Rose Hill Primary School

"Art is a place for children to learn to trust their ideas, themselves, and to explore what is possible." – MaryAnn F. Kohl

 At Rose Hill, we highly value the importance of creativity, visual literacy, and individual expression, encouraging our pupils to think like artists and designers. From Reception to Year 6, every child uses a dedicated sketchbook as a dynamic working tool across their creative subjects, supporting their work in both Art and Design & Technology. In these books, children record drawings, gather observations, and annotate their developing ideas. We place strong emphasis on empowering pupils to take creative risks, experiment, and learn from their mistakes. By treating the sketchbook as a safe, reflective space for trial and error rather than a showcase of finished perfection, we use the creative process to actively build our pupils' resilience, independence, and self-confidence.

Our inclusive and ambitious Art curriculum is designed to inspire, engage, and challenge all learners, equipping them to express ideas and communicate meaning through visual and tactile media. As they progress through the school, pupils build their skills across four core strands: Drawing, Painting and mixed media, Sculpture and 3D, and Craft and design. Through these focused areas, children explore the formal elements of art—such as line, shape, tone, texture, pattern, and colour—giving them the practical foundation to make independent, intentional artistic choices.

Classroom experiences foster an appreciation of art as a powerful form of human expression, helping pupils understand its vital role across different cultures, time periods, and creative industries. Throughout their time at Rose Hill, children study a diverse range of great artists, craftspeople, and designers, interrogating their methods to inspire their own original work. Pupils are taught to handle artistic equipment safely and effectively while learning to reflect critically and constructively on their own work and that of their peers. Whether working independently or collaboratively, we aim for every child to leave Rose Hill equipped to enjoy, create, and respond to art in meaningful ways.

“In my sketchbook I can be me”

“We need to learn how to arrange colours and shapes as it will help me when I grow up with things like decorating my house and knowing how to arrange things.”

“In Art I can use my imagination and show my feelings”