Upcoming changes to Arts Award: What this means for centres

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Last month we announced some important changes that are coming to Arts Award. Some key benefits of the improved model include:

• Moderation no longer required for the majority of centres
• Simple marksheet replacing the Adviser Assessment Report Form
• Quick and easy moderation where needed - removing complicated booking options and improving the timeframe in which certificates can be issued
• New portfolio submission platform, where moderation is required, to streamline the submission process and speed up feedback
• Fast, digital certificate delivery
• New annual centre monitoring and support process.

We’re now pleased to provide further details of how these upcoming changes will affect you and your centre.

Our new approach for entering young people for Arts Award

Here’s everything you need to know about entering young people for Arts Award from 13 December onwards:

For Arts Award Discover

Enter young people's details on the Centre Portal and receive paper certificates within four weeks. 

For Explore, Bronze, Silver and Gold levels

• Provide young people’s details and marks in one step to enter young people for Arts Award. To do this, you’ll complete a simple ‘Enrolment and Marks Spreadsheet’ for all young people you’d like to enter and submit this via the Centre Portal.
• After entering the details and marks of young people, we'll notify you if your centre requires moderation.
• If your centre is selected for moderation, we’ll let you know which portfolios we wish to sample. You'll then need to follow our updated guidance on assembling these portfolios in a digital format, complete an ‘Evidence Locator Form’ for each young person and submit the work using our new portfolio submission platform. All details will be included in updated Arts Award toolkits (available on 13 December).
• Young people will be issued with their digital certificates once young people’s details and marks have been submitted via the Centre Portal (where moderation is not required). For further information on digital certificates, visit Trinity’s digital certificate pages.
• We’ll select a sample of centres each year to take part in our new monitoring and support programme. This process will enable us to offer support nationally and make improvements where needed for the benefit of the whole Arts Award community. Find out more this on our FAQ’s page. 

Helping you to plan ahead

Once the new approach is launched, you’ll need to:

Download the latest version of the Arts Award toolkit. Here you'll be able to find all the information on how to enter young people and prepare portfolios for moderation.

Familiarise yourself with the guidance on the new moderation process including entering young people’s details and marks, and how to use the new portfolio platform. 

Keep a record of the adviser’s assessment and sample of portfolios every time you enter young people for Arts Award. You need to keep these records for three years and you may be asked to provide this information as part of monitoring and support. 

Read our FAQ’s to find out more about how different parts of the process will work. 

 

Actions for centres

Here are some actions that centres need to take now:

• Sign and return your new centre contract by 13 December (coming your way on email this autumn).
• Collect relevant email addresses: You’ll need to collect email addresses for all young people you plan to enter for Arts Award to enable us to issue the digital certificates. For young people aged under 18, you’ll need to provide an email address for a parent or carer.
• Read our FAQs to get further details on the new process: Read FAQs
• Read our blog by Trinity’s Head of Performance, Catherine Sercombe on the benefits of how the improvements we are making will benefit you.  Read blog

 

Ready to make a moderation booking now? 

If young people’s work has been assessed and you are ready for moderation, you can still book online or postal moderation using the existing approach until 4pm on Friday 10 November. 

If you need a little more time, or do not meet the requirements for online and postal moderation, you will need to wait until 13 December to enter young people for their awards.

We'll keep you posted about the forthcoming changes, and as always, we're here to assist with any questions or concerns. Contact the Arts Award helpdesk at artsawardenquiries@trinitycollege.co.uk