Arts Award lunchtime chats

BY: Kate Attard
06 May 2020

Over the spring and summer of 2020 we ran a weekly lunchtime webinar chat where we heard how a range of different advisers and centres have adapted their Arts Award delivery over the last few weeks with young people working at home. Below is a roundup of the webinars we have delivered and how you can access the recordings.

Some centres have managed to continue the delivery they began before lockdown whereas others have stated whole new projects that set out to engage young people and ensure creativity still flourishes and skills develop in new ways.

Don't forget also to check out our blog posts to support you with adapting your deliver to remote working, including specific ones covering Bronze and Explore, Silver and Gold.

Upstart projects/Arts award Voice

Di Walton and Emrys Green from Upstart projects joined us to talk about how Voice Magazine can help support advisers and young people with your Arts Award delivery and cultural engagement. They also shared their top tips for Arts Award advising from home based on previous experience of offering in this way joined by one of the young people who achieved with them in this way, Jo.

Some useful links we shared during the session

Chichester Festival Theatre

We were delighted to be joined by Richard Knowles, Education Projects Manager and Ella Bassett, Community Trainee from Chichester Festival Theatre. We discussed the theatre's approach to delivering Arts Award online. Ella also spoke about her journey with Gold Arts Award so far as part of her traineeship and the adaptations that she has made. To find out more about their remote Arts Award offer please see their website

The Point, Eastleigh Borough Council

We were joined by Emma Christie from The Point, Eastleigh. We discussed the their approach to delivering Arts Award Discover as a home arts challenge, and explored their supporting website and resources. You can find out more about their Arts Award Discover at home offer on their website.

Music Learning Collective

Paul Hose joined us from Music Learning Collective, a group of music schools in the Midlands who offer Arts Award alongside their instrumental lessons. He talked us through how they have moved their Arts Award delivery online and offered Discover and Explore to keep their participants engaged.

Some useful links from the MLC website shared during the webinar

Haberdashers' Aske School for Girls

We were joined by Simon Tuner, Louise Wallace, Charlotte Turner who deliver Bronze, Silver and Gold Arts Award and have transferred their delivery online since lockdown and found some real benefits to their online delivery that they plan to continue when the school is open again. The school has been using the online resources on Arts Award on Voice which you can find links to further up this page.

Kids in Museums

We were joined by Alison Bowyer from Kids in Museums who will share interesting examples of remote Arts Award delivery from the museums and heritage sector as well as talking about the challenges they are setting online.

Some useful links shared during the webinar

The Kids in Museum manifesto: https://kidsinmuseums.org.uk/what-we-do/manifesto/
Winner of last year's Family Friendly museum: https://www.carnegiebirthplace.com/
Kids in Museums Take Over Day: https://kidsinmuseums.org.uk/what-we-do/takeover-day/
Lots of resources and guidance on Arts Award and Takeover Days: https://kidsinmuseums.org.uk/tag/arts-award/
Kids in Museums weekly curation of 10 home learning activities offered by museums: https://kidsinmuseums.org.uk/2020/05/boost-your-lockdown-learning-with-this-weeks-top-10-activities/
Kids in Museums resource on welcoming visitors with autism: https://kidsinmuseums.org.uk/resources/how-can-your-museum-better-welcome-families-and-young-people-with-autism/
Wakefield Museums & Castles resource: http://wakefieldmuseumsandlibraries.blogspot.com/p/activities.html
Find out more about The Historic Dockyard Chatham's Arts award at home offer: https://thedockyard.co.uk/the-collections/museum-from-home/arts_award/

Skimstone Arts

We were joined by Claire Webster Saaremets from Skimstone Arts who shared how they have been continuing to deliver Arts Award remotely with some very vulnerable young people and the breakthroughs that some of the have had during lockdown.

DIY Theatre

We were joined by Sue Caudle, Artistic Director of DIY Theatre Company. DIY is an established Learning Disability Theatre Company based in Salford. Sue shared some of the adaptations that she has made to supporting young people with learning disabilities to continue to work towards their Arts Awards during lockdown.

Some useful links shared during the webinar

https://www.diytheatre.org.uk/arts-award/arts-award-support/

https://www.diytheatre.org.uk/arts-award/arts-award-young-people/

https://www.diytheatre.org.uk/how-to-take-part/create-and-connect-with-diy-from-a-distance/

The King's School Worcester

We were joined by Head of Drama, Shara Parry from The King's School Worcester. Shara shared with us how she has continued to support learners to work towards their Arts Award remotely.

Children's University Kent

Emma Jenkins from the Education People who run the Children's University in Kent spoke to us about how they have been delivering Discover during lock down, working with parents on home learning challenges.

Formby High School

Hear the Formby High School team, and two of their Arts Award students, to explore how they have adapted their delivery of Arts Award as an enrichment option (one of the only ones that has continued during lockdown) as well as delivering with the children of key workers. Formby High School have also blogged for us recently about their work with the children of Key Workers.

Some useful links shared during the webinar

Venture Arts

Venture Arts along with two young artists discussed how they have adapted to continuing to complete their Arts Awards online. They talked about their delivery and provided some useful top tips.