At St Laurence, Art and Design gives children opportunities to develop their imagination and to express their individual interests, thoughts and ideas. Teachers engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design. Children are also given opportunities to know how art and design both reflect and shape our history, and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of, not only our nation, but all over the world.

Art and Design activities are taught in a variety of ways across St. Laurence Junior Academy, sometimes in blocks of taught time, as part of a topic, or in short skills-based activities where necessary. Art and Design has relevance across the curriculum and links with other subjects throughout the school. For example, most of our Art and Design has been incorporated into St. Laurence’s long-term planning of History and Geography topics. Some examples of this are making Anglo-Saxon brooches and Greek clay pots. For more links, see our whole-school planning grids.

By the end of Key Stage 2, children are taught to develop their techniques, including their control and use of materials, with creativity, experimentation and an increasing awareness of different kinds of art, craft and design.

They create sketch books to record their observations and use them to review and revisit ideas. They also improve their mastery of art and design techniques, including drawing, painting and sculpture with a range of materials [for example, pencil, charcoal, paint, clay]. Children learn about great artists, architects and designers in history from all over the world and produce work inspired by these individuals.