Art at Eliot Bank

Art is an integral part of the curriculum at Eliot Bank. Every term has a new focus which is shared across the whole school from Early Years to Year 6, incorporating themes and skills such as using a famous artist for inspiration. The Arts Team ensures that all staff are led and trained in the techniques we use, so that the children make good progress in their own skills.

We work on a two-year cycle and in the first year of the cycle, our whole school focus is sketching and painting, with a particular emphasis on portraits, whilst in the second year, the emphasis is on painting and sketching landscapes and still life. In the spring term we focus on printing in the first year and then on 3D modelling (sculpture) in year 2. In the summer term we select a particular piece of artwork or artist to guide and inspire our work. Every October we take inspiration from Black History Month to produce artwork based on work by famous and influential black artists – with some fabulous results.

As part of our response to the curriculum, all children from year 2 upwards use high quality sketchbooks to show their responses and to record the progression of their skills.

We are very fortunate to have a great relationship with the team at Dulwich Picture Gallery. Each year, many pupils get to work with an artists from the Gallery. Years 1, 2 and 3 have previously been visited in their classrooms by an artist who led Printing workshops, resulting in some absolutely stunning pieces of work linked in with the year groups’ topics, and we also have opportunities to visit the gallery itself. At Eliot Bank, we like to celebrate all the children’s work and we continue to have many Art displays and exhibit work all around our school. We also continue to forge collaborations with local businesses to increase the opportunities to display the children’s fabulous artwork in the community.

Rebecca Keen, Arts Team Leader