Exploring Art — Open Awards Vocational Foundations for Learning

The Open Awards Entry Level Award in Skills for Further Learning and Employment (Entry 1) (RQF) is a foundational qualification designed to help you build essential skills for education, work, and daily life. This award covers key areas such as communication, numeracy, digital skills, and personal development, all at an entry level that is accessible for learners who are starting their journey towards further learning or employment. You will engage with practical tasks and real-life scenarios to develop confidence and independence.

This qualification matters because it provides a stepping stone into further education or employment. By completing this award, you will demonstrate that you can follow instructions, work with others, and apply basic skills in everyday contexts. It is particularly valuable for students who may have found traditional academic routes challenging, as it focuses on hands-on learning and personal growth.

Within the wider subject of Foundations for Learning, this award sits as an introductory level qualification. It prepares you for higher-level study, such as Entry Level 2 or 3 awards, and eventually for GCSEs or vocational courses. The skills you gain here are transferable to many areas of life, including managing money, using technology, and communicating effectively.

• →Communication: Understanding and using simple words, phrases, and sentences to express needs and respond to others in familiar situations.
• →Numeracy: Recognising numbers up to 10, counting objects, and performing basic addition and subtraction with everyday items.
• →Digital Skills: Using a computer or tablet to access information, send messages, and complete simple tasks like typing or clicking.
• →Personal Development: Setting simple goals, managing time, and working with others in group activities.

• Award credit for demonstrating the ability to point to or indicate a preferred piece of art when presented with a choice of two contrasting images.
• Award credit for verbally or non-verbally expressing a simple personal reaction to an artwork, such as 'I like it' or a thumbs-up.
• Award credit for correctly identifying and naming at least one basic art material or technique (e.g., 'paint', 'drawing', 'collage') when shown examples.
• Award credit for producing a piece of art that shows evidence of using at least one taught technique (e.g., marks from a brush, torn paper stuck down) even if the outcome is abstract.
• Award credit for following simple step-by-step instructions to complete a creative task with appropriate support.

• 💡During portfolio building, include photographic evidence of the learner in the act of engaging with artworks, such as looking, pointing, or smiling, to clearly demonstrate appreciation.
• 💡Label all practical work with the technique used and any support given, as this provides clear evidence for the 'know about art techniques' criterion.
• 💡Encourage learners to talk about their own work in simple terms (e.g., 'I used red paint'), and record these comments as part of the evidence for both appreciation and creation.
• 💡For the final piece, ensure the learner has access to a variety of materials but focus on one or two techniques to avoid overwhelming them, and document choices made.
• 💡Tip 1: Read each task carefully and underline key words like 'count', 'write', or 'click'. This helps you focus on exactly what is being asked. For example, if the task says 'count the apples', don't write the colour of the apples.
• 💡Tip 2: Show your working out in numeracy tasks. Even if you get the wrong answer, you can get marks for using the correct method. For instance, if you add 2 and 3, write '2 + 3 = 5'.
• 💡Tip 3: In communication tasks, use full sentences where possible. For example, instead of writing 'yes', write 'Yes, I like apples.' This demonstrates your ability to form a complete thought.

• Assuming that 'appreciating art' requires deep analysis rather than simple personal preference or sensory engagement; many learners may think they need to use complex vocabulary.
• Confusing the names of art materials or techniques, e.g., calling paints 'crayons' or mixing up terms like 'drawing' and 'painting'.
• Becoming overly focused on making a realistic or 'neat' final product, leading to frustration, rather than understanding that the process of experimenting is valued at this level.
• Struggling to start without 1:1 support; some learners may wait passively instead of attempting to make marks or choices independently.
• Overlooking the requirement to show awareness of different techniques – they may revert to only one familiar method (e.g., only scribbling) when given a range of materials.
• Misconception: 'This qualification is too easy and won't help me get a job.' Correction: While it is entry level, it builds essential skills that employers value, such as reliability, teamwork, and basic literacy and numeracy. It also provides a foundation for further qualifications.
• Misconception: 'I don't need to learn digital skills because I use my phone every day.' Correction: Using a phone for social media is different from using a computer for work or study. This course teaches you how to use technology for learning and employment, like sending emails or creating simple documents.
• Misconception: 'Numeracy is just about counting; I can already do that.' Correction: Numeracy also involves understanding money, time, and measurements in real-life contexts, such as shopping or cooking, which are covered in this award.

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