Bronze Arts Award: providing new creative outlets

This week on the blog we are celebrating achievement and Kate Mylne, Academic Tutor and Mentor at Ngaged Ltd in Christchurch near Bournemouth highlights the incredible journey of one of her Year 11 students who completed Bronze Arts Award this year and in turn discovered a passion for sewing.

Ngaged Ltd offers specialist alternative provision, supporting students who are unable to attend mainstream school. We provide bespoke education, focusing on building self-esteem and resilience through tailor-made tutor and mentoring programmes. Staff work one-to-one with the student either in their home or within the local community.

At the start of this year, we offered our students the opportunity to work towards Bronze or Silver Arts Award, alongside our Functional Skills offer.

Although we are relatively new to delivering Arts Award, we have been amazed at the increased student engagement. In addition to developing creativity, we have seen an increase in confidence and communication skills and for some, even a gentle reintegration back into education.

Bronze Arts Award has had a profound impact on our students, all of which have special educational needs. It offers them an opportunity to earn a nationally recognised qualification and fosters creativity through a structured framework.

Case study: A sewing discovery

When we first met, I knew the student had an interest in art. They had previously enjoyed painting from an early age with their late mother who was an artist.

Over the past academic year, I delivered their art lessons a few times a week in their home. On my first visit, as with all of my new students, I gave them a sketchbook. I emphasised that this could be used as a working document and it’s not about perfection. I suggested they could start anywhere in the book, and it was for them to record their creative journey through Arts Award.

In each session, we explored different art activities for Part A of Bronze Arts Award (explore the arts as a participant). Initially, they struggled to engage but slowly they started to show an interest in print making. This then progressed into silkscreen printing. I tried to encourage them to create some prints in the sketchbook, however the student preferred using other materials.

After a month or so, they became disengaged with the art sessions and became harder to reach. This was until their grandmother mentioned the sewing machine that the student's late mother had bought them.

I asked if they would like to learn how to sew and was given a very positive nod.

This was their first experience of using the sewing machine. We threaded the machine and I quickly noticed their impressive sewing skills. The following week they made a fabric pot and in subsequent weeks this snowballed into more pots, tote bags and simple pattern cutting.

During one session, they showed me their sketchbook. Unbeknown to me, the student had been using it and pointed to a small design of an upcycled denim dress they wanted to make. This was a hugely significant moment, so I thought well let's just go for it! The next thing I knew, they showed me a pile of old jeans. I have a background in fashion and textiles so I felt that by adapting a pattern we could make this idea work, but it might take time.

Each session, I could see their confidence growing with their sewing, and I took the opportunity to further harness their engagement and introduce other parts of Bronze.

For Part B (explore the arts as an audience member), we looked online at ‘London Fashion Week’, however they were not impressed with the selection of shows. The following week they showed me the ‘Chanel’ show which they loved and expressed a desire to visit the shop one day. This was another hugely significant moment highlighting clear engagement with the project!

At each stage of Bronze, I could see their confidence slowly growing and they even managed to visit the Grayson Perry Exhibition of Tapestries. To support them to record evidence of their learning for Arts Award, and to encourage reflection, we used a variety of resources. Initially, we used ‘Clicker’, which then developed into writing notes on their phone. They even asked me to scribe their verbalised thoughts - amazing progress!

When working towards Part C (arts inspiration), the student researched an artist who was a friend of the family. Using a questionnaire, she found out many things including the artist’s journey to become a designer. This generated a desire for them to consider studying a creative subject at college.

Part D requires students to share an arts skill. The student successfully achieved this by creating an ‘instruction booklet’ to make a tote bag. They even chose to learn how to bind the booklet together. The booklet was shared with a few dressmakers, who were given a copy of the booklet and the pattern pieces, (similar to a bought pattern). The dressmakers followed the instructions to create their tote bag and sent their feedback via email. One dressmaker even gave me her completed tote bag to show the student, which was a lovely moment!

In conclusion, Bronze Arts Award is a fantastic opportunity for students. It provides a creative outlet that fosters engagement, confidence, and personal growth. It is wonderful to see students discover an interest in the arts, and it demonstrates the profound impact the arts can have on young lives. I’m excited to see how this programme continues to help our students unlock their potential.

* The student did actually make it to see the home of Chanel in Paris!

Trinity’s Hall of Fame

The end of the year is a time of reflection for many of us and a great time to celebrate achievements. Trinity’s Hall of Fame is a fantastic way to profile students deserving of some extra recognition and for them to be featured in our Class of 2024. There are four categories under which students can be nominated, recognising not just academic achievements but personal ones too. Click here to make your nominations. Kate has nominated the young person in the above case study for the hall of fame using a pseudonym. Read their nomination here.