At Aspull Church School we choose exciting topics and themes that spark interest in children and teachers alike- discussions take place with pupils and teachers on a regular basis to ensure the curriculum is catered to the strengths and interests of the staff and children. The long term plan is edited and adapted on an annual basis. To enhance the curriculum, we also look at what is going on in the world, any specific events or movements that are occurring at that time can be placed into the curriculum. Our curriculum also supports our Christian Values ensuring they underpin all aspects of teaching and learning.

All children can access art, craft and design clubs provided by the school across the year. These are organised by staff and volunteers with specialist skills. 

The school also plan trips to galleries and museums to support their learning and for pupils to take part in memorable workshops and activities. They have the opportunity to see a range of artworks in real life and discuss them with professionals. 



Staff receive regular CPD and training delivered by local artists and specialist teachers in house- this ensures they have the skills and confidence to deliver inspiring lessons to our children, these training sessions are planned around what is needed for the curriculum and areas which the teachers or subject leader have identified as  areas for development.

From Key Stage One onwards, the children use sketchbooks to develop their skills. Teachers are also encouraged to use sketchbooks as a planning and exploration tool. This personal journal of learning will be at the heart of their creativity. Sketchbooks provide a record of our children’s learning in art and they make our children more independent and confident artists. In them, children are able to articulate, externalise and organise their thoughts and explore, visualise, share and communicate their ideas. They are able to reflect and make their thoughts real- they encourage deeper thinking and self-directed learning. The use of personal sketchbooks helps children focus and inspire confidence. It is also a place where children and staff can link learning to life. Sketchbooks are not marked but feedback is given by the children themselves, teachers and peers, verbally or through the use of post-it notes.

In EYFS children explore and use a variety of media and materials through a combination of child initiated and adult directed activities. They have access to a creative area at all times during continuous provision and are taught specific skills on a weekly basis. In reception, we use the ‘Expressive Arts and Design’ statements to plan activities, sometimes basing them around topics being taught at that time. Parents also share any work the children have produced at home through ‘Wow Moments’ and via Class Dojo. We ensure they are ready to access the National Curriculum in Year One.

Teachers follow a specific planning process when teaching art; research, experimentation, design, making and finally evaluation. Lessons should be creative hubs of exploration for each of these stages. Each lesson should be varied and catered towards that specific focus. Class, group and independent work should occur at different points, time should be allowed for reflection and discussion and children should be allowed time to revisit work. The pace and ‘excitement’ of a lesson should be varied depending on which stage the children are at. A chaotic and ‘buzzing’ lesson maybe appropriate for the research part of a topic whilst a relaxed and almost ‘zen like’ atmosphere maybe appropriate for the design part. Lessons are planned appropriately to adhere to the needs of the cohort and topic.

There are a wide range of resources available across the school for all children to access. Audits are carried out annually and orders are made in accordance with the topics and curriculum plans. Extra resources are ordered for events such as Christmas and the end of year production.

Art is celebrated across the school with wonderful displays within classrooms and shared areas. The children are given the opportunity to have work published eg. Christmas cards and they participate in local and national displays and competitions. We work closely with the community to share, plan and create projects which everyone in the local area can experience and enjoy. The school supplies one of the local churches with art work for display and decoration and we often work collaboratively with other local schools to produce pieces together and share ideas. The learning journey of our children and many final pieces are also shared on social media regularly by all staff.

There are various ways of measuring the impact our implementation has. 

At the beginning of each year, the children have an assessment sheet in their sketchbooks. This is used by teachers and pupils for self-assessment during topics. This is on-going and used to inform future lessons; ensuring children are supported and challenged appropriately. Target Tracker is updated half termly and the data is analysed to inform and address any trends or gaps in attainment. Planning is constantly adapted to meet the needs of all learners. We also assess the impact of the teaching of Art regularly in subject leadership time, were we look at the learning environment and planning, scrutinise books and have  pupil discussions about their learning. Feedback is given to staff to discuss and is acted upon by the relevant people. Reports are shared with governors and discussions with subject governors also take place. Images and videos of the children’s practical learning are shared within school and on social media. Regular written (on post-its) and verbal feedback is given during lesson time. Annual reports are shared with parents and two parents’ evenings occur during the year. Parents are given the time to discuss their child’s learning. 

Children in EYFS are assessed within Expressive Arts and Design and their progress is tracked termly using the Target Tracker. Age related expectation levels are reported to parents at the end of the reception year.



The overall impact of the teaching of Art at Aspull Church can be seen when you walk around the school or speak to the pupils. They have a thirst for learning the subject and enjoy all aspects of it. They speak confidently about their learning and can talk about their own interests as well as how they can improve their work. Our Christian Values are evident across the teaching of the subject our children become confident, lifelong learners and artists!