In this blog we hear from Liz Kelly, Director of Learning (Visual Arts)/Arts Coordinator at Trinity Champion Centre Sandringham School, about how they deliver all levels of Arts Award through a combination of after school clubs and curriculum time. If you are considering delivering more than one level of Arts Award at your school this blog has some great tips.
Getting started
When first commencing our Arts Award journey, it was challenging to consider where or how it might fit into our curriculum offer, but over time, Arts Award has become an essential component of our curriculum. Arts Award provides a structured opportunity for our learners to become involved, experience, learn, and share their enjoyment of the arts. A particular highlight is supporting learners to identify areas for personal growth in the arts and this, in turn, has led to students identifying opportunities to attend additional Visual Arts clubs and also share their learned practice with others.
Our Visual Arts curriculum provides a rich, inspiring breadth of experience which ensures that our students have a deep appreciation of the place of art and design within the wider world. Arts Award supports this intention well as it enables the students in our setting to develop their practice further whilst teaching them key transferrable skills such as how to plan a project, how to manage their time, and how to communicate their ideas. Arts Award also offers leadership opportunities, enabling students to inspire and support younger learners while building confidence and ownership of their creative journey.
Our offer has grown to include Discover, Explore, Bronze, Silver and Gold levels. In order to facilitate this, we ensured that all of our Art team were supported with training to become qualified Arts Award advisers. This has allowed our teaching team to understand the aims of the programme, offering opportunities within our core curriculum, and ensure that there is expertise available to support young people, and it also allows us opportunities to discuss and continually evolve our offer.
Our delivery model
We deliver Arts Award through a combination of a weekly extracurricular club and focused opportunities within our annual Arts Week. During club sessions, students work through the different parts of their Arts Award, and it is wonderful to see the different levels working together. Additionally, our students love to welcome new joiners and now teach them all about Arts Award, ensuring that they all have a clear overview and support in making a good start with the programme.
Delivering different levels within the same sessions works extremely well for us, as students work with guidance but are also supported to work independently on their individual projects. Combining levels supports teacher workload whilst also creating a culture of aspiration for students. In order to support independent learning, we have set up a Google Classroom with guidance, tasks, exemplars for every level of the Arts Award which enables students to understand the key aims for each of sections of Arts Award. Students love this aspect and it enables them to make progress in and beyond the sessions.
Because our teachers are trained advisers, they are able to identify opportunities within the curriculum to support Arts Award evidence collection and progression, embedding Arts Award into everyday lessons. This approach also helps build strong relationships with students, ensuring they feel supported not only in their artistic development but in their wider personal growth. Additionally, students are encouraged to sign up for our wider offer of Visual Arts clubs such as Ceramics Club, Photography Club, Textiles Club or Art Club. They will opt for these alongside the Arts Award club which enables us to support both the Arts Award and also provide activities for students to participate in to assist them in completing the Arts Award.
Our Arts Award students have really enjoyed participating in whole school Arts projects such as our Remembrance project. Arts Award students played a leading role in the practical completion of a large-scale arts installation, supporting and guiding other students to contribute. A student at Gold Level, worked to design the project and then led younger students at Bronze level to take part in the project, assisting with the organising of materials for whole year groups and helping to complete the installation of the poppy display. This is a reflection of how Arts Award can assist in building a wider culture of participation, collaboration and belonging for schools.
Tips and guidance
There are many ways to embed Arts Award into the Visual Arts curriculum and a key starting point is to consider which level you may wish to offer. Discover or Explore could be a great opportunity for learners to learn more about Arts Award and take part in the Award at an entry level. Bronze is also another great starting point as the logbook supports both the teachers and students in delivery with clear guidance throughout and supportive prompts to ensure effective completion. Gold and Silver are more extensive opportunities which could really stretch and challenge students who feel confident and motivated to complete the requirements of these awards. For us, having the expertise and capacity to offer across all levels enables us to provide a bespoke offer to students so they can participate in a way that suits them and their needs.
For centres considering Arts Award, our key tips would be to establish a regular time to support students, such as a weekly club; embed Arts Award opportunities within the curriculum wherever possible; and celebrate success. Sharing achievements through assemblies and awarding certificates publicly reinforces the value of the arts and the commitment students have shown. Additionally, encouraging Arts Award students to lead others is also an integral part to ensuring success as it helps to encourage participation and creates a culture of inspiration.