Art and Design at Wicor
At Wicor, we fully support the purpose and aims of teaching art as outlined in the National Curriculum. We believe its ambitions enable us to equip our pupils with the skills and processes needed to work confidently with a wide range of materials, while also providing opportunities for exploration, experimentation and independent discovery.
Our art curriculum also supports our whole-school ethos by encouraging pupils to develop enquiring minds, broaden their understanding of the world and enhance their cultural capital.
National Curriculum: Purpose of Study
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.
As pupils progress, they develop the ability to think critically and gain a deeper understanding of art and design. They also learn how art reflects and shapes history, and contributes to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation.
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, craftspeople and designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of their work
How is Art and Design Organised in Our School?
We follow the AccessArt Pathways curriculum from Year R to Year 6. Within this, we have identified three key Areas of Focus:
Working in three dimensions
Paint, surface and texture
Print, colour and collage
Drawing is embedded across all three areas.
These pathways are designed to inspire and support high-quality teaching and learning in the visual arts. Rooted in the belief that art is far more than a set of technical skills, our curriculum takes a holistic approach—nurturing creativity, critical thinking and personal expression.
By exploring the relevance of art in everyday life, we aim to ensure that pupils feel empowered to develop their creativity and understand their place in the world as confident, creative individuals.
The AccessArt curriculum enables us to deliver a rich, engaging and ambitious programme that aligns fully with the National Curriculum. It sets a benchmark for excellence in art education, allowing both pupils and staff to enjoy the creative process and celebrate outcomes.
Our curriculum is knowledge-rich, supporting pupils to develop a broad range of skills while demonstrating clear progression over time. Learning is structured through the careful layering, revisiting and deepening of experiences.
How Will Your Child Learn Art and Design?
Pupils are provided with a wide range of opportunities and experiences, including working with different media, techniques, approaches and artists. All learning is underpinned by the use of drawing and sketchbooks (art journals), which capture ideas, develop skills and encourage individual creativity.
Pupils are introduced to a diverse range of artists, designers and craftspeople from across the world. We deliberately juxtapose contemporary and traditional practitioners to broaden pupils’ perspectives.
We study artists not to replicate or imitate their work, but to learn from their perspectives, processes and ways of seeing the world.
