At Bilsthorpe Flying High Academy, Art is incredibly important. Not only do we designate a whole term for Art in the summer term as a driver, but we use the subject throughout the year to enhance our other subjects. Art is celebrated throughout school with our amazing art room, immersive corridors, displays and an authentic outcome art gallery. 

We expose children to why Art and Design has an important place in our wider world, allowing them to understand how the subject fits in to the world and what it means, e.g. architecture, local artists, illustrators, designers and craft makers. We have identified key content choices to include a diverse range of significant people. In Art, children are given the opportunity to develop their disciplinary knowledge (skills) by exposing them to a range of global artists from whom they take inspiration for their own work. By learning about famous artists, this increases their cultural capital, awareness of the wider world and may inform their future pursuits after leaving education.  

By learning of famous artists, this increases their cultural capital, awareness of the wider world and may inform their future pursuits after leaving education. At the end of the summer term, the children will be displaying their artwork in our curated Bilsthorpe Gallery, which is open to our school community. The children will take roles as curators and gallery assistants.  

We utilise both local and further afield experts such as local artists and have made links with Nottingham Trent University and provide experiences to enhance our Art provision, such as visits from local fashion designers, architects, and digital artists.   

Each child has their own sketchbook. Sketchbooks tell the story of the artistic journey the children have taken throughout their project. Sketchbooks give children the opportunity to explore, create and reflect on their work. Sketchbooks are a place for children to take in ideas, test out and reflect. Finally, each art project results in a final outcome that may be produced as a class piece, collaborative peer creations or individual pieces.

Take a look at some of our Summer 23 art driver displays: