What is National Policy?

Article published on 24 January 2024

This is what OFSTED say about art for primary schools:

The study of art enables pupils to understand, appreciate and contribute to a dimension of life that taps into and expresses human innovation, imagination and thought. [footnote 1] In this review, the term ‘art’ includes the traditions of art, craft and design. Although this is written primarily based on the experience of delivering art education through Sculpture at Kingham lodge, the comments in relation to art apply also to music and drama.

At an individual level, a high-quality arts education can build pupils’ ability to ‘appreciate and interpret what they observe, communicate what they think and feel, or make what they imagine and invent’. [footnote 2] At its best, the subject is both intellectually challenging and creatively demanding.

As a subject studied in school, art includes a range of practices, as well as theoretical and philosophical ideas and interests. The building blocks of the subject enable pupils to see, to know and to experience art. Pupils learn how to view, discuss and make art in its multifaceted, complex and contested forms.

Art is a rich and varied set of practices central to human civilisation. Art itself is not static, and its purposes, materials and methods are always evolving. Historically, it has served a range of purposes, including representing nature, expressing feelings, embodying formal beauty, and preserving or criticising social norms. Major art forms include painting, sculpture, drawing and printmaking. Since the early 20th century, art has broadened to include photography, performance, installation and new digital media. Art is closely related to design and craft in graphics, typography, textiles and ceramics. It is not easy to draw a clear line between art, craft and design, because the boundaries between them have changed over time; these fields continue to inform and enrich each other. Together, they are the basis of art education in schools.

Art, craft and design are practical in nature, and are partly based on studio practices. They are also informed by related academic disciplines, including the history of art, aesthetics and art criticism. The school subject of art draws on concepts and ideas from all of these traditions. The possible content is vast and subject leaders and curriculum designers need to be selective in what they include in their art curriculums.

The education inspection framework states that a high-quality education includes an ambitious curriculum that gives pupils ‘the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life’.

Art makes an important contribution to pupils’ overall education. Schools must offer a broad and balanced curriculum, according to the law. [footnote 10] This expectation is reflected in the national curriculum and is at the heart of our education inspection framework, which states that a high-quality education consists of pupils being taught ‘a full range of subjects for as long as possible’.

Early education and primary schools

Children first encounter art and design in the early years foundation stage (EYFS). In the EYFS statutory guidance, ‘expressive arts and design’ is a specific area of learning and development. [footnote 12] The guidance says it is important for children to engage with the arts regularly and to explore a range of materials and media. [footnote 13] This helps them to work towards the early learning goals, such as safely using and exploring a variety of materials, tools and techniques. High-quality practice in the early years stimulates children’s interest and imagination in the materials and media they encounter, and provides the necessary foundations for future learning.

Secondary schools

In secondary schools, art is often a separate subject in the timetabled curriculum. This is the first time that many pupils are taught art by a specialist teacher. The key stage 3 curriculum is important for a variety of reasons. Key stage 3 may be the last opportunity for a pupil to engage critically and creatively with art during their education. It is the time when pupils build on the knowledge they learned at primary school, and when teachers address gaps in pupils’ subject knowledge. The key stage 3 curriculum also needs to give pupils the breadth and depth of knowledge necessary for them to be successful at key stage 4 and beyond. An art curriculum that significantly limits the amount of time given to the subject is unlikely to benefit pupils.

For some pupils, the art and design curriculum is the only subject available to them that aligns closely with future training, education and work opportunities within the creative industries. In 2019, the creative industries made a significant contribution (£115.9 billion) to the UK economy. [footnote 25] Many roles in these industries require a qualification in art and design. [footnote 26]

The current national curriculum states that the aims of art and design are to make sure that all pupils: [footnote 29]

produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art, craft and design techniques evaluate and analyse creative works using the language of art, craft and design know about great artists, craft-makers and designers, and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms.

Practical knowledge

Pupils develop practical knowledge through the art and design curriculum. This knowledge is necessary for when they make and create art. Practical knowledge allows pupils to make choices based on what they know about the limits and possibilities of materials and media. This practical knowledge is specific to ways of creating art. The National Society for Education in Art and Design recognises 12 different ‘areas of making’. [footnote 47] These include:

• drawing;
• collage;
• painting;
• textiles;
• printmaking;
• sculpture;
• photography and lens-based media;
• installation and site-specific work;
• ceramics;
• digital and new media;
• creative craft;
• design and graphic design.

Of these areas of making, 3 (drawing, painting and sculpture) are specified in the national curriculum. [footnote 48] The national curriculum also refers to ‘other art, craft and design techniques’. This suggests that schools will include areas of making beyond these 3. [footnote 49] There is therefore a broad range of content for subject leaders and curriculum designers to choose from. A school art curriculum is unlikely to be able to cover all the areas of making in sufficient depth for pupils to engage meaningfully with them. Therefore, subject leaders and curriculum designers need to choose which areas to include. Schools may achieve the aims of the national curriculum in different ways.

For example, in addition to drawing, painting and sculpture primary schools may teach:

• collage, because they have included ‘pop art’ in their curriculum and think this is the most suitable way to teach it, and because a range of everyday items are available for pupils to use; and
• ceramics, because they may have access to particular equipment, such as a kiln oven.

Secondary schools may teach:

• textiles, to give pupils the opportunity to visit and see the work of contemporary artists and craft-makers, and to get a glimpse of career pathways such as fashion and textile design; and
• photography, so that pupils learn a form of artistic visual representation.