1. Arts Award is a unique set of qualifications that support children and young people to enjoy the arts and develop as artists and arts leaders.
2. Arts Award helps learners develop vital 21st century skills – creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, leadership and entrepreneurialism, to name just a few.
3. From film-making to fashion design, pottery to poetry or even puppetry, young people can achieve Arts Award through any art, craft or cultural activity. The award embraces traditional and emerging art forms, as well as support roles in lighting, sound, marketing and more.
4. There are five levels of Arts Award – Discover, Explore, Bronze, Silver and Gold. Young people can work through the levels or start with whichever is right for them. Discover is an introductory level which rewards participants with a certificate. The other four qualifications are listed on the Regulated Qualifications Framework. Achieve Gold Arts Award and you’ll have a Level 3 qualification worth 16 UCAS points.
5. Arts Award prepares young people for further education or employment – in the creative industries or any other field. In independent research, participants said doing Arts Award improved their organisational and communication skills, gave them new contacts and boosted their confidence too.
6. Arts Award is open to anyone aged 25 and under, whatever their background or level of ability. Arts Awards achievers range from preschoolers to postgraduate students and all ages in between, including many with additional needs.
7. Arts Award isn't about reaching a certain standard in a particular art form. Instead it assesses the knowledge, understanding, creativity, communication and leadership skills young people develop through exploring the arts as a participant, audience member and reviewer. There are no fixed entry requirements, no time limits and no rules on how to present work.
8. Any organisation that supports young people’s arts activities in the UK can become an Arts Awards centre and guide young people through the award. As well as schools, colleges and youth clubs, there are Arts Award centres at theatres, galleries, museums, libraries, community hubs and heritage projects. Each one employs or works with a trained Arts Awards adviser.
9. You don't have to be an arts specialist to become an Arts Award adviser (although you might be!). Teaching assistants, youth workers, and museum or gallery curators can all train to be advisers, as can professional artists, performers or directors. All you need is access to arts opportunities, experience of working with young people, and a willingness to help them achieve their artistic ambitions.
10. Arts Award is managed by Trinity College London, a leading international exam board, in association with Arts Council England. Trinity also works in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - to help young people throughout the UK connect with the arts.
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