Art

Art, craft and design embody some of the highest forms of human creativity. A high-quality art and design education should 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.

Aims

The national curriculum for art and design aims to ensure that all pupils:

 produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences

 become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques

 evaluate and analyse creative works using the language of art, craft and design

 know about great artists, craft makers and designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms.

Key Stage 1

Pupils should be taught:

 to use a range of materials creatively to design and make products

 to use drawing, painting and sculpture to develop and share their ideas, experiences and imagination

 to develop a wide range of art and design techniques in using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space

 about the work of a range of artists, craft makers and designers, describing the differences and similarities between different practices and disciplines, and making links to their own work.

Pupils should be taught to develop their techniques, including their control and their use of materials, with creativity, experimentation and an increasing awareness of different kinds of art, craft and design.

Key Stage 2

Pupils should be taught:

 to create sketch books to record their observations and use them to review and revisit ideas

 to improve their mastery of art and design techniques, including drawing, painting and sculpture with a range of materials [for example, pencil, charcoal, paint, clay]

 about great artists, architects and designers in history.