Art and design at St Thomas is about encouraging children to express their thoughts and emotions in order to connect with themselves, others and the wider world. Art is the expression of viewpoints in time - past, present, future. Through self-expression it allows us to connect with ourselves, others and the wider world. At STC we encourage children to think like creative practitioners and  develop their life long passion for the arts. Children discuss their own and others' perceptions and responses to a diverse range of artwork.  We provide opportunities for children to select and use materials, processes and techniques skillfully and inventively. We want children to explore and invent marks, develop and deconstruct ideas and communicate perceptively. We use resources to investigate how our experiences shape the way we make, talk and express our ideas. 

We use five key concepts to thread through our learning which progresses from Early Years to Year 6. They are:

Line

Colour

Texture

Form and Space

Shape

The process begins with stimulus  - a picture, sculpture, quality text, a piece of music something to promote the children's questions and observations. Techniques are taught - colour mixing, lino print, line drawing etc and a range of media is explored - drawing, painting, textiles, photography, digital media and sculpture. Sketchbooks represent children's reflections and learning process. Creative practitioners such as craft-makers, artists and designers are utilized to promote children's passion and inspiration for art. Learning in art lessons involves planning, creating and evaluation of their own and others' work.  An example of a termly subject plan is shared which shows how we use questioning and a focus on vocabulary in order to make learning stick. 

STC artists are confident and comfortable with their creativity in whatever form it takes.  They have confidence to express themselves creatively and can demonstrate dexterity, coordination and fine motor skills. Our artists demonstrate they appreciate, discuss and evaluate art by making connections to their inner self, others and the wider world.