ABSTRACT
Art and design stimulates creativity and imagination. The National Curriculum has given status and recognition to art as a foundation subject in its own right – 'art for art's sake'. Teachers have an obligation to ensure quality learning by pupils and that good standards are achieved in art, and to develop an inclusive curriculum framework that takes account of pupils' relative ability to record what they have seen, imagined or recalled. Art, craft and design can provide 'a distinctive way of learning, where seeing, feeling, thinking and making are combined in a powerful form of visual and tactile communication'. Art and design makes a significant contribution towards developing self-advocacy in young people with special educational needs. Looking at art can foster pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, and also contribute to other foundation subjects across the curriculum. Children's artistic expression reflects the way they organise information and make sense of their world.
