KS2 Art and Design Curriculum (England)
The whole key stage 2 art and design programme of study from the national curriculum in England, with statutory and non-statutory parts clearly marked. Tick statements to plan a lesson.
- Years
- Year 3, Year 4, Year 5, Year 6
- Ages
- 7–11
- Statutory statements
- 3
- Source
- National curriculum in England: art and design
- Last checked
- 2026-10-20
Current. The government response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review (Nov 2025) says a revised national curriculum will be published by spring 2027 for first teaching from September 2028.
Teaching one year group? Open its TIP: Year 3 Art and Design · Year 4 Art and Design · Year 5 Art and Design · Year 6 Art and Design.
Key stage 2 3 statutory statements
Introduction to Key stage 2 (official text)
Pupils should be taught to develop their techniques, including their control and their use of materials, with creativity, experimentation and an increasing awareness of different kinds of art, craft and design.
Pupils should be taught:
Key stage 2 Statutory
Pupils should be taught:
- to create sketch books to record their observations and use them to review and revisit ideas
- to improve their mastery of art and design techniques, including drawing, painting and sculpture with a range of materials [for example, pencil, charcoal, paint, clay]
- about great artists, architects and designers in history
Official documents
- National curriculum in England: art and design programmes of study (GOV.UK)
- The national curriculum framework for key stages 1 to 4 (GOV.UK)
More
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Department for Education, National curriculum in England: art and design programmes of study (GOV.UK), © Crown copyright.
Statements in the curriculum lists are copied word for word from GOV.UK; everything else on this page (headings, notes, summaries) is written by us. Classfern is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Department for Education or the Standards and Testing Agency. Always check the official documents linked on this page.
Questions teachers ask
What is in the KS2 art and design curriculum?
3 statutory statements in 1 section. Schools must teach the statutory content by the end of the key stage.