“Every child is an artist; the problem is how to remain an artist once they grow up.” Pablo Picasso
At OMA, we value The Arts highly and understand the power of developing artistic skills whilst also fostering a love and appreciation of art in our pupils. We aim to ensure every child finds an aspect of art that appeals to them; by the time pupils leave us at the end of Year 6, they will have encountered a wide range of artistic experiences and become proficient in a variety of art, craft, and design competencies, including drawing, painting, printmaking, 3D design and mixed media.
We follow the Access Art scheme of work. This provides high quality lessons across a range of skills and artistic genres, with opportunities to learn about artists from diverse cultures and backgrounds, both modern and historical. Fluency is built through a spiral curriculum; revisiting and developing skills regularly throughout pupils’ time at OMA in order to give them plenty of opportunities to fine tune skills and hone talents and abilities.
We aim to inspire pupils to become life-long artists and art lovers, with an emphasis on taking part in art activities not just for a finished piece, but also because of the joy that can be experienced through creativity. Pupils are encouraged to take pride in their work and to strive to do their best, but they are also supported to understand that the creative process is just as important as the outcome and that art is often a journey of trial, error, and development.
Our core values are also tightly woven into the art curriculum: Resilience is required to embrace mistakes and turn them into new creative opportunities. Excellence is developed through skill building and practise. Respect is fostered through critiquing the work of others in a thoughtful way and by studying artists from different countries, cultures, and times. Self-worth is developed by nurturing pupils’ confidence in their artistic abilities and pride in the work they produce.
We strive to strike a balance between developing skills and furthering knowledge about art and artists, whilst also giving pupils freedom to voice their opinions and express themselves creatively. Our school is highly inclusive, and this is reflected in our art curriculum, which not only explores artists from diverse backgrounds but also encourages pupils of all ages and abilities to believe that they are an artist.
Every child is entitled to cultural capital, and we want our pupils to leave OMA feeling at home in an art gallery or museum, able to talk about art with the vocabulary to clearly express their opinion and knowledge that their voice counts.
“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” Edgar Degas
