Curriculum Intent 

St Thomas believes that the Arts should be central to a well-rounded education. We follow the KAPOW Art scheme which aims to inspire pupils and develop their confidence to experiment and invent their own works of Art. The scheme is written by experts in their field and designed to give pupils every opportunity to develop their ability, nurture their talent and interests, express their ideas and thoughts about the world, as well as learning about Art and Artists across cultures and through history.  There are opportunities for children of all abilities to develop their skills and knowledge in each teaching unit and the planned progression built into the Art curriculum from KAPOW means that the children are increasingly challenged as they move through the school.   

Implementation 

At St Thomas, we follow a condensed curriculum which focuses on the essential skills and knowledge of Art and DT in only 3 units per year group, per half term.  Art and Design in Advent 1, Lent 1 and Pentecost 1 and Design Technology in Advent 2, Lent 2 and Pentecost 2.  In Years 1 & 2, we follow a two-year rolling curriculum whereby in Year A we follow the Year 1 scheme of work and in Year B we follow the Year 2 scheme of work.   

Using the KAPOW scheme, teachers use the following: 

  • A knowledge organiser for each term which outlines knowledge (including vocabulary) all children must master. 
  • A cycle of lessons which carefully plan for progression and depth. 
  • We aim to provide high quality Art experiences to enrich their learning experiences. 
  • A means to display and celebrate the pupils’ Artwork in sketchbooks, in their class and around the school. 

Lessons are always practical in nature and encourage experimental and exploratory learning with pupils using sketchbooks to document their ideas.  Every child from Reception to Year 6 has a sketchbook. The sketchbook does not follow the school’s presentation or marking policy; we feel very strongly that it belongs to the child. It’s not just a book - it is a space where children can freely express, create, develop, and learn, often with limited guidance from the teacher. The sketchbook should be at the centre of their creativity.  

Impact 

The KAPOW Art Curriculum is high quality, well thought and is planned to demonstrate progression. If children are keeping up with the curriculum, they are deemed to be making good or better progress. In addition, we measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods: 

  • A reflection on standards achieved and knowledge gained against the planned outcomes.  
  • Pupil discussions about their learning, which includes discussion of the thoughts, ideas, processing and evaluations of work. 
  • Use of pupil’s sketchbooks to showcase their Artwork journey and reflections. 
  • ‘Make It Stick’ questions at the end of each lesson and weekly retrieval activities to allow our children to continuously recap on their knowledge.  

Our children should leave St Thomas equipped with a range of techniques and the confidence and creativity to form a strong foundation for their Art and Design learning at Key Stage 3 and beyond.