“Staff at Herne Bay Junior School evidently place a high value on the arts and recognise their contribution to children’s personal development, self-confidence, and good mental health.”
Artsmark, 2023
In 2023, we were awarded the Gold Artsmark at Herne Bay Junior School. We are immensely proud of our commitment to providing a knowledge-rich Art curriculum which engages, inspires and challenges our pupils. We draw upon Curriculum Maestro resources to help deliver a high-quality art curriculum. Children are introduced to a range of artists, media and styles of art. Through a carefully planned progression of lessons, they develop skills in a range of theory and practical opportunities in line with the National Curriculum objectives. Examples include the use of clay, watercolours, casting techniques and printing, to name just a few. Very early on in their journey, they develop a secure knowledge of colour theory which they apply widely across different topic areas as they journey through the school’s art curriculum. We revisit previous learning regularly to help ensure pupils have a deep understanding of art terminology and theory whilst also drawing upon our knowledge organisers for each topic.
We enrich our Art further through links with local artists, an after school Art Club and links with local galleries. We seek to ensure Art is truly inclusive and look at ways of helping all children to be successful. In summer 2024, work from our Year 5 children was exhibited in the King’s Hall.
We also have three dedicated Art Days per year where the whole day is set aside for art-based activities which focus on specific themes:
- Black History Month
- Women’s History Month
- Mental Health Week
Our school has Art Ambassadors. Each academic year, one pupil from each class across the school is selected to be an Art Ambassador. Once per term, this group of students get to work with a local artist for an afternoon. Sometimes, we even go out into the local community which has also included a visit to local secondary school art department.