VISUAL ARTS MICHAEL O’REILLY School Plan School Policy Document © Michael O'Reilly 2015

The General School Plan Michael O'Reilly 2015  1. Introduction  2. Vision statement – general aims  3. Objectives for each strand – throughout the school  4. Outline of policies on special needs, linkage and integration, time, display, assessment, management of materials, identifying supports for implementation, ICT, equality, health and safety, planning and reporting, staff development, parental involvement, success criteria and review

School Plan – 1.Introduction Michael O'Reilly 2015  Why are we writing this document?  What is the purpose of this document?  Who is it meant to inform?

Sample Introduction Michael O'Reilly 2015  This is the visual arts school plan for (name of school ). It has been designed collaboratively by the staff of the school with the purposes of (a)providing an overview of the visual arts throughout the school and of (b) providing a framework within which more specific planning can take place. This plan is for the information of teachers, others who work within our school, parents and all other partners in our school community. This plan will be revieved in…by..

School Plan – 2.Vision Statement. Michael O'Reilly 2015  Look at your mission / ethos statement.  Which elements of this relate to arts education?  Do we agree that our mission / ethos needs arts education to be achieved?  Can we make a statement explaining this?  Can we state a set of broad aims for ourselves?

Sample Vision Statement Michael O'Reilly 2015  In line with our schools mission statement, that emphasises the holistic development of all our children and the development of children’s creativity, we as a staff believe that the visual arts has a key role to play in achieving this mission.  Therefore our main aims in visual arts education are to: 1. enable children in all our classes to produce good art work by engaging in art processes 2. provide a broad and balanced programme in visual arts education in every class by working with all six strands of the curriculum and 3. balance work in making art with children and work in looking and responding to art with children in all our classes

School Plan – 3.Objectives Michael O'Reilly 2015  Avoid writing a syllabus – the curriculum statement is the menu syllabus  Avoid being “product driven “.  Try to state what will be happening at all class levels in each strand area.  This is possible to do because of the repetition of objectives from class to class.

Sample Objectives- Drawing. In every class in our school the children will Michael O'Reilly 2015  experiment with and use a wide variety of age appropriate drawing materials  draw with these on a range of surfaces  make drawings about their own lives ( experience )  make drawings based on their imaginings ( imagination )  make drawings of what they see ( observation )  talk about their own drawings  look at and respond to drawings by other children  look at and respond to drawings by artists  develop an awareness of the elements of art as they engage in drawing activities. WHAT MIGHT OBJECTIVES FOR ANOTHER STRAND LOOK LIKE?

School Plan – 4.Special Needs Michael O'Reilly 2015  Children who attend learning support?  Children with specific learning needs – those with SEN Assistants?  Children with more specific disabilities?  Gifted children?

Sample Special Needs Policy Michael O'Reilly 2015  It is the policy in our school that all children will participate in visual arts activities within the mainstream class situation. Children with particular special needs will be assisted in activities by their special needs assistants. Additional support will be provided for children with specific disabilities by school ancillary staff.

School Plan – 5. Integration/Linkage Michael O'Reilly 2015  Identify particular aspects of work in other subject areas that would integrate well with work in the visual arts.  Avoid broad, generic statements.  Consider the use of thematic planning in relation to the issue of linkage.

Sample: Integration. Michael O'Reilly 2015  As a staff we see possibilities for integrating our work in visual arts with the following aspects of other subject areas  oral language ( English/ Gaeilge ) – will be integrated with the looking and responding work  design and make ( Science ) and shape and space ( Mathematics )– will be integrated with work in construction  media studies ( SPHE ) – will be integrated with….  Mapmaking ( Geography – will be integrated with drawing  As a staff we will ensure linkage within our visual arts programme by planning work within our school / classrooms on a thematic basis.

School Plan – 6. Time Michael O'Reilly 2015  As outlined in the introduction to the curriculum.  Senior classes( 3 hours-arts education )  Junior classes(2.5 hours-arts education )  What about the discretionary time?

Sample: Time Michael O'Reilly 2015  Time allocated to visual arts activity in every class will be as outlined in the introduction to the curriculum ( minimum time allocations ). Some discretionary time may also be allocated periodically to work in the visual arts ( particularly in the context of integrated project work or celebration occasions ).

School Plan – 7.Display. Michael O'Reilly 2015  What?  Where?  When?  How?

Sample: Display. Michael O'Reilly 2015  It is the policy in our school that every child will have the opportunity to see their art on display on a regular basis.  The art will be displayed in classrooms, on school corridors, in school public spaces and on occasion outside the school.  Displays of art may be on a rotational basis with children themselves involved in making decisions about what will be displayed and how it will be displayed.  Framed reproductions of the work of artists will be displayed around the school for the purposes of looking and responding activities.  Local artists may be asked to display samples of their work in the school from time to time for the same purpose.

School Plan – 8.Assessment Michael O'Reilly 2015  Policy on evaluation  Policy on assessment  Assessment tools – informal teacher observations, teacher designed tasks, portfolio work, curriculum profiles and self assessment are the tools outlined in the curriculum  What are the simplest ways to organise these tools?

Sample: Assessment Michael O'Reilly 2015  Individual teachers and the staff as a group will regularly evaluate the programme by referring back to our sets of stated objectives. A short session at each staff meeting at the beginning of each term will be allocated to this work.  The assessment of the children’s work will be made by teachers on the basis of their informal observations.  These observations will be communicated on an informal basis between class teachers and to parents at parent-teacher meetings. More formal reports of these observations will be made to parents as part of annual written school reports.  Visual records of each child’s work will be maintained in a drawing book ( to be passed from class to class ), in portfolios of work ( to be maintained on a yearly/termly basis ) and in arts journals / process journals.

School Plan – 9. Materials. Michael O'Reilly 2015  Where does the money come from?  What materials will be purchased and by whom?  Have we the facility for some materials to be held in central storage?  Who is responsible for managing this?

Sample: Materials. Michael O'Reilly 2015  An appropriate amount of money will be requested on book bills annually to fund our visual arts programme. A percentage of monies collected will be given to the visual arts post holder for the purchase of centrally stored stocks  Each teacher will be responsible for purchasing and maintaining an adequate stock of basic materials in his/her own classroom ( see attached lists ).  The post holder for visual arts will maintain a central store for materials that are not required in class on a regular basis ( see attached list ).  It will be the responsibility of individual teachers to inform the post holder when supplies of these are running out so that further stocks may be purchased.

School Plan – 10.Supports. Michael O'Reilly 2015  The parents  The local community  Artists living locally  Local arts centres, galleries, museums and education officers  National support structures

School Plan – 11. Other Policies Michael O'Reilly 2015  ICT and Visual Arts – in ICT Policy?  Equality – in equality policy?  Health and Safety – in H/S Policy?  Teachers’ Planning and Reporting  Staff Development Opportunities  Parental Involvement  Success Criteria  Review