Art

Vision

"Art is a vital part of the education of all children, stimulating creativity, imagination, and inventiveness."

Art and design at The Leys serves as a vital tool for personal development and well-being, equipping children with the emotional resilience to reflect on their experiences throughout their lives. By fostering creative thinking—a crucial, lifelong skill—our curriculum empowers pupils to become innovative contributors to wider society and the future workforce.

Intent

Through our art and design curriculum, we intend for children to gain:

Curriculum Aims

What we want children to know, remember and be able to do in Art by the end of each phase.

Implentation

AccessArt is a split-test, pedagogy-rich curriculum designed to build visual literacy, drawing stamina, and creative confidence. Rather than just focusing on an end product, it emphasizes the process of making.

Every single unit across the school follows a structured 5-stage journey:Introduction Lesson: Sparking curiosity, exploring a theme, or introducing a core concept.

AccessArt Across School Phases:

Early Years & Key Stage 1 (Ages 4–7)
Focus: Sensory exploration, fine motor skills, and building confidence.In this phase, the 5-stage journey is highly playful. The "Practice Skills" phase might involve exploring how hard or soft they can press with a graphite stick, while the "Make Project" focuses heavily on the joy of creation rather than a rigid outcome.Resources Used: Chunky charcoal, soft pastels, large rolls of sugar paper, clay, and everyday found objects for printmaking.

Lower Key Stage 2 (Ages 7–9)
Focus: Developing control, introducing sketchbooks, and expanding visual vocabulary.The "Key Artists" lesson becomes more analytical, encouraging children to talk about why an artist used a specific technique. Sketchbooks are introduced as a safe space to "Practice Skills" before moving onto the final project.Resources Used: Quality drawing pencils (2B, 4B, 6B), watercolours, basic carving tools for clay, and mixed-media collaging materials.

Upper Key Stage 2 (Ages 9–11)
Focus: Autonomy, critical thinking, and mastery of diverse media.Students take real ownership during the "Make Project" phase, often choosing their own direction based on the stimulus. The "Evaluate" stage involves peer critique and deeper self-reflection on how they overcame creative challenges.Resources Used: Acrylic paints, complex printmaking inks, wire/modroc for 3D sculpting, and digital arts tools.
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Inclusion:
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What are the key barriers and how are these overcome in this subject?

Subject inclusion document
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Impact: Pupil Voice
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EYFS- 
Anaya- I made dinosaur bones. I took white sticks. First, I drew a circle and a face and then I added the white sticks for bones. I like painting. 
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Oscar- I made a dinosaur by drawing it from some shapes. I used a semi-circle and some rectangles for the legs and triangles for spikes. I like drawing shapes in my name. 

Oliver- I get to do junk modelling. We get to stick the junk together. I made a marble run. I like that my teacher gives me time to be creative.

Acrina- I made pictures of butterflies and i coloured them pink, purple and blue. I like painting because I can draw different things.

Year 1- 
Kitana- we’re learning about birds and different types. We got to make our bird. We made our wings, body and tail out of paper

Tia- I like making birds and creating the body and the eyes. 

Kundai- we had to do our rubbings on the chair or the floor or the window. I liked creating our birds because I love sticking and glueing stuff together.

Hughclyd- we drew lots of circles but they had to be slow. We drew seashells using pencils and colouring pencils. I like drawing because it’s my favourite thing to do.

Lana-Rae- We did light and shade and we also did the Christmasaurus. It was a special drawing. I like art because I get to explore different things each time I do art. We get to colour in things.

Maya- we tried to draw a bird with our continuous lines. I like art where we can draw different things. 

Year 2- 
Haven- We do art in our lessons like for world earth day.  We painted a big box white and then we cut bits of cardboard and turned it into a roof. Then, we stuck straw onto the roof and it turned into the great fire of London houses.

Victoria- I like how we get to be creative.  I like how we get to learn about architecture and different artists and we try to do art like them.

Year 3- 
Antoni- In art, we are drawing some birds because later we are going to do clay sculptures of them. I drew a phoenix. I like art because people say I’m a good drawer.

Amiah- We drew designs in our art book and later we are using clay to make different birds and then we are going to paint them and add feathers. I like to draw and paint. My favourite thing this year is shading.

Emmy- we used charcoal to draw animals and caves so we could be like the stone age. I like that we get to draw.

Evie- We are doing art about a story ‘bobby and the robin’ What i like about art is that i get to do my hobby. I practice lots at home

Charlie- I like art because it's fun and I get to do my hobby. I’ve been drawing multiple things like birds and I also get to do it when I get free time.

Year 4- 
Jasmine- We drew pictures from a poem called Daddy fell into the pond. I traced the pictures and we used watercolours and then did a bit of colouring to make it darker. 

Eddie- I like that we get to paint in art. I like drawing and writing all sorts of things about art. 

Year 5-
Barnaby- we’ve been looking at dress designing and coat designing. We made little figures that we made clothes for out of materials like leather, denim and plastic. The reason why I like art is because it's calming, relaxing and fun.

Noah- we had old maps and we used them to locate spots and then we drew spots in colours. I like art because it makes me feel calm because in drawing it makes a sound which makes me relaxed.
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Nova- we get to make things and we get to spend a long time making them. I like art because it gives me a pop and relaxes me and its a hobby. Art is a subject where you can be creative.

Marnie- we are doing set design which is the background and things for a play so people can understand what is happening in it and the scenery. I like doing it because it gives me a chance to be free because there’s lots of features and choice.

Tieri- we’re planning to use shoe boxes to make our own set design. Set design helps me to understand what is happening in movies. I like when we get to craft our own things and use our minds so things look nice.

Year 6-
Oliver- we have made packaging. We looked at typography and looked at different age groups. We are making the packaging out of cardboard and paper. Art shows your creativity. 

Robert- we get to choose what our art packaging is for. I like that you can express what you are thinking into drawing.

Poppy- this year, towards the start, we created booklets/zines. We were writing about protected characteristics. We added happy things and motivational quotes. I like how i can express my feelings and make things bright to show my personality.

Todi- In STEAM week, we drew jars of jellybeans. I like that we got to do it how we wanted, without a specific structure. We also used watercolours to create sunsets for ww2 and added black paper for models.

Art Overview:
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Enrichment:
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We have a weekly art club here at The Leys and regularly run competitions to get the children engaged in Art. Art is an integral part of our curriculum here at the Leys and is often part of our Take One Book and STEAM weeks. We’ve had the local MP in to look at the Art we have been doing as a school. Across the school, the work of the children also has a chance to go up on display in the Art Gallery.
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Links
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https://www.tate.org.uk/kids
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https://www.artforkidshub.com/ 
‍https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/z8tnvcw
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2026 Art
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World Art Day - A Garden of Expression: Cultivating Community through Art
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EYFS Art Work
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Year 1 Art Work
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Year 3 Art Work
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Year 4 Art Work
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Year 5 Art Work
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Year 6 Art Work
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The Leys Primary & Nursery School

Ripon Road, Stevenage, Herts, SG1 4QZ.
01438 314148
admin@leys.herts.sch.uk

Copyright © 2022 - The Leys Primary & Nursery School
Headteacher:  Mrs D Khangura
Chair of Governors:  Mrs Marina Stone