In This Section
The Arts
'All children are artists.' (Pablo Picasso)
At Marie Weller Primary School, we believe that Art and Design should be taught to encourage creativity, inspire imagination and foster unique styles of both Art and Design.
We strive to engage, facilitate and challenge our children in order to equip them with the knowledge and skills required to experiment, invent and create their own pieces of work.
Children are carefully guided through the design, make and evaluation processes necessary to construct their own products.
Once a term, the children throughout school work towards a collaborative display of Art and Design to enhance our creative learning environment.
The children experience creating a combination of both 2D and 3D pieces of work.
There are many opportunities for the children to explore a range of media, materials and tools in which their skills develop throughout their creative journey at Marie Weller.
As the children progress, they will begin to think critically and develop an understanding and respect for how Art and Design can reflect our culture and the culture of others’.
Children will also develop an appreciation of art and well-known artists and where possible, link this to our locality.
We are fortunate to be able to offer a well-resourced Art Room where we teach the majority of our Art and Design lessons. We believe that being in a designated Art Room inspires children’s creativity and allows them to work more freely.
Children are made aware of the Health and Safety elements applicable to the tools and materials they are using, particularly in food technology.
At Marie Weller we aim to embed our school ethos through the subject of Art and Design.
MWPS Art Progression of Skills
Dance
'I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to dance better than myself.' (Mikhail Baryshnikov)
Dance and movement play a vital part in the development of young children into confident, coordinated and well adjusted individuals. At Marie Weller we believe it is an essential element in providing a broad and balanced programme for all children. Dance is viewed as an integrating activity that combines thinking, feeling and doing. We use a variety of teaching and learning styles in our lessons. There are opportunities for children of all abilities to develop their skills. We believe dance enhances social awareness, flexibility, grace and the ability to work as part of a team, supporting each other's ideas.
Drama
'What is drama but life with the dull bits cut out.' (Alfred Hitchcock)
At Marie Weller, drama activities are planned to help children to develop social skills, memory and imagination. This also provides an opportunity to build vocabulary, confidence and trust whilst learning cooperation, communication and aesthetic appreciation skills. All children, from Reception to Year 6, take part in drama and we believe that these kinds of activities help the pupils to express themselves in ways which would not be possible in other lessons.
Music
“Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.” (Victor Hugo)
At Marie Weller music provides a creative outlet for all children to explore and make sounds, both individually and together. From the very youngest to the very oldest, children learn about instruments, composers, song, rhythm, timing, pitch and control through high quality teaching in singing and playing instruments.
The children are encouraged to sing and play musically with increasing confidence and control, develop an understanding of musical composition, organise and manipulate ideas within musical structures and reproduce sounds from aural memory.
Children will begin to develop an understanding of musical notation and listen to and appreciate a wide range of music drawn from different traditions, composers, musicians and time periods.
As well as curriculum music the children take part in numerous performances throughout the year such as Harvest assemblies, Christmas performances and musical productions.
All children in Key Stage 2 will also have the opportunity to learn to play an instrument in a whole class lesson. For children with a particular interest or talent we will offer extra-curricular activities such as a Marie Weller choir.
Music is seen as the most natural thing in the world and makes our school a vibrant, happy place while creating children who can express themselves with maturity and confidence.