The Art Department at Tettenhall College has enjoyed a vibrant year, marked by the successful launch of the Bronze Arts Award qualification. This new initiative reflects the department’s ongoing commitment to enriching creative opportunities beyond the classroom and empowering pupils to develop as confident, reflective young artists.
Since its introduction, the Bronze Arts Award has attracted a diverse and enthusiastic group of pupils from Years 7, 8 and 9. The weekly club, held on Friday lunchtimes in the Art Department, has quickly become a hub of creativity, collaboration and independent exploration. The strong uptake across three year groups highlights both the appetite for creative enrichment and the department’s reputation for delivering engaging, high-quality arts experiences.
The Bronze Arts Award is designed to develop young people’s artistic abilities alongside their research and communication skills. Pupils are encouraged to engage with the arts both as creators and as audience members, broadening their understanding of the cultural landscape. Importantly, the qualification also introduces leadership development at an accessible level, asking pupils to share their skills and knowledge with others. This balance of creativity, critical thinking and communication aligns closely with Tettenhall College’s wider educational values.
A key highlight of the Autumn term was the launch of the Remembrance Day art competition. As part of the ‘passing on an arts skill’ component of the qualification, Bronze Arts Award pupils designed and delivered poppy-making workshops for their peers. This initiative demonstrated not only their artistic capability but also their growing confidence as leaders and communicators. The workshops were exceptionally well received, with high levels of engagement from both pupils and staff. Participants responded enthusiastically, and the event fostered a strong sense of community within the school. The Bronze Arts Award pupils showed professionalism and enthusiasm they when hosting these sessions.
Throughout the Spring term, the focus shifted towards the ‘researching the career and work of an artist or craftsperson’ element of the qualification. Each pupil independently selected an artist to study, exploring their background, artistic style and professional journey. They produced detailed and creative research portfolio pages, reflecting critically on what they have learned. In addition, pupils developed a practical outcome inspired by their chosen artist, applying stylistic elements and techniques in their own original work. This process strengthens subject knowledge while fostering creativity, problem-solving skills and reflective practice.
The introduction of the Bronze Arts Award has been an exciting and highly positive development for the Art Department. It has enabled pupils to explore art outside of lessons, deepen their engagement with the subject and take meaningful first steps into artistic leadership.
The Bronze Arts Award is a Level 1 qualification on the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) and typically takes 40 guided learning hours and 20 independent learning hours to complete (60 hours total qualification time). Arts Award is managed by Trinity College London, a leading international exam board, in association with Arts Council England.
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