Art is an integral part of the Junior School curriculum and provides pupils with the opportunities to trial different techniques, materials and mediums. During Virtual Webber, Art continued to provide pupils with a period of time away from their devices and offered a time to express themselves, a time for reflection and a release. The lovely aspect of Art is that you do not need to be a world renowned artist to create your own masterpieces whether this be in school, online or at home. The opportunities offered in the Junior School will often have curriculum links to History, Geography and English that helps embed deper learning.
Supporting pupil’s mental health and wellbeing has always been an important aspect of Webber, as a result of the lockdown periods and limited social interactions that the children have had with their peers this has become even more important. One such way that this has been managed is through the arts. Art itself is a subject where it is okay to experiment and enjoy the experiences and processes that take place as the children create their own interpretation of the task.
During the online learning period, Art lessons have had to become more creative as children do not have access to such a wide range of resources that the School has to offer. This has led to Art lessons being planned to allow pupils to access the subject whether through the use of natural materials outside, using web based drawing and manipulation programmes or using clothing as their colour pallet and paint. This last home art resource may sound rather unusual, however Year 5 were challenged to pick an artwork by a significant artist and then recreate it by using clothing they had at home. The results speak for themselves and show how creative and adaptable the pupils have become.
Mr Simon Jeacock
Year 5 Teacher
