Key Stage 2 · ages 7 to 11
Key Stage 2 art and design: what your child learns
In Years 3 to 6, children keep sketchbooks to record what they see and to revisit their ideas later. They improve their control of drawing, painting and sculpture, experimenting as they go; pencil, charcoal, paint and clay are only examples, as schools choose their materials. They also learn about great artists, architects and designers in history, again chosen by the school.
Guides for parents
Key Stage 2 art and design
Pencil and charcoal drawing
How Key Stage 2 children improve their drawing with pencil and charcoal: tone, shading, hatching and blending, common mistakes and simple ways to practise at home.
Key Stage 2 art and design
Great architects in history
What children in Years 3 to 6 learn about famous architects and their buildings, how schools choose examples, how to read a building, and ideas for home.
Key Stage 2 art and design
Great artists in history
What children in Years 3 to 6 learn about famous artists and craft makers, how schools choose who to study, how to look closely at a work of art, and ideas for home.
Key Stage 2 art and design
Great designers in history
What children in Years 3 to 6 learn about famous designers, from patterns and pottery to maps and road signs, how schools choose, and ideas for home.
Key Stage 2 art and design
Painting techniques
How Key Stage 2 children improve at painting: mixing colours, tints and shades, washes and blending, brush control, common mistakes and ideas to try at home.
Key Stage 2 art and design
Sculpture with clay
How Key Stage 2 children improve at sculpture with clay: pinch, coil and slab methods, joining pieces, drying and firing, common mistakes and ideas for home.
Key Stage 2 art and design
Sketchbooks and observation
How Key Stage 2 children use sketchbooks to record observations: drawing from real objects, annotating, experimenting with materials, and how to support it at home.
Key Stage 2 art and design
Reviewing and revisiting ideas
How Key Stage 2 children use sketchbooks to look back at their work, evaluate it with the language of art, and develop ideas, plus ways to help at home.
Everything in the Key Stage 2 art and design curriculum
The National Curriculum topics for Key Stage 2, in the order the National Curriculum lists them.