Arts Award
Intent
At GSSC we intend to be aspirational with our arts accreditation regardless of ability, needs and background. Using the structure of Arts Award we will focus on all pupils taking part in a variety of arts experiences, attending arts events, researching artists and their work, and sharing the skills they have learnt. We hope that pupils will be inspired by the arts, using the arts as a means of communication, personal development and leadership skills.
Pupils will embark on their own creative journey. Arts award will validate our young people’s artistic activity and strives to be accessible for all realising that for some young people this is their first or only ‘national’ qualification. The Arts Award programme will work closely alongside the RIDE curriculum targets throughout ‘my creativity’ and pupils will be able to direct their learning to reflect their passions and interests. Pupils will be encouraged to be self-critical and improve their skills at their own pace.
Impact
All pupils will achieve accreditation at a national level alongside their same age peers at an appropriate level: discover, explore (entry level 3) and bronze (level one award). At Bronze level - each pupil will develop leadership skills from the joint skill share – showing confidence and aspiring beyond any staff expectations. This will then influence their future life choices in their next steps, destinations and potential employment. Pupils increased confidence will impact across the rest of their school and their home lives.
As a school we have seen pupils embark on their own creative journey developing passions and being inspired by the arts. Each pupil will have taken ownership of their award, encouraging organisational skills and a clear purpose and goal across the 2-year cycle. We have seen increased engagement and re-engagement into learning, increased resilience for both pupils within the resilience for learning hub and those with a low resilience for learning for a variety of other reasons.
Implementation
Pupils have a discrete teaching session once per week with a mixed group of peers from across the school. They will participate in a variety of arts experiences, attend arts events, research artists and their work, and share the skills they have learnt. Arts Award offers curriculum coverage of the fours arts subjects incorporated in ‘My Creativity’; My Dance, My Drama, My Music and My Art. Each year GSSC hosts a skill share day with Billing Brook to provide an opportunity to work as a leader.
Throughout the two years pupils will:
- work individually, directing their own learning and self-assessing to improve skills,
- work as part of a group, with resident arts mark organisation Rocksteady – developing their music skills and exploration of rock music and finally,
- work as a ‘leader’ – leading a familiar class peer through a self-chosen activity and then a like-minded peer from another school.
