Art and Design
Art and design lessons are delivered weekly by our specialist art and design teacher.
Cooks Spinney are in the fortunate position to have a custom-made art studio on site where all art and design lessons are delivered. This is a stimulating space where pupils are free to express themselves artistically and make a mess!
As a result of our art and design curriculum, pupils will:
Why is the teaching of art and design important for Cooks Spinney's pupils?
Art and design is important because it encompasses all the developmental domains in child development. Art and design lends itself to physical development and the enhancement of fine and gross motor skills. For instance, when pupils work with clay, they fine-tune their muscle control in their fingers. All manipulative movements involved in art help develop hand and finger muscles that are needed to properly hold and use a pencil.
Art and design activities also help our pupils’ social and emotional development. Children learn about themselves and others through art activities. It really helps them build self-esteem. It’s an opportunity for pupils to make a personal statement about their uniqueness through art while allowing them to express emotions.
Art and design also enhances our pupils’ cognitive development; Pupils who have studied a wide range of artists and designers will have an array of ideas to choose from when creating. Art and design reflects what pupils know about the world and enables them to choose how to translate those ideas and experiences.
Finally, art and design is important because it allows our pupils to be creative. Each piece of clay manipulated or each painting is individual to each child and should be treated with awe.
Who will our pupils learn about?
Pupils at Cooks Spinney learn about a wide range of artists and designers including Pablo Picasso, Henry Moore, Claude Monet, Henri Matisse​, Vincent van Gogh, Lauren Burch, Yayoi Kusama, Andy Goldsworthy, Wassily Kandinsky, Georgia O'Keefe, Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Henri Rousseau, Alberto Giacometti, Kimmy Cantrell and David Hockney.
Our Art and Design curriculum can be seen in the whole school curriculum overview at the bottom of this page.
