Art and Design

“Creative people are curious, flexible, persistent, and independent with a tremendous spirit of adventure & a love of play.” – Henri Matisse

At Great Bradfords Junior School, we want our children to be enthusiastic, imaginative artists and designers with a thirst for creativity! Our art curriculum is designed to engage, inspire and challenge pupils, whilst equipping them with the knowledge and skills to be able to experiment, invent and create their own works of art. Whilst exploring the masterpieces of diverse and unique artists, artisans and designers, they will learn about the historical and cultural development of the art forms whilst learning to analyse different forms of art, developing their knowledge and using the language of art to express their own thoughts and ideas reflectively.

Striving for excellence through the use of critique is an essential part of our school’s ethos; therefore, our children use self and peer assessments, evaluating and supporting each other with precise feedback whilst continuing to develop their use of key vocabulary. Through links with the local community, our pupils’ work is displayed in public forums, such as the Braintree library or local supermarkets, and we endeavour to continue with this approach. That sense of purpose and feeling of pride when their artwork is publicly displayed is key to driving our pupils’ motivation and enthusiasm. Furthermore, our pupils learn how art can be used to give meaningful messages in ways which words cannot reach; therefore, it is paramount that our pupils’ voices are seen by as many audiences as possible.

As our pupils progress through school, they will continue to develop and improve their skills in drawing, painting, sculpture, printing, collage and textiles, with opportunities to revisit these techniques throughout our curriculum, in order to reach their full potential. We want our pupils to have no limits to what their ambitions are and to grow up wanting to be the artists of tomorrow, destined for successful careers which require the attributes of incredible artists and designers.