Private School News

BISHOP’S STORTFORD COLLEGE JUNIOR SCHOOL PUPILS ACHIEVE BRONZE ART AWARDS

The high achieving Art Department at Bishop’s Stortford College Junior School is celebrating after six pupils aged twelve and thirteen successfully passed Bronze level of the Arts Award.

Portland Samek-Richardson, Phoebe Poulter, James Scott-Flanagan, Stephanie Malyon, Emily Neill, and Amy Roberts had to prepare a portfolio based on four parts including taking part in an arts activity, going to arts events, researching an arts hero or heroine and sharing their skills with others.

Arts Award is a national qualification that recognises how young people develop as artists, arts practitioners and arts leaders. Young people aged between 11-25 can achieve Arts Awards at three levels bronze, silver (equivalent to GCSE) and gold (equivalent to A level) on the national qualifications framework. Introduced in 2005, Arts Award is run by Arts Council England and Trinity Guildhall, two organisations with a high profile and considerable reputation in the arts sector.

Bishop’s Stortford College Junior School is one of the very few schools in the country to be an accredited Arts Award centre. Centres are organisations with at least one trained Arts Award adviser, and support young people to develop their arts activities, including arts centres, theatres, schools, colleges, youth projects, and voluntary clubs or community groups.

Achieving an Arts Award says a lot about a person. It shows a commitment to the arts, interest in developing skills and understanding, communication, planning and evaluation skills. It demonstrates skills in leadership as well as personal arts practice. These skills are what colleges, universities and employers are looking for and many recognise the Arts Award as an additional qualification.

“The pupils have worked extremely hard to gain the Award,” said Head of Art Emma Neville. “I’m very proud of them.”