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Arts Award is a range of unique qualifications, offered by Trinity College, London, that supports young people in their growth as artists and arts leaders. To achieve their Arts Award, pupils take on challenges in an art form, participate in arts activities, experience arts events, be inspired by artists and share their arts skills with others. They create a portfolio to keep a record of their creative journey. Along the way they are supported by an Arts Award Adviser, acting as assessor, facilitator and mentor.
At King’s Worcester, Arts Award is offered at the top three levels, Bronze, Silver and Gold. There is a team of staff members, from a range of subject areas, trained as Arts Award Advisers, who take responsibility for the different groupings throughout the school.
Bronze Award
Bronze Arts Award is offered as an extra-curricular activity to Lower Fourth pupils (Year 7). They choose a core art form – art, dance, drama or music – and attend weekly meetings with their Adviser. During the year they record evidence of their participation in their Arts Award portfolio. Their portfolio might be a folder, sketchbook, video diary or a website – it’s up to them. The evidence they record covers four key areas:
- Progress in their chosen art form, having set themselves a challenge to improve their skills
- Reviews of arts events, shared with their peers
- Research into their ‘arts inspiration’
- Sharing a skill with others
- Bronze Arts Award is a Level 1 award on the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF).
Silver Award
Silver Arts Award is a Level 2 qualification on the Regulated Qualifications Framework (equivalent to a good pass at GCSE level) and stretches the arts skills explored in Bronze, encouraging more independence and promoting leadership skills. Completing Silver involves achieving an arts challenge, reviewing arts events, researching artists and arts organisations, and delivering an arts leadership project with other people.
Pupils in the Lower Remove (Year 9) can sign up to Silver Arts Award as a co-curricular activity. They do not need to have taken Bronze Arts Award, although many find it helpful. They attend weekly meetings with their Adviser who helps them to plan their work and oversees their Arts Award portfolio.
Gold Award
Lower Sixth pupils can opt to take Gold Arts Award as part of their Key Skills curriculum. They have timetabled lessons with their Advisers who support planning and oversee the completion of the Arts Award portfolio. Pupils do not need to have taken Bronze or Silver Arts Award in the past, but those that have will find the challenges familiar. The personal arts challenge develops pupils’ individual creative skills. The arts leadership project progresses to the next level with much greater project responsibility, and the research into the wider arts sector gets pupils directly involved in the arts world through placements, volunteering, and workshops.
Gold Arts Award is a Level 3 qualification and is recognised on the UCAS Tariff, attracting 16 UCAS points (equivalent to a Grade B in an AS examination).
