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Novel Coronavirus FAQs

Can I book an Arts Award training course?
Online adviser training courses are available to book at artsaward.org.uk/training. Face-to-face adviser training will not re-commence at the present time, given the space required to safely conduct group sessions is not available at many of our usual venues.

Can I book a face-to-face or postal Arts Award moderation?

Trinity has made the safety of all our people the number one priority during the pandemic. This includes our staff, as well as those who would normally be interacting with customers, most notably our moderators. As a result Trinity has taken the decision to suspend all face-to-face exam sessions planned to take place until at least Easter weekend 2021. This will include all areas of the UK and the Republic of Ireland, and all subjects including Arts Award face-to-face ‘standard’ and ‘postal’ moderations. Please see our full letter to centres and teachers here.

For customers impacted by our face-to-face moderation postponements this year, you have the following options:

  • Convert your booking to a remote online moderation
  • Postpone your moderation to a date from April 2021
  • Request a refund.

We will be taking provisional bookings for face-to-face standard and postal moderations from April 2021 onwards, however please note that any face-to-face or postal moderation sessions will be subject to local, regional and/or national restrictions. We suggest utilising our remote online moderation options wherever possible.


Are there new requirements for standard moderation days?
All centres booking provisional standard moderations for April 2021 onwards should fully comply with all prevailing government guidance in the context of COVID-19. Trinity also has other considerations you must account for when conducting standard moderations. A level of monitoring of these practices will be carried out by Trinity.

Your Arts Award contact will be in touch with you to discuss these monitoring requirements further following your standard moderation booking. For more information, read our moderation coronavirus information.


Can I still book an online moderation?
We continue to strongly recommend digital evidencing and moderation wherever possible. The option for centres to moderate online will remain open. Find out what digital moderation options we have available here.


Can I book a joint moderation?
Bookings for joint moderations, at present, remain closed in line with national guidelines for the safe operation of education settings. Centres who don’t meet the minimum fee requirements for standard moderation and aren’t eligible for postal moderation are advised to book large group online moderation and digitise a sample of their portfolios if they are not already in digital format.

What adaptations are being made available for centres delivering Arts Award and planning to moderate in summer 2021?
The adapted assessment arrangements for summer 2021 are different from the arrangements made in summer 2020. We will not be able to accommodate the submission of incomplete portfolios for moderation on which to calculate the overall results.

Adaptations for summer 2021 will instead focus on:
  • Support with planning your Arts Award programme including building in contingency plans and collecting evidence in digital format, as is our recommendation
  • Adaptations to the evidence requirements and time guidance most notably at Silver and Gold
  • Advice and guidance on how to meet the existing requirements of Arts Award making best use of digital tools and arts and culture
  • The continuation of remote online moderation.
Adapted assessment arrangements are available to all centres delivering Arts Award this year. Under this arrangement advisers will continue to deliver and assess young people’s portfolios and a sample of work will be moderated by Trinity.
Visit artsaward.org.uk/erf to find our more and download the centre and adviser guidance.


Is there a requirement to make a request for adapted assessment as there was in summer 2020?
No, the adapted assessment arrangements for summer 2021 are available to all centres delivering Arts Award in this academic year. As the arrangements are focussed on the delivery and assessment of complete portfolios, centres do not need to make a request, but should review all the available guidance to adapt their delivery and make contingency plans in the event of further local or national school or business closures in response to the coronavirus outbreak.


Why is adviser only assessment not being considered for the assessment of qualifications?
Ofqual, the qualifications regulator, has conducted a series of consultations with awarding organisations about extending the Extraordinary Regulatory Framework used in summer 2020. It is expected that assessments of general and vocational qualifications will take place in 2020-2021, however, to mitigate localised disruption, awarding organisations and other stakeholders have worked together to develop adapted assessment arrangements that support learners to achieve their qualifications in full. This approach ensures qualification delivery and assessment is manageable, whilst maintaining standards, to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on learners.


Do we need to create portfolios in digital format in order to moderate?
The adapted assessment arrangements for summer 2021, strongly encourage all centres and advisers to develop contingency plans for the delivery of Arts Award. This includes collating evidence and portfolios in digital format in the event of further government restrictions, so that advisers have access to young people’s work to make their assessment and submit for moderation.

Centres submitting for moderation via remote online moderation will be required to submit portfolios in digital format.

Centres who only have portfolios available in hard copy format will need to wait until face-to-face moderation is available. Please be aware that despite our best efforts, local and national government restrictions may mean we need to withdraw this service at short notice. Therefore, centres should carefully manage their contingency plans and timeline to moderate work.


What should I do if I have started an Arts Award project prior to the Coronavirus outbreak and did not make a request for ERF adapted assessment in summer 2020?
The deadline for centres to submit a request for adapted assessment under the Extraordinary Regulatory Framework for summer 2020 has now passed. If you still have Arts Award qualifications you would like to finish or submit for moderation, please contact the team for advice on artsawardenquiries@trinitycollege.co.uk

What about Discover certificate orders?
Discover certificate orders are running as usual. Please refer to our page for Discover submissions for instructions. You can change the delivery address for your certificates if your usual office building is closed, please notify the moderation team of this when making your request for certificates.


Will my certificates arrive as normal?
Our secure certificate printers are still operational, and we continue to post certificates as normal. For delivery timeframes visit artsaward.org.uk/certificates.

If your centre will be closed when certificates are due, and you wish certificates to be sent to an alternative address, please notify the moderation team as soon as your moderation booking is confirmed, or at the point of making a Discover certificates request.
 

Are Trinity offices still open?
Trinity’s offices remain closed but Trinity staff are set up to work independently and will be responding to emails and calls as usual.

If you have any questions, concerns, or require support, please refer to artsaward.org.uk/helpcentre or contact artsawardenquiries@trinitycollege.co.uk. Alternatively, you may contact the Arts Award helpdesk on 020 7820 6178.