At Merton Infant school we are passionate about providing experiences that all children can access which develop skills, knowledge, appreciation and enjoyment of art. In line with the National Curriculum we believe that art education should ‘engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design’.
Art is experienced as part of our integrated curriculum. We believe that this approach captivates children’s creativity as the works they produce are related to something familiar that they have been learning about and become intrigued by.
Across the school we are proud to celebrate and display all of the children’s artwork. As well as creating a beautiful environment this also provides a platform for children to share different techniques and give each other feedback. We also invite families in for exhibitions of work allowing children to experience this element of being an artist. It is lovely to see children’s confidence flourish through this and their sense of accomplishment.
We believe that Design and Technology gives children the opportunity to develop skills, knowledge and understanding of designing and making functional products. We feel it is vital to nurture creativity and innovation through design and by exploring the designed world in which we live and work.
We develop the children's skills and knowledge in design, structures, mechanisms, electrical control and use a range of materials including food. This is done by providing exciting activities linked to topics that encourage creativity and the opportunity to think about important issues.
In Year R, a wide variety of DT skills are taught through each term's project. Children are encouraged to be creative and innovative using construction toys and develop joining skills and fine motor skills. They are encouraged to use these skills to solve problems.
In Years 1 and 2, the children learn about becoming a designer and the process of design, plan, make and evaluate.