At d’Auvergne School we recognise the important role that art plays in stimulating creativity and promoting imagination, individuality and emotional well-being.
Building on a skills-based curriculum and through the provision of tactile, visual and sensory experiences we aim to stimulate our children’s creativity through a wide range of starting points and environments to ensure that all our children experience a wide range of artistic activities.
We encourage our children to communicate what they see, feel and think through the use of colour, texture, form, pattern and different materials and processes allows them to become involved in shaping their environment through art and design. From Nursery onwards our children will explore the world around them and through first-hand experiences they are taught to ‘look hard enough to see’ thereby allowing them to explore ideas and meanings. Through the work of artists and designers they will learn about the role and functions of art and explore the impact it has on life and that of different times and cultures. They will also have opportunities to meet and work with local artists.
High quality art education equips children with the skills to explore, experiment, create and invent their own work of art whilst engaging, inspiring and challenging them. At d’Auvergne we recognise that the processes involved in the making of art are as important as the artefacts produced. Therefore, we often photograph and display the ‘making’ process and engage in ongoing discussions during these processes. As artists, children should be able to critically evaluate their work and the work of others, often returning to a skill and further developing a piece of work always asking, ‘How can I improve this, how can I make it better?’ At d’Auvergne we plan for progression though regular repetition and extension of skills, such as sketching, painting, textiles, 2d and 3d clay work, alongside the opportunity to explore these media with an increasing variety of tools and materials.
We believe that the development of the creative skills is an essential part of child development and the appreciation and enjoyment of the visual arts enriches all our lives.
UNRC Article 3 Everyone who works with children should do what is the best for each child.
UNRC Article 29 Children’s education should develop each child’s personality, talents and abilities to the fullest.
UNRC Article 31 Children have the right to relax and play, and to join in a wide range of cultural, artistic and other recreational activities.