Curriculum Implementation

Implementation

Art structures the curriculum into a 3-year Key Stage 3, a 2 year KS4 and a 2 year KS5 curriculum.

Subject specialists have given consideration and thought to the sequence and rationale of the curriculum; why we teach the content we do and in the order that we do. This is to ensure knowledge is not isolated information; it is connected knowledge that enables comprehension.

At Key Stage 3, the full National Curriculum is delivered. The Art curriculum is organised into topics and sequences of lessons. Each topic builds on prior knowledge allowing connections to be made and enables knowledge to be transferable. In Art we believe this facilitates deeper comprehension. The topic content taught is chosen so lessons focus on developing deeper understanding and capacity for skilful performance.

At Key Stage 4, the full OCR GCSE Art & Design specification is delivered. Content is structured into topics and sequences of lessons. We do not ‘teach to the test.’ The curriculum is designed to ensure students develop knowledge, skills, and understanding to enable them to express their creativity and imagination through responses to visual and written stimuli. Each lesson builds on prior learning, allowing connections to be made between content Units have been organised and designed to promote learning and provide depth and breadth of understanding

At Key Stage 5 the OCR Art & Design specification is delivered. Content is structured into units. We do not ‘teach to the test.’ The curriculum is designed to ensure students develop skills, creativity, imagination and independence based on personal experience, taught skills and critical understanding. Learners show this through their responses to a range of stimuli. Each lesson builds on prior learning, allowing connections to be made between content. Units have been organised and designed to promote learning and provide depth and breadth of understanding

Student voice has been conducted to ensure that students have a contribution to the curriculum content. This has resulted in elements of digital art being introduced across all key stages.

The Art department is a member of the National Society for Education in Art and Design and works alongside the School Improvement Partners to quality assure our curriculum and ensure that it provides a high quality and comprehensive curriculum for all.

Pedagogical approach

The pedagogical approach for Art adheres to the LLT Teaching and Learning Policy. Subject specialists deliver the Art curriculum through 50,55-minute lessons per fortnight

Rosenshine and ‘Teach Like a Champion’ strategies are implemented in all lessons and lesson episodes are designed to enable students to store knowledge into the long-term memory.

Lessons

Tasks and activities are engaging and whenever possible are linked to local context, careers and progression and develop cultural capital. Examples include a year 10 project where students study Cityscapes and how the historical influences and regeneration of the City of Liverpool have influenced the design of Architecture both past and present.

Lessons are structured to enable students to review/retrieve prior knowledge and activate it to make connections with new learning. This is through ‘Do It Now’ tasks at the start of each lesson

In each lesson, students are informed what they are learning and what the outcomes for the lesson are. We call these ‘WALT’ (What we are all learning today,) and ‘WILF’ (What I’m Looking For.)

New information is delivered in small steps and models are provided to support student comprehension. In Art we model a range of Art techniques via YouTube videos that the Art Department have produced to support confidence through guided practice.

Lessons provide opportunities for students to practice applying their new learning. This may include guided and/or independent practice. For example, at KS3 the curriculum planning provides opportunities for students to ‘bring all together’ their knowledge and skills developed during recent lessons. This enables them to practice and work indecently to produce personalised and creative outcomes.

Questioning is used to inform adaptive teaching, and this includes techniques such as ‘right is right’ to ensure students accurately and clearly articulate their responses. At KS4 questioning is used to enable students to reflect on their own work and how they can improve it further.

Students are asked to complete practical based activities such as such as on and off-site research tasks. These include visits to the Walker Art Gallery, Museum of Liverpool and the City of Liverpool. This allows students to collect research and experience first-hand the impact and importance of personal involvement when undertaking research-based activities.

Assessment takes place in the form of formative and summative assessment tasks. These are carefully considered and link directly to the curriculum intent for the half term. Assessments are cumulative so students are supported and required to implement prior knowledge developed throughout their Art journey at Deyes.

Clear ‘essential knowledge reading’ activities are provided to support reading development and provide depth and breadth to the curriculum. For example, at key stage 3 pupils are provided with ambitious wider reading throughout the term. This ranges from material provided by Tate Kids which introduces students to a greater range of artists, BBC Bitesize articles on colour and design development at KS4 and KS5 articles on Art in Context to promote breadth, depth and consolidation of classroom learning.

Literacy

In Art, teachers:

Clearly communicate their subject discipline using appropriate vocabulary. This includes the use of command words, vocabulary lists, Tier 2 and 3 vocabulary.

Art reading materials are carefully selected to develop reading and comprehension skills. The Art department teach reading comprehension strategies through use of appropriate subject specific Art vocabulary, providing resources which enhance and support the development of literacy skills, we provide support for students so they can access challenging texts such as Art and Historical sources.

In Art we provide opportunities for students to ‘bring together’ knowledge developed. This is through extended writing tasks, practical demonstrations or other research-based tasks

To develop oracy the Art Department has designed and implemented an ambitious, context-driven curriculum for oracy across different phases and subject disciplines. Curriculum planning throughout each key stage is designed to develop a progression of Art language, vocabulary and terminology. This is evident within Schemes of work, Lesson plans, Exemplar lessons and Assessment criteria used within all Key Stage assessment booklets, Knowledge Organisers and YouTube Video demonstrations.