Year 1 Art and Design: What to Teach (England)
Your Teacher Information Pack for Year 1 Art and Design: every national curriculum statement, the tests and dates that matter, and trusted links. Tick what you're teaching and send it straight into the lesson plan maker.
- Country
- England
- Key stage
- KS1
- Ages
- 5–6
- Status
- Compulsory national curriculum subject at KS1
- Source
- National curriculum in England – Published 2013-09-11
- Last checked
- 2026-10-20
Roughly the same age as US Kindergarten–Grade 1 (approximate: the systems don't line up exactly).
The KS1 programme of study for this subject covers the whole key stage; schools decide what to teach in which year.
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.
What to teach
Below is the official programme of study for Year 1 Art and Design: the statutory statements first, then any non-statutory notes and guidance, which schools don't have to follow.
Key stage 1 4 statutory statements
Pupils should be taught:
Key stage 1 Statutory
Pupils should be taught:
- to use a range of materials creatively to design and make products
- to use drawing, painting and sculpture to develop and share their ideas, experiences and imagination
- to develop a wide range of art and design techniques in using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space
- about the work of a range of artists, craft makers and designers, describing the differences and similarities between different practices and disciplines, and making links to their own work
Assessments and key dates
There are no national tests or checks in Year 1. Your school will use its own assessments.
Official documents
Trusted free resources
- Oak National Academy – Free, full lesson sequences for KS1 (government-funded).
- BBC Bitesize – Short videos and quizzes by key stage and subject.
Links only: we don't copy their content and we aren't connected to these organisations.
More packs
Other subjects in Year 1: English, Maths, Science, Computing, Design and Technology, Geography, History, Music, PE.
Find another TIP · National curriculum overview
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
Is art and design compulsory in Year 1?
Yes. Art and Design is a compulsory national curriculum subject at KS1 in England (national curriculum framework, figure 1).
Is the Year 1 content set out year by year?
The KS1 programme of study for this subject covers the whole key stage; schools decide what to teach in which year.