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‘…the subject leader may well be required to
arrange and deliver ‘in house’ in-service
training, having identified particular needs…’
The relationship between the QCA
units of work and the school
curriculum plan is also important, as
an effective synthesis between the
two is desirable.
The process of producing an
appropriate scheme of work for the
school is a complex one and will be
dealt with in detail in a later edition,
including the provision of a draft policy
and a sample curriculum plans.
Another aspect of school
documentation that some subject
leaders provide for staff, to assist in
raising standards, is a supplementary
‘guidance’ document, which offers
help to those who wish to extend their
knowledge about teaching skills or
appreciate fully the properties of
differing media. Clearly even the most
active subject leader may not have a
comprehensive knowledge of every
medium so several sections in later
editions of START will be devoted to
understanding and exploiting the
properties of diverse media such as
paint and clay, and considering the
most appropriate tools and equipment
to be purchased.
Establishing a whole school
assessment policy
Assessment in relation to art and
design in the primary school is
underdeveloped, despite the
introduction of National Curriculum
levels for assessment purposes at the
end of each key stage.
The art and design subject leader
needs to devise a manageable
assessment system, which is
understood by all staff and used
consistently to ensure that pupils
know what they have to do in order
to improve their performance.
A portfolio of exemplar materials,
mainly examples of a range of pupils’
work assembled according to year
groupings, should be compiled in order
to standardise judgements about the
assessment of pupils’ work. Another
chapter of this handbook will assist
co-ordinators in understanding and
developing assessment procedures.
Identifying and arranging staff
development and training
The corollary of a whole school audit
may well be that some staff need
assistance and guidance teaching the
subject. Each member of staff has a
right to appropriate training but in the
primary school it may well be that it is
not possible to offer individual subject
training outside the institution due to
cost and time constraints. Therefore
the subject leader may well be
required to arrange and deliver ‘in
house’ in-service training, having
identified particular needs; this might
be to develop skills (e.g. 3 D work) or
involve staff in curriculum planning
activities. Small schools often
combine to share training activities
and their common expertise. NSEAD
are able to recommend trainers with
an appropriate background, if needed.
Monitoring performance
‘The one area where practice
continues to remain relatively
underdeveloped despite its
importance – is the monitoring of
teaching in art and design’ states the
2000/01 OFSTED summary report.
Some time should be devoted to
monitoring staff performance and the
delivery of the subject throughout the
school in terms of both curriculum
coverage and standards.
As an OFSTED Inspector I recognise
that opportunities for this to take place
are limited, due to the constraints I
described in the introduction. To be
completely effective, monitoring
should involve lesson observation and
the subject leader will have to ensure
that this is done in a non-threatening
manner, and that an observation
schedule is agreed in advance, as
explored in a later section.
There are obviously additional
strategies for monitoring the way in
which the subject is being delivered in
the school. The subject leader should
regularly take the opportunity to view
pupils’ work, displayed in classes, and
occasionally examine staff planning