Top 5 Arts Award blogs from 2018

Many of us like seeing the end of a year as an opportunity to look back over the last 12 months. And who are we to argue with such a tried-and-tested format?

But rather than come up with a list on our own, we wanted to see what you’ve all been reading on the blog. So, we’re closing the year out with a countdown of the top five posts in 2018…

5. 5 ways to deliver arts projects on a shoestring budget

This guest blog from Thomas Ashton School was all about how to save those pennies. We asked for some tips on how to stay creative when budgets are tight, and their invaluable advice can apply to all settings, not just schools. They covered ways of securing resources, raising funds and encouraging young people to be creative in ways you might not have thought of before.

4. 4 creative activities to help you deliver an Arts Award this summer

Ahead of the summer we explored some activities which could be used towards an Arts Award. Check out this post for a range of venues and formats, from school arts weeks to festivals and events outside of term time - we feature some great ideas for activities to take part in over the summer.

3. How the Arts support health and wellbeing

Wellbeing and the arts’ role in supporting it was a big talking point this year. Since this post was originally published, we’ve seen news of the NHS prescribing dance lessons and further proposals, from the health secretary Matt Hancock, to extend this remedy to other art forms. It’s an area which seems to be picking up steam so we expect to see more developments in 2019!

2. The importance of metacognition: making a case for young people learning to learn

This article was our response to a study on how young people learn. We considered how findings from The Education Endowment Foundation related to Arts Award. The Foundation reported that metacognition – put simply, learning how to learn – was important not only in improving young people’s results, but also their overall engagement with education. These findings very much echo our own Arts Award impact study, and the link between the two is explored and elaborated on in the article.

And, coming in at number one…

1. Assessment report forms: getting moderation ready

This post offers guidance on how to complete your assessment report form and get prepared for moderation, therefore it’s no surprise that it has proven popular with those of you assessing young people’s work, especially as the final pieces come together. If you haven’t had a chance to read it, the post offers advice based on moderator feedback over the years and resources to help advisers make sure that their assessment is clear.

And two you might have missed…

How Arts Award supports apprenticeships

We took a closer look at apprenticeships and, how Arts Award can support this activity in arts and cultural settings. Included were some examples of centres who have successfully embedded Arts Award within their apprenticeship offer, and some resources to help others follow suit.

Arts Award delivery in a national park!

Layne from the Arts Award team spoke with Rachel Baron from Northumberland National Park about how they manage delivering Arts Award in their unique, beautiful setting. A national park might not spring to mind when you think of creative activities, but Rachel told us about the work which went towards their Arts Award delivery with Key Stage 2 students, and offered some insight into how other parks could replicate this approach.

Discover some of our other posts

Now that you have had a look at the top five posts which you were reading in 2018, don’t forget the Arts Award blog has a wealth of content for you to explore! The blog will be back on 7 January, continuing to celebrate the arts, education, and the fantastic work of Arts Award centres across the country.