Blue Cabin Arts Award for Virtual Schools
Blue Cabin is a charity, based in the North East of England. We support care-experienced children and young people to develop and strengthen relationships with people in their lives through creative activities. We work with Virtual Schools to deliver Arts Award, enabling children and young people to work with professional artists to explore the arts and achieve a qualification.
What creative activities can we offer?
What is Arts Award?
We work across a range of different artforms, including:
Arts Award is a set of nationally recognised qualifications for children and young people up to the age of 25 (we think it’s suitable from 5+). There are five levels:
• printmaking • creative writing • puppetry • drama, masks and clowning • design • filmmaking • visual arts • photography • music
• Discover: introductory award • Explore: Entry Level 3 • Bronze: Level 1 • Silver: Level 2 • Gold: Level 3 (16 UCAS points) Children and young people receive a certificate and get credit points for gaining a qualification. For Bronze level upwards, children and young people need to be aged 11 or above at the point of moderation. As part of our work with Virtual Schools, we currently deliver Discover and Explore. So far, this has been with primary-aged children, but Explore could also be delivered with Years 7 and 8.
Blue Cabin | Arts Award for Virtual Schools
Blue Cabin CIO | We are a registered charity in England and Wales no. 1195152 | 13 Brighton Gardens, Gateshead, NE8 4SN | www.wearebluecabin.com
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What’s involved in Discover and Explore?
How does it work? We offer different ways of approaching Discover and Explore. 1. Discover in a Day A one-day session, ideal for children and young people who might struggle to commit to something longer-term. Using this model, children and young people can achieve Arts Award Discover in one day, which could be a Saturday, Sunday or during the school holidays. 2. Discover in a Half-Term Six half-day sessions build in a bit more time for development of skills, relationships and confidence. Again, this might be ‘off timetable’ time during school time, after school, or weekends. 3. Explore Intensive This is a four-day programme, which could take place during school holidays, ‘off timetable’ days during school time or at weekends. Full days (for example, 10am to 3pm) would be needed.
Discover and Explore are all about identifying what ‘the arts’ are, having a go at arts activities, finding out about artists and arts organisations, creating artwork and sharing with someone else what they have learnt and enjoyed.
4. Explore in a Term 12 half-day sessions include more time for development of skills, relationships and confidence. Again, this might be ‘off timetable’, time during school time, after school, or weekends.
Evidence is put into an Arts Log, which is then marked by a trained Arts Award Adviser. Explore is moderated externally. Children and young people receive an Arts Award certificate.
Blue Cabin | Arts Award for Virtual Schools
Blue Cabin CIO | We are a registered charity in England and Wales no. 1195152 | 13 Brighton Gardens, Gateshead, NE8 4SN | www.wearebluecabin.com
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Our approach
Virtual School commitment
Blue Cabin’s approach is trauma informed. We deliver high-quality artsbased programmes, working collaboratively with our partners. Experience and evidence shows that small groups of children and young people, alongside high levels of staffing and support is a key element of that.
An Arts Award project works best when there is a main contact chosen within the Virtual School.
Good quality materials, resources and environment are also important. These elements bring the best possible experience and outcomes for children and young people.
We will work in partnership with the main contact from the outset. Our approach is collaborative and is informed by regular conversations and meetings. This person would lead on: • identifying the age range of participants • recruitment of participants to the activity (we will provide recruitment information and flyers) • leading on gathering information about each participant to inform safe and accessible delivery, and sharing appropriate information with the Blue Cabin team • attending each session/event alongside the Blue Cabin team and following up with foster carers/carers throughout to keep them informed about the activities.
Blue Cabin | Arts Award for Virtual Schools
Blue Cabin CIO | We are a registered charity in England and Wales no. 1195152 | 13 Brighton Gardens, Gateshead, NE8 4SN | www.wearebluecabin.com
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What people have said about Arts Award Care-experienced children and young people who worked with Blue Cabin to achieve Arts Award Discover said:
“I discovered that I had more confidence than I thought.”
“The workshops gave me happy memories.”
Staff saw developments in confidence in the children, both within the sessions, and once back at their own schools. They reported that children were willing to try new things, and express themselves more.
Blue Cabin | Arts Award for Virtual Schools
Parents and carers said:
“Amazing opportunity. Thank you so much for bringing my daughter’s personality out more.”
“Fabulous to see the progress and confidence growth from the start to finish.”
Owain Davies, Education Officer of Darlington Virtual School said:
“The sense of a shared journey and the positive, collaborative and supportive environment fostered by the delivering artists throughout the sessions allowed for some genuine and lasting friendships to blossom between the children and young people. Receiving their award certificates was a moment of real celebration, acknowledgement, and validation for all they learned, achieved, and enjoyed, both together and individually. We can’t praise Blue Cabin enough in terms of the planning, attention to detail, and their artists’ expertise and child-focused delivery of these programmes.”
Blue Cabin CIO | We are a registered charity in England and Wales no. 1195152 | 13 Brighton Gardens, Gateshead, NE8 4SN | www.wearebluecabin.com
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Costs
Find out more
The costs below are a guide and include venue hire and would be finalised by having a conversation with the Blue Cabin team. The cost could be lower if you can provide a suitable in-kind venue for delivery. If you are unable to meet the full cost, please contact us, and we may be able to apply for funding to contribute towards project costs:
If you’d like to find out more about working with Blue Cabin to deliver Arts Award in your Virtual School, get in touch by emailing: hello@wearebluecabin.com
Discover in a Day: £5,000 Suitable for a maximum of eight children/young people aged 6+ Discover in a Half-Term: £8,600 Suitable for a maximum of eight children/young people aged 6+ Explore Intensive (four days): £10,000 Suitable for a maximum of eight children/young people aged 8+ Explore in a Term: £14,870 Suitable for a maximum of eight children/young people aged 8+ NB: A Celebration Event can be added to all the above options, at an additional cost of £1,480
Blue Cabin | Arts Award for Virtual Schools
Blue Cabin CIO | We are a registered charity in England and Wales no. 1195152 | 13 Brighton Gardens, Gateshead, NE8 4SN | www.wearebluecabin.com
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www.wearebluecabin.com
Blue Cabin CIO | We are a registered charity in England and Wales no. 1195152