Art & Design

“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have”
Maya Angelou

Art:

At Holy Cross we have designed an Art curriculum that encourages children to express themselves creatively. It inspires children to use their imagination, to be inventive, to experiment and to be challenged. It also provides them with the skills, concepts and knowledge necessary to produce their own works of art based on personal ideas and experiences. We believe that every child can be an artist!  

Through a range of exciting topics children are given opportunities to experiment and explore their ideas using colour, texture, form, pattern and use different materials, techniques and processes. They are taught to appreciate works of art and are introduced to the life and works of a range of famous artists and sculptors past and present. As children progress, they are encouraged to self-evaluate work and taught how to be reflective and self-analytical to achieve their goals. Children will begin to understand how art and design is incorporated into everyday life and how it reflects and shapes our history and the cultural understanding of the world around us. 

At Holy Cross we ensure that children’s artwork is celebrated not only in classrooms but across the school. We participate in whole school displays in the hall and hold several sharing events to allow parents and the wider school community to look at the artwork produced by the children. 

We use our fabulous location to make the most of every opportunity to visit galleries, to be inspired by the art and sculpture within our city. 

Design and Technology:

At Holy Cross we believe that design and technology not only stimulates and promotes creativity and imagination but makes an essential contribution to the creativity, culture, wealth and well-being of the nation. Design Technology is incorporated and seen in everyday life and therefore we ensure children are given the opportunities to design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a range of different contexts.

Across the school, exciting DT projects are planned based on the termly topic for that year group. Through a range of creative and practical activities children are taught to construct with a purpose in mind. They are able to use different media and materials to express their own ideas and are taught the skills and techniques needed to competently create their own pieces of work. Throughout this process children are taught to evaluate their work and adapt it where necessary.

Children take part in activities that involve research and investigation into existing products. They spend time evaluating design and technology from the past and present and therefore develop a critical understanding of its impact on daily life and environmentally within the wider world.

Design and technology is a subject where children incorporate and acquire a broad range of knowledge from a range of other subjects such as mathematics, science, engineering, computing and art. We believe children should be excited about their learning and motivated to develop and improve their skills. In an ever-changing world we want to develop capable citizens of our society who are inspired to innovate and be enterprising but also challenged to be resourceful, take risks and think critically. ​

Please also see individual class pages for the Art & Design Knowledge Organisers