Art

Hi, I am Mrs Woodcock, the Art and Design leader at Riddlesden St Mary’s.

I myself have a love for art, finding it relaxing and therapeutic. In particular, I enjoy taking inspiration from nature and painting watercolour landscapes and local wildlife. With a deep appreciation for the individuality of art, I believe in its power to help children express their emotions and showcase their creativity. At Riddlesden St Mary’s, we encourage students to explore their artistic talents, fostering an environment where self-expression is celebrated and creativity flourishes.

Art is a vital part of primary education because it nurtures creativity, critical thinking, and self-expression. It allows children to experiment, innovate, and develop practical skills that foster confidence and problem-solving. Through art, students gain an understanding of history and culture, as they explore how art reflects and shapes our world. Art allows us to connect with their own feelings and experiences, while also providing a way to explore different perspectives and cultures. By engaging with diverse forms of art, our pupils also learn to appreciate the value of creativity in shaping both individual identity and the broader society.

Action Plan

art action plan 24 26.pdf

Progression Document

rsm art progression document.pdf

Pledges to the Landscape Project

Over the summer term, the Year 5 children took part in the exciting 'Pledges to the Landscape' project. This was delivered by Keighley Creative, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, and local artist Naseem Darbey. We learnt all about the importance of the Moors surrounding our local area and how vital bog are to wildlife and the environment.

Through a series of three workshops, the project raised awareness of the benefits of protecting nature and the green spaces that we live, learn, and play in.

Naseem taught us how to draw what we feel by closing our eyes and allowing our pencils to create the bumps and lines of the plants that we were touching.

She then showed us how to create a continuous line drawing which created abstract, flowing designs.

Finally, she demonstrated how to really closely examine the bog plants we were studying and capture them with vibrant colours.

The Year 5 children then applied all of the art skills that they had learnt and designed their own bog plant inspired artwork. This was taken by Naseem, who used pyrography to burn some of our designs onto a timber dam.

Pledges to the Landscape

Denton Moor

On Wednesday 6^th November, our two selected ambassadors: Josie and Aamil travelled to Denton Moor to see the timber dam being installed. We gained new skills and knowledge about the process of designing an art installation from the inception of the idea to the perfect placement of artwork to create impact. Furthermore, we felt more connected to nature and realised the importance of looking after our environment.

Denton Moor

Art Enrichment Week

The whole school took part in Art enrichment week. Here each year group undertook a project inspired by a famous artist. At the end of the week, we displayed our final masterpieces in frames, ready for our parents to view them. The whole school and wider community were invited to view our pop-up art galleries within our classrooms. We were so proud to display and discuss our artwork with our friends and families.

Art Enrichment Week 2024 - 2025

The Flowerpot Festival

The pupils, staff and parents at Riddlesden St Mary's School embraced the opportunity to be creative and design and make flower pot sculptures. These were placed along a trail for everyone to enjoy, leading to our grand finale show-stopping scene: The Gruffalo. Here we all enjoyed the retelling of the classic story while admiring the flowerpot figures.