Art at Freshford is a vital and rich offering which is both drawn out of the ideas within the Big Question and is a means of expressing those ideas. It is a core philosophy and not an added extra; we believe that to create and make art is a right and one that makes children powerful communicators.
It is our aim that by the time every child leaves Freshford, they can feel as if they have found an area of the visual arts that is relevant and engaging to them – that might be through drawing, or making, or designing, talking about art and above all knowing that art is a powerful means of communication and expression. In developing mastery pieces of writing for all areas of the curriculum, art and visual literacy are how a child may enhance, give meaning to and represent understanding of ‘knowledge’.
To achieve this, it is important that we create as many kinds of opportunities as possible so that each child can find the thing which strikes a chord with them. That means covering lots of different disciplines, techniques, materials and approaches.
The richness and relevance of experience make learning memorable and impactful. It helps build knowledge and understanding in children (and teachers) about some of the ways art is relevant to all our lives. By combining technical skills with contextual and conceptual understanding our Big Question curriculum helps ensure every child feels entitled to embrace their own creativity as something which is important to them, and something which is valued by society.