In addition to developing practical skills, the Arts Award enables you to gain insight into what life is like as an arts professional, benefitting from work experience, volunteering, interviews with more advanced practitioners and workshops. The Arts Award will inspire you to grow your artistic, creative, leadership and project management skills.
Attracting 16 UCAS points, it is an asset to university and job applications, whilst also providing valuable portfolio-based evidence to take to an interview or audition.
Through student-led creativity and independent learning, the Arts Award challenges you to develop your arts skills, but will also encourage you to investigate topical arts issues and get involved in the arts world. You will have a timetabled session each week
with your teacher who will supervise, mentor, guide and monitor your progress.
Unit 1: Personal arts development
Unit 2: Leadership of an arts project
Arts Award (Gold) encourages student-led creativity and independent learning. It will challenge students to develop their arts practice, lead an arts project, investigate topical arts issues and get involved in the arts world. Students will have one double timetabled session each week with their teacher who will supervise, mentor, guide and monitor progress - using both small group work and individual one-to-ones they will support students in confidently completing the award.
To evidence personal development, students will create a portfolio showcasing new-found knowledge alongside critical-thinking, organisational, problem-solving, communication, collaborative working and management skills.
The award gives you a foothold in the creative industries and many skills for life – whatever your future holds.
The portfolio of evidence is assessed once each learning outcome in each unit has been completed. Teachers will provide feedback and opportunities to make minor improvements. Both units have to be passed for the qualification to be passed overall. The final portfolio is marked by the teacher and moderated by Trinity College.
The skills and evidence developed as part of the course include both those specific to the arts and also wider transferable skills. The award will enrich knowledge, understanding and confidence in related subjects - both practically in creating work; and also, theoretically in articulating ideas through written and verbal communication. Tasks that develop skills and project management; leadership; problem solving; research; and reflective review are core elements of the course. Students will be encouraged to use their portfolio to support applications to university or employment and shown how to incorporate the learning experience into your personal statement writing.
Students will be supported in finding opportunities and experiences within college that involve no (or low) cost, however, the student-led nature of the course means that some learners may choose to embark on external workshops, visit events or attend activities that have a cost (e.g. exhibitions, performances and shows). Students will create digital portfolios and therefore the use of a smartphone or digital camera to take photos/videos of evidence is needed. Note that the college can loan cameras to students. The college has a Student Support Fund for those students who have difficulty meeting these costs.