UCAS to Scrap Route B Applications for Art & Design Students

Dear Colleague

I run a Foundation Art & Design course and a National Diploma Art & Design course at a Further Education College in Crewe. I have heard recently that UCAS has decided to scrap the long established Route B application option which is specifically designed for Art & Design applicants to apply later in the academic year in order to make an informed art subject area choice and prepare a suitable portfolio of work for H.E. interview. The scrapping of route B will force Foundation & Diploma students to make a decision about their area of specialism and university in October rather than five months later in February as is allowed under the current system. This will have a great impact on these students choices; Foundation students in particularly as they will only have been on their Foundation course for just over a month when they are asked to make this choice. This negates the main purpose of their course which is to extend their skills and help them find their area of Art & Design specialism through the exploration of different art disciplines.

A representative of UCAS has told me that they have consulted widely over this decision and yet I have spoken to few people in the sector who have been consulted and even fewer who are in favour of the change. I am not aware that UCAS have asked any students who have applied through route B how they would have felt if that option had not been available - my students were horrified by the idea. UCAS say they wish to simplify the system, but for whose benefit? Certainly not those students who can currently explore their subject in some depth for two thirds of their course before making an informed choice about what and where they wish to study. At present this story is receiving no media attention and by the time it does it will be too late to do something about it.

The above is a version of a letter I have sent to the TES, Guardian Education and The Independent Newspaper as well as Radio 4’s the Learning Curve and The Today Programme. I believe that UCAS’s decision will have a detrimental effect on student’s experience of Art & Design Further and Higher Education in a number of ways and I would ask you to raise this issue with your colleagues, the media and UCAS themselves in the hope that this decision is not carried through.

The future of post 16 Art & Design education in this country seems to be under considerable threat at the moment with the funding attacks on the Foundation Course and the potential scrapping of Art & Design National Diplomas to make way for the subject lite / employability skills heavy New Diploma in Creativity & Media qualification. UCAS's decision seems like another nail in this coffin.

If you scroll down to the bottom of this e-mail, you'll see the e-mail I received from Tony Charlton at UCAS last week informing me of the changes. It might be worth sending him an e-mail if you have strong feelings about this issue.

Best Wishes
David Ballantyne
BTEC Foundation & ND Art & Design Course Leader, South Cheshire College