown Gallery. Some of the year 5 and 6 children act as the hosts and show visitors around. It is normally open to the public for a couple of days where artwork can be purchased and we hold a special opening evening for parents and children to attend. Below are a couple of links to local newspaper coverage of our events.

Our Art Curriculum

We have carefully mapped out the key knowledge and vocabulary that we want to ensure each child retains from the units of work they cover across their time at Uplands School. These key points of learning will lead into the end of unit outcome that we have also mapped out in the document below.