KS2 · Year 5 · National Curriculum Aligned
Year 5 Art & Design Scheme of Work
In Year 5, pupils develop significant artistic maturity and independence. Projects become extended and ambitious, requiring pupils to make sustained creative decisions over several sessions. Sketchbooks are central to practice and pupils are expected to use them to plan, experiment, evaluate and annotate their work with increasing sophistication.
Pupils explore printmaking, landscape painting, life drawing, textiles and architecture-inspired design work. They study a broader range of art movements and cultural traditions, including Impressionism, Modernism and non-Western art, developing a more nuanced understanding of how context shapes artistic output.
At a glance
Units
6 half-term units
Key stage
KS2
Year group
Year 5
NC alignment
Full programmes of study
Expected prior knowledge
- ✓Still-life painting and tonal colour mixing from Y4
- ✓Lino-style relief printing from Y4
- ✓Portrait drawing and digital art from Y4
- ✓Sustained sketchbook practice including artist research and evaluation
Units across the year
Six half-term units covering all strands of the KS2 Art & Design programme of study.
Autumn 1Printmaking
Printing and Pattern
National Curriculum objectives
- –To improve mastery of printmaking techniques combining multiple processes
- –To develop a design that shows a clear understanding of pattern and repetition
- –To know about the history and cultural significance of pattern
Key activities
- –Researching pattern traditions from Islamic geometry, Japanese textiles and Aboriginal art
- –Designing a complex repeating pattern with multiple colours
- –Producing a multi-layer print using registration techniques
- –Evaluating the accuracy and aesthetic quality of printed pattern
- –Creating a final framed print edition of three
Key vocabulary
registrationmulti-layerrepeatmotiftessellationIslamic geometryAboriginaledition
Autumn 2Painting
Painting: Landscapes
National Curriculum objectives
- –To improve mastery of painting with a range of colours and techniques to capture landscape
- –To know about landscape painting traditions and key artists
- –To develop a personal approach to painting
Key activities
- –Studying Impressionist landscapes by Monet and Post-Impressionist work by Van Gogh
- –Exploring different mark-making techniques in paint: dabs, swirls, palette knife
- –Painting an en plein air-style study in the school grounds
- –Developing a large-scale studio landscape painting from sketches and photographs
- –Evaluating colour, mood and technique in finished work
Key vocabulary
landscapeImpressionismplein airpalette knifebrushworkforegroundmidgroundbackground
Spring 1Drawing
Drawing: Life Drawing
National Curriculum objectives
- –To improve mastery of figure drawing from direct observation
- –To understand proportion and gesture in the human figure
- –To know about life drawing as a foundation of fine art practice
Key activities
- –Warm-up gesture drawing exercises: 30-second to 2-minute poses
- –Studying the figure drawings of Egon Schiele and Alberto Giacometti
- –Using a mannequin or posed classmates to practise proportion
- –Developing longer observational figure drawings using charcoal
- –Annotating drawings with notes on proportion, gesture and technique
Key vocabulary
figuregestureproportionposecontourcharcoalSchieleGiacometti
Spring 2Textiles
Textiles and Design
National Curriculum objectives
- –To develop mastery in textile techniques including weaving, stitching and printing on fabric
- –To design and make a textile product with a clear aesthetic intention
- –To know about textile traditions from different cultures
Key activities
- –Exploring weaving techniques on card looms using varied yarns and threads
- –Learning basic embroidery stitches: running stitch, cross stitch, chain stitch
- –Studying traditional textiles: West African kente cloth, Indian block printing and Bauhaus weaving
- –Designing and printing or stitching a textile panel
- –Evaluating the textile work in relation to its intended purpose
Key vocabulary
weavewarpweftstitchembroiderykenteBauhauspattern
Summer 1Drawing
Architecture and Design
National Curriculum objectives
- –To use drawing to design and communicate architectural ideas
- –To understand how architecture relates to art and design
- –To know about significant architects and their approach to design
Key activities
- –Drawing buildings from observation using perspective techniques
- –Studying the work of Zaha Hadid and Antoni Gaudi
- –Designing a dream building or community space for a given purpose
- –Creating a detailed architectural drawing using rulers and set squares
- –Building a model of the designed building from card and reclaimed materials
Key vocabulary
architectureperspectivevanishing pointscaleelevationHadidGaudidesign
Summer 2Drawing
Sketchbooks: Personal Project
National Curriculum objectives
- –To initiate and develop a personal art project through sustained sketchbook work
- –To demonstrate independence in choosing a theme, artist reference and materials
- –To evaluate the development process and final resolved outcome
Key activities
- –Choosing a personal theme for investigation (e.g. animals, the sea, sport, music)
- –Completing artist research pages related to the chosen theme
- –Developing experimental techniques in sketchbooks across at least three sessions
- –Producing a resolved final artwork in a chosen medium
- –Presenting the sketchbook and final work with a written or verbal artist statement
Key vocabulary
personal projectthemeinvestigationprocessresolutionstatementintentionjourney
Progression into Year 6
In Year 6, pupils complete their primary art education with a focus on consolidation, ambition and personal artistic voice. They undertake extended projects in portraiture, sculpture and digital art, study major art movements in depth and develop the skills needed to make sophisticated critical evaluations of their own and others' work.
Individual lesson plans
Full lesson frameworks — learning objectives, vocabulary, lesson structure, and common misconceptions — for each unit in this scheme.
View all Year 5 Art & Design lesson plans →