Our Courses

This one-year course in Art and Design is a transitional year between A Level / Level 3 / life experience and Degree, enabling you to explore art and design at a higher level and clarify your sense of direction before progression to university or to employment. You will gain foundational knowledge and experience across contemporary Art and Design practices, develop your own approach within a specialist area and receive ongoing one-to-one support to plan for whatever your next steps may be.

The intensive year-long exploration can also be used to discover more about yourself and your creativity broadly, at any stage of life. Expect rigour, fun, collaboration, expansion and consolidation of your ideas and interests. You will have access to your own studio space throughout the year, within a community of like-minded creatives.

With so many different degree courses in Art and Design subjects it is vitally important that you feel confident in your choice of direction and are equipped with the necessary skills for study at degree level. We have a long history of successfully guiding pre-degree students to discover and develop their strengths and make an informed choice of specialism and degree course. You cannot afford not to do Foundation if you want to make the most of a degree in Art and Design, reflected in it being a prerequisite for the best degree courses.

An initial exploratory stage encourages students to explore a wide range of practical and conceptual approaches, with workshops in Printmaking, Photoshop and 3D, Textile and Construction skills, life drawing and contextual studies lectures. This experience builds confidence and aptitude across myriad approaches and helps students to make an informed choice of specialism in one of four broad areas of art and design: Fine Art (including painting, photography, sculpture, printmaking, installation, performance, film and sound). Visual Communications (including illustration, graphic design, photography, concept art, animation, DIY publishing). Fashion and Textiles (including fashion design, costume, fashion marketing and promotion, fashion styling, fashion photography, surface pattern, constructed textiles). 3D Design (including product design, interior design, furniture, architecture, set design, applied arts, jewellery and ceramics). You will gain insight into key processes and contemporary discourse surrounding your chosen specialist area, ensuring you are abreast of what is happening now across arts industries. We also focus on creating a portfolio of work for progression (to university or employment), guiding you through the UCAS process and advising on suitable courses – we have an outstanding record of students progressing to the top universities in the country, with many colleges such as Central St Martins and London College of Fashion actively recruiting our best students. There are also opportunities to work in real-world contexts on external projects, and an optional international visit. An extended Final Major Project enables you to showcase what you’ve learned in a public exhibition and publication.

Students will learn;

• Unit 1: Diagnostic Investigation into Creative Practice (Level 3)
• Unit 2: Developing Specialist Practice (Level 3)
• Unit 4: Consolidating Practice (Level 4)

A Foundation Diploma in Art and Design; a clear understanding of your creative working approach and where that might be applied in an employment context; a portfolio of work. The final unit is graded at Pass Merit or Distinction and accrues the following UCAS tariff: Pass- 80 UCAS points; Merit 96 UCAS Points; Distinction 112 UCAS points.

Students who do not have Maths at GCSE grade 4 or above will have to continue to study for the qualification alongside the course

Students of all disciplines work alongside each other individually and collaboratively in our purpose-built studio on projects that develop personal strengths and encourage new ways of working. Regular tutorials and a personal tutor monitor progress, support development and help tailor your learning to your emerging strengths.

Assessment is both formative – an ongoing process of monitoring and discussing development – and summative at the end of each stage.

• 1 A level at C or above,
• or
• equivalent Level 3 qualification,
• 5 GCSEs at grade 4 (C) and above, including English (if you don’t have Maths, you will be required to study for GCSE Maths alongside the qualification,
• Older students who have been out of education for some time may be considered on an individual basis if they have life / employment experience that we consider relevant.
• Please note that entry requirements and course offer can be subject to change at any time.

Students who have completed the Foundation Course usually progress to degree courses (not necessarily in Art and Design subjects).

Students who started out on Carlisle Foundation have featured in the last twelve months in Vogue; British Fashion Council’s “50 Creatives to Watch”; Popeye Magazine (Japan) alongside the many others who are now employed as creatives. Equipped with a portfolio of your best work you will be in a position to apply for apprenticeships, internships and employment in the creative industries

Other Details:

Students applying for the course are expected to attend for an interview with a portfolio / examples of work and sketchbooks