Welcome to Art and Design at Highfields!

At Highfields we provide an Art curriculum that is exciting and designed for all pupils to enjoy their art learning journey. At Highfields we strive to ensure that all children enjoy learning about artists, and progressing their skills in art.  We know that some children can find art daunting as they progress in age and begin to compare their outcomes with others who might have a flair or talent for art.  We aim that children understand that art is a process and that the skills journey and progression that they undertake are just as important as a finished piece of artwork on a display.

Special Educational Needs Disability (SEND) / Pupil Premium

All children are able to access Art at Highfields and receive Quality First Teaching.  Some children have aversions to sensory feelings, such as paint on hands, and we have been able to find similar ways to achieve objectives by using paper instead with these children.

Alternative provisions would always be available should a child with needs require a different way of achieving a learning objective using different media, tools or methods of creating art. We strive to ensure that Art at Highfields is a ‘level playing field for all’ allowing all children to reach and achieve their full potential.

We are so lucky to live so close to the Dedham Vale, a local area of outstanding natural beauty, and of course famed for the work of John Constable. We have completed our own school mixed media version of his very famous 'The Haywain' painting and it is proudly on display in the School Hall.

Each class helped to create a section of the Haywain and our upper KS2 pupils helped to paint the iconic Haywain which was then placed carefully onto our finished collage- this required paying close attention to the light and shade which fell on the wheels, and using acrylic paints carefully. In this section of the painting we tried to create as close effect as we could to his brush strokes in oil. We think we did a really good job. The water in this section was layered up with torn paper collage in burnt umber and dark sage and then tiny brush strokes were layered across to help create the smooth millpond  next to Willy Lotts Cottage. 

Perhaps next time you visit Flatford you could take some pencils and paper and do some sketches- do let me know if you do, I would love to see them. 

Mrs Battle

At Highfields Primary School we really value the creative curriculum. Through topic work in the classroom, children have the opportunity to develop their Art skills in key areas such as drawing, clay, textiles, sculpture, painting, print making and collage. These areas are developed continuously throughout the school from foundation stage through to year 6. Ofsted (July 2016) found that, "...due to the high-quality teaching they receive, pupils are confident and creative in their art work. They can clearly explain the techniques they use and have a broad knowledge of a range of artists and sculptors."

We encourage children to be inspired by the work of great artists, engage in a wide range resources and media, to be inventive and creative. We develop critical thinking making links with art to other areas of the curriculum and also the contribution it makes on culture and the world around us. In our recent outstanding Ofsted report the inspectors found that Highfields pupils develop their ..."art and sculpture skills but also a deeper knowledge of the lives and times of the artists that they study."

Our bright and colourful "We are all individual and unique but together we are Highfields" tree. On visiting the school you are sure to see our tree- with hundreds of our individually designed hands- it shows what we can achieve when we work together- we are sure you will agree that it looks magnificent - and the children love to spot their hands- and the little creatures in hidden in the tree trunk! 

Look carefully next time you are in front of the tree and see if you can spot Mrs Cook's hand design...which one do you think it is?

We take great pride in displaying the children’s art work around the school and also show our art work at The Tendring Summer Show along with other local schools.

Octopus Ahoy

Schools were invited to decorate an Octopus with their own design. After lots of different ideas from the children we began to consider local landmarks. The Octopus design was inspired by our local 800-year-old tree 'Old Knobbly' and our school Apple Tree logo. We have included children playing on our lovely school field overlooking the River Stour.  We had twelve classes  all named after woodland creatures, and these are all displayed hidden around the tree. Our Foundation stage children enjoyed painting the apples on the tree and were so patient and careful using 'curl around the caterpillar' brushstrokes to help make the rounded shape of each apple. 

All classes have been very busy producing some wonderful Art work- a selection from across the school. 

Collages inspired by the work of Andy Goldsworthy

Children used different media, including paint and cray-pas to create pictures of flint stones following a visit to Norfolk. 

Children in Year 5 class looked at the work of artist L.S. Lowry, and then created their own sculptures.

We wanted to include these key skills in our art work:

·         To use the past as a source of artistic inspiration.

·         To evaluate and analyse creative works

·         To research the work of an artist and replicate their style.

·         To represent figures and forms in movement.

The figures were then assembled into a three dimensional Lowry inspired landscape.