Art and Design

Art and Design Leader: Mrs Guest

Art and Design

At Holme School, our art and design curriculum provides the foundation for creativity, self-expression, and cultural appreciation. Our long-term overviews have been developed to ensure all pupils are taught essential artistic knowledge, techniques, and processes, whilst developing curiosity, imagination, and a lifelong love of creativity.

Art and Design is a foundation subject of the National Curriculum, and creative exploration underpins all our teaching. Art is taught through a balance of drawing, painting, printmaking, textiles, and 3D/sculpture, whilst developing the key skills of generating ideas, working with different media, refining techniques, evaluating outcomes, and appreciating the work of artists, designers, and craftspeople. Our lessons are arranged using a cycle, where we learn about artists and genres, develop new skills and our own ideas, plan and create a final piece and evaluate our own and others’ work.

Vision

Our vision is to nurture young artists who embody our school values—aspirational in their goals, adventurous in their explorations, creative in their approaches, resilient in overcoming challenges, respectful in their interactions, and independent in their thinking. Through this, we equip our pupils with the knowledge, skills, and mind-set necessary to thrive in the modern world and make meaningful contributions through art and design.

Aspirational: We believe every child is an artist in their own right. Our curriculum inspires children to take pride in their work and aim high. By exploring the work of great artists past and present, pupils see that their ideas matter—and that their creative voice is powerful and valued.

Adventurous: Art at Holme is about exploring, experimenting, and being brave. We encourage children to take risks, try new techniques, and embrace the unexpected. Whether sculpting with clay or experimenting with bold colours, pupils are supported to step out of their comfort zone and unlock their artistic potential.

Creative: Creativity is at the heart of everything we do. Pupils are given the freedom to generate ideas, explore styles, and express their feelings, thoughts, and identities. From sketchbooks to large-scale collaborative work, we nurture originality and imaginative thinking.

Resilient: Art can be challenging, and part of the joy is working through mistakes or trying again. Our curriculum builds resilience by encouraging children to reflect, persevere, and understand that artistic growth is a journey, not an end point.

Respectful: We foster a classroom culture where all contributions are valued. Pupils learn to discuss and evaluate art thoughtfully and respectfully, developing an appreciation of diverse perspectives, traditions, and cultural heritage.

Independent: From choosing materials to refining their ideas, we encourage independence at every stage. Pupils take ownership of their creative choices, developing confidence and pride in their work while learning to trust their own vision.

Organisation

We run a two-year rolling cycle in Class 1 to accommodate our EYFS–KS1 children. In Class 2, our Art and Design curriculum is taught through a four-year rolling programme, carefully structured so that each year builds on the skills of the previous one. This ensures progression in both technical ability and creative thinking as pupils move through the school.

Every year, children revisit the core strands of:

• Drawing– developing from mark-making and observation to refined use of line, tone, texture, and perspective.
• Painting– progressing from colour exploration to more advanced use of colour theory, brush techniques, and composition.
• 3D and Sculpture– starting with simple construction and modelling before moving towards more complex sculptural techniques and the use of varied materials.

Alongside these core units, we enrich the curriculum with opportunities to experience other disciplines such as printmaking and textiles. These are often taught through visits and workshops led by external artists and practitioners, who bring specialist knowledge, fresh perspectives, and real-world experience into the classroom.

This rolling structure enables all pupils to continually refine and deepen their skills, ensuring a balance between technical progression, creative exploration, and cultural appreciation across their time at Holme School.

Impact

The impact of our art curriculum is seen in confident, creative, and independent pupils who:

• develop a deep appreciation for the arts and understand its cultural significance.

• build a portfolio that shows progression in technical skill, creativity, and originality.

• reflect thoughtfully on their own work and that of others, providing constructive feedback.

• engage with their community through exhibitions and collaborative projects.

• show resilience in overcoming artistic challenges and aspire to continually refine their skills.

Our pupils leave Holme Junior & Infant School well-prepared to continue their artistic journey, equipped with creativity, confidence, and curiosity to contribute positively to the wider world.

Art & Design Overviews

Progression Drawing

Progression Documents

Our Art Cycle

Art Week 2025

Holme School had the great privilege of hosting another Art Week exhibition in 2025, as a fringe venue. This time, we opened the whole school with rooms dedicated to visiting artists Helen Robinson, Kate Griffin, Thelma Nelson and Cess & Boo. Pupils from both Holme and Hinchliffe Mill exhibited their printing work. Reception and KS1 children based theirs upon the weather, LKS2 from Hinchliffe Mill and KS2 from Holme had a theme 'Fabric of Nature', where we created works based on animals and William Morris. UKS2 pupils at Hinchliffe Mill had the theme of Space. 

Holmfirth Arts Festival 2025 - The Graveship of Holme

We were lucky enough to take part in a very special Holmfirth Arts Festival, based upon graveships (how land was divided up a long time ago). We took on the theme of Victorian children, based upon a story a local writer (Mary Walker) had created called Three Lost Shoes. Pupils danced, sang and produced some fantastic art with The Children's Art School to display at the final event in Holmfirth. 

Artweek 2024 - our exhibition as a fringe venue 'The Lost Words'

The Lost Words is a ‘book of spells’ that seeks to conjure back the near-lost magic and strangeness of the nature that surrounds us. Each lost word is conjured back to importance through Robert MacFarlane’s powerful spells. They are called spells rather than poems as they are designed to be spoken (or sung!) out loud in order to summon back these words and creatures into our hearts. 

The book began as a response to the removal of everyday nature words - among them "acorn", "bluebell", "kingfisher" and "wren" - from a widely used children’s dictionary, because those words were not being used enough by children to merit inclusion. But The Lost Words then grew to become a much broader protest at the loss of the natural world around us, as well as a celebration of the creatures and plants with which we share our lives, in all their wonderful, characterful glory."

Robert explains: "We’ve got more than 50% of species in decline. And names, good names, well used can help us see and they help us care. We find it hard to love what we cannot give a name to. And what we do not love we will not save.”

Each acrostic spell has 3 accompanying artworks by Jackie Morris– a glorious triptych of watercolour painting – firstly a clever but solemn display of the creature or plant’s absence from our world, then the spell itself accompanied by an ‘icon-esque’ self portrait of the central character surrounded with sumptuous gold leaf, and finally the creature or plant is depicted embedded in its natural habitat.

Hilary Hughes generously donated 'The Lost Words' to Holme School several years ago after falling in love with the book. She was eager to share its magic, and it has indeed captivated the children at Holme School. Nestled in the stunning Yorkshire countryside, our school is fortunate to be immersed in nature every day. This exhibition was our way of expressing gratitude for her wonderful gift and for the extraordinary environment in which we live.

 Holmfirth Arts Festival 2024

Our children had the opportunity to take part in Holmfirth Arts Festival this year. Karen Stansfield from West Yorkshire Print Workshop visited our Class 2 pupils, who took part in a screen printing workshop based upon the work of Ukrainian folk artist, Maria Prymachenko. Our children carried our banner proudly through the streets of Holmfirth the following Saturday during the Sunflowers Parade. 

Dragons

During Autumn Term, Class 2 immersed themselves in the world of dragons, reading texts such as How To Train Your Dragon and Darwin's Dragons. In art, we made our own 'dragon eyes' out of clay. Pupils spent time learning skills to manipulate clay, create texture and pattern, join with slip and score. Each child then designed their own 'dragon eye' and made it, finally painting it using acrylics.  

The Big Draw

For The Big Draw 2024, the whole school were given the opportunity to work with Hardeep Singh Sahota, who has exhibited his Bhangra Lexicon light painting series at Yorkshire Sculpture Park. The Big Draw theme this year was 'Drawing With Your Senses' so we used Bhangra music to dance to and a camera on a slow shutter speed to capture all of our movement. It was a very different way of drawing for the children than they are used to and they enjoyed it immensely! 

Sketchbooks

All children record their learning in their sketchbooks, experimenting with techniques and mediums, and working towards a final piece. Risks are encouraged and mistakes are celebrated! Pupils notate in their sketchbooks, commenting on what they have used and how they feel about their creations. Art from the past as well as contemporary artists are researched and art topics vary. Our sketchbooks are beautiful and pieces of work in their own right! 

Community Arts

We have invited parents, governors and other members of our school community in to create flowers for displays, take part in willow workshops and decorate mugs to celebrate royal occasions! Pupils' work has also been exhibited at Empty Gallery In Holme after creating some wonderful Greek pottery with local ceramicist, Tim Copsey. Our children took part in the Biennale, working with The Children's Art School, to create textile pieces which contributed to a stunning piece based on the work of Joanna Vasconcelos.