Art and Design

The teaching of art throughout the curriculum builds on skills, creativity and self- expression. Art provides visual, tactile and sensory experiences together with a personal way of understanding and responding to the world. Through Art & Design activities the children at British Schools of America learn to make informed value judgments and practical decisions. Appreciation and study of the work of artists, craftspeople and designers informs and promotes appreciation of art within our lives.

We are very proud of the displays of pupil artwork prominent throughout our schools and our children are encouraged to take pride in their skill and imagination, obviously seen in their work. In each year group children experience a variety of methods and are encouraged to explore techniques and skills.

Each year they will work with the following techniques or media to their own appropriate art development: 2-d and 3-d; pencils to sketch; paint techniques; fabric art from batik to tie-dye; scale and perspective.

We encourage an enjoyment of a child's own artistic expression as well as appreciation of art history and everyday art around us. We use the great wealth of art available to us to offer our children as much exposure to a wide range of art and artists as possible.

During Key Stage 1 pupils develop their creativity and imagination by exploring the visual, tactile and sensory qualities of materials and processes. They learn about the role of art, craft and design in their environment. They begin to understand colour, shape and space and pattern and texture and use them to represent their ideas and feelings.

During Key Stage 2 pupils develop their creativity and imagination through more complex activities. These help to build on their skills and improve their control of materials, tools and techniques. They increase their critical awareness of the roles and purposes of art, craft and design in different times and cultures. They become more confident in using visual and tactile elements and materials and processes to communicate what they see, feel and think.

During Key Stage 3 pupils develop their creativity and imagination through more sustained activities. These help them to build on and improve their practical and critical skills and to extend their knowledge and experience of materials, processes and practices. They engage confidently with art, craft and design in the contemporary world and from different times and cultures. They become more independent in using the visual language to communicate their own ideas, feelings and meanings.

In Key Stage 4, pupils learn to develop creative and imaginative powers and the practical skills for communicating and expressing ideas, feelings, and meanings in art, craft and design. They are taught how to acquire investigative, analytical, experimental and interpretative capabilities, aesthetic understanding and critical skills, understanding of codes and conventions of art, craft and design and awareness of the context in which they operate, and knowledge and understanding of art, craft and design in contemporary societies and in other times and cultures.