Creative Curriculum at Bradstow
At Bradstow, we offer a bespoke and inclusive Creative curriculum including art and design, music, and design and technology with the aim of giving young people a range of different creative activities and to be able to demonstrate their creative skills at their own level. We have developed a programme which is linked to the National Curriculum strands and also our own 'Bradstow Strands' which are linked to outcomes from individual Education, Health and Care Plans. We aim for our pupils to be able to express themselves creatively and imaginatively, and to communicate effectively both verbally and non-verbally with others in a range of social situations, appropriate to their levels and needs. Creative Arts takes on a very multi-sensory approach at Bradstow. We have decided to use the creative curriculum as a vehicle for engaging student in aspects of Religious Education and Personal Development. The arts naturally lend themselves well to different faiths and cultures as the same time as enabling reflexions between our own faiths and others through music, art and literacy.
We teach pupils the skills they need to communicate in ways related to their individual needs, developing and accessing regularly their skills in communication, reading and writing. Cross-curriculum themes have been developed to incorporate National Curriculum objectives and functional independent objectives whilst meeting the individual needs and learning styles of our pupils. The Creative curriculum will be linked to a text to help boost cross curricular links and to bring in functional literacy as well as well providing a hook to encourage the pupils to engage in the activity.
As a UNICEF Rights Respecting School we understand that every child has the right to say what they think in all matter affecting them and to have their views taken seriously (Article 12).
At Bradstow we offer an overarching creative curriculum which includes Art & Design, Musicm Design & Technlogy and a raft of opportunities which contribute to creative exploration, development and experiences with a view to include these in adult life. This is driven by our school values and supported around the Preparing for Adulthood (PfA) outcomes and outcomes agreed in the individual Education, Health and Care Plans of each young person. Through exposure to a range of different activities hopefully the young people will find an activity that they are passionate for and might lead to further opportunities to pursue this in the future.
Art & Design
We aim to provide experiences and opportunities for students to explore a range of artistic media to develop their creativity and to provide an effective method for expression. This process will also enable students to access the work of other artists, craft makers, designers and architects, to experience a whole range of materials and techniques. We will provide different opportunities through a range of different contexts for pupils to explore and use a range of different artistic materials and be able to use them to make a variety of artworks.
The skills taught through the creative curriculum such as being able to choose from a range of art materials, make a piece of creative art and then be able to display the artwork to others. These skills wil hel teh pupils when they are in the 6th Form to gain a qualification in OR Life and Living which will further help the pupils after they leave Bradstow School. In Art, pupils experience working with a wide range of different mediums suck as clay, plaster, print, fabric, paper, glue, pastels and paint. They can study and learn about the work of specific artists and explore both 2D and 3D work.
The programme of study will enable students to:
- explore a range of different artistic media to develop forms of expression and creativity
- develop and share ideas, experiences and imagination through different materials and techniques
- explore a range of artistic techniques including; colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form, and space
- explore the work of other artists, craft makers, designers and architects
Music
We aim to provide experiences and opportunities for students to explore a range of musical experiences to develop their creativity and to provide an effective method for expression. This process will also enable students to access live or recorded music, a variety of musical genre, composers, artists and traditions. Students will explore a range of musical instruments to develop their own skills and interests. Bradstow also has a music room with a range of larger musical instruments for pupils with a specific music interest to pursue their hobbies such as guitar, drums, piano and music mixing equipment.
The programme of study will enable students to:
- explore a range of live and recorded music from various traditions, composers and musicians.
- develop some understanding of teh history of music.
- explore a range of musical techniques including; rhythm, melody, harmony, timbre, dynamics, texture and form.
- begin to play and perform with increasing accuracy, fluency, expression and control.
- explore different forms of graphical notation.
Design & Technology
We aim to provide experiences and opportunities for students to plan, make, test and evaluate items and projects or creations. This will enable the students to build a greater understanding of the various properties of building materials and plan effective ways to combine materials for specific purposes such as creating projects on theme days.
The programme of study will enable students to:
- To explore a range different materials for construction with a plan to create something functional.
- To design and make a constructed object of item to fulfil a specific function.
- To test the completed product and evaluate the finished item to identify issues or flaws and identify solutions to these issues.
- To develop and learn a range of technical skills to add the construction process.
- To explore a range of structures and simple mechanisms to create moveable parts for creative ideas.
Links to RE and Personal Development
To enable a systematic and broad approach to faiths, our planning allows for students to explore and access the music, food, art and other cultural aspects of at least two faiths each half term. This is based around a related and accessible text through our whole school approach of the Power of Reading.
Creative Curriculum Map
