Art at The Polygon School 

Art is taught as a whole programme over five years. The curriculum is designed to begin at reaffirming the basics and then to introduce new techniques and skills to allow students to fully explore their creativity on a variety of levels. Students learn where this can be applied in art, design, creative industries and their relevant context. Students gain confidence through learning and developing their skills how this can be applied in their final submission. Skills are revisited at different stages with increased difficulty, techniques, materials and requirements. Students are encouraged to enjoy art foremost and become confident in exploring their creativeness and able to select subject matter, media and equipment.  

Intent  

• To take students through from basics to competent, confident artists with a  qualification.  

• To be inclusive to all students regardless of ability and previous experience  

• To celebrate their personal progress and exhibit work  

• To increase the cultural capital of all students regardless of starting point  

• To develop pupil voice and appropriate expression  

• To ensure students realise a worth to their work and learning  

• For students to be aware of art as a visual language  

Implementation  

Lessons alternate between learning a new skill, which will include participating in a demonstration, creative lessons where they will use the new media or technique learned, and theory lessons to develop research skills, knowledge, and vocabulary. Assessment of theory is through a practical piece with specific instruction, and assessment of projects and artworks is in line with Arts Awards dependent on key stage and levels. Students are given the skills to utilise a Bronze Arts Awards in Key stage 3 and to develop confidence and engagement in a variety of creative movements. The requirements for this build the research and skills needed for the progression through the Arts Awards. The curriculum is flexible to allow opportunities that arise with extra funding to work with galleries and artists on local projects. By using local galleries and arts companies for workshops we can often facilitate student's work to be exhibited publicly, linked to other subjects, and local or historical or events. Students are encouraged to experiment and try new experiences, reflect, try the new experience again, and then use in a final piece or as part of a mixed media piece. An atmosphere of positivity with absolutely no ridiculing others’ work allows students to feel safe and more comfortable expressing themselves. All lessons link to the previous and next lessons and are revisited with increasing difficulty through key phases, and subject-specific vocabulary is used. 

In Key Stage 3, students begin with a structured introduction to foundational Art skills, such as:  

• Mark Making  

• Tone and Shade  

• Observational Drawing  

• Colour theory  

• Light and high relief  

• Artist Studies  

• Whole School and cross curricular projects  

Key Stage 4  

During Key Stage 4 will continue with Arts Awards, moving from Bronze level to a Silver or Gold. They will finish a mixture of any lessons or topics missed in KS3 including revisiting skills or topics to embed the learning by increasing the difficulty of the outcome. Students are encouraged to make mixed media pieces selecting appropriate media for the task. Written elements are required to develop a personal opinion, planning, demonstration and evaluation and inform students’ own research. Artist studies are developed in content and presentation. Students are encouraged to experiment with materials, equipment and to be able to select subject matter. Discussing and demonstrating their work is also a requirement for Arts Awards as well as self and peer assessments.  

Students continue their pathway through Arts Awards and are set a brief which could be a title, topic, artist, style or current vent.  

Impact  

Students work is exhibited throughout the school with end of term topics displayed during Target Review Day. Previously pupils work has been shown at Tate Modern, London, Southampton City Gallery, Solent Showcase Gallery, and John Hansard Gallery. 

We have made public art on our school wall and on a Southampton billboard.  

We have used the gallery visits, workshops, and student exhibitions with our curriculum to inspire the students.  

Since introducing Arts Awards, more students are leaving with an art qualification and the students are able to acquire these awards at an earlier age. This helps with participation and sustaining their engagement as there are up to 4 levels to progress through at school.  The levels equate to an entry level, grade 1-3 and grade 4 and above equivalent to GCSE.  

The display of student's work in the classroom and corridors means that younger students are able to see where their learning could be used, and what they are doing currently is leading to the next step. Students are able to discuss their work, opinions, and preferences with others using subject-specific vocabulary.