Art
Art at Spring Bank
The arts play an important role in the education of all our children and all of them have access to the arts. At Spring Bank the arts foster imagination and creativity, promote intellectual and aesthetic development, develop practical and perceptual skills, encourage the explorations of values and promote excellence and enjoyment.
The arts encompass art and design, music, dance, drama, literature (poetry and script writing) also media studies.
Through the teaching of arts we aim:
* to promote personal, social, physical and cognitive development
* to develop confidence and self esteem
* to ensure that all children have access to the arts curriculum
* promote an awareness of our diverse cultural heritage
* provide enjoyable learning experiences which value first hand experiences
* maximise the expertise of specialist teachers and visiting artists.
All children experience using materials, techniques, skills and media, expressing feelings, ideas, developing thoughts and evaluating and appreciating. Learning experiences are in many cases cross curricular promoting excellence and enjoyment. The arts provides all children with the opportunities to learn skills and knowledge, explore/express their feelings and evaluate and appreciate their own and others work.
Our approaches are many and varied. These may include whole class, individual or small group work, teacher directed activities, sketchbook work, outdoor work, visits to galleries, trips and contact with artists. We have a cross curricular approach to the curriculum and the arts is used as a tool to explore other curriculum areas.
In addition, time is allocated over the school year to specific events like Harmony Week, Black History Month, Health & Sports Week, class assemblies and school productions when pupils experience a wealth of timetabled arts experiences.
Children are given opportunities to initiate, plan, develop, present and evaluate their own work, work on collaborative activities, including whole school initiatives so encouraging unity and partnership. Children are also given opportunities to take part in artist led activities. Children of all abilities are encouraged to present aspects of their work and achievememts in arts through participating in workshops, competitions and assemblies. Through arts we aim to establish links with the local community. Those children identified as talented in the arts are encouraged to participate in arts opportunities especially those related to a particular talent.
We offer extra-curricular learning opportunities such as a lunch time art club for Y5/6 paired with KS1 children.
Within art there is access to a wide range of resources. These include ICT, specialist materials and equipment for class use. We have lovely school grounds which we use for art. Over the past few years we have worked with Karen Babayan (artist and parent) to produce a KS2 mural also Glynis Dixon, (teaching assistant and specialist art teacher) to create a KS1 mural. Both works of art are on permanent display.
