Guildhall School’s Access and Participation project recognised with National Award
Guildhall School’s Access and Participation project recognised with National Award
Congratulations to Guildhall School’s Access and Participation and Production Arts departments following their recent success at the HELOA 2024 national awards in January, when the School’s Get Backstage project won the prestigious Best Practice Access, Outreach and Student Recruitment Award.
The award was presented in Newcastle upon Tyne during the national conference of HELOA, the UK’s professional association for Higher Education access, recruitment and outreach staff. Guildhall School was one of four finalists shortlisted out of 14 submissions from universities across the UK and following a presentation on the Get Backstage project to more than 200 conference delegates, the School topped a vote by HELOA members. The project’s win provides peer recognition of the innovative, inspiring and sector-leading work that Guildhall School is doing to ensure that all young people have access to creative degrees and careers.
Against a backdrop of declining arts provision and a lack of access to theatre in state schools, Get Backstage showcases the wonderful world of backstage arts to young people who are currently underrepresented on the degree programme and in the wider industry. The free project ran across four days in April 2023, bringing eleven young people into the school to experience the hands-on training and to learn about each Production Arts degree pathway. They also took part in two industry visits, to Disney’s Newsies and The Roundhouse, to connect their learning with the wide variety of careers available backstage.
Guildhall School's Access and Participation team
Head of Access & Participation, Ashleigh Hope, said:
“It is a huge honour to receive this award and to be recognised by our Higher Education peers in this way. Get Backstage is a vitally important project, combining education and industry in a unique way, and we hope it will increase the diversity on our degree programmes and, longer term, the backstage industry. We have already welcomed some of the group back to the school for Summer Open Programmes and are thrilled to be working with some of them on our Supported Application Scheme this year.”
Of the project, one participant said:
“I have gained a lot of knowledge about the different careers available, and also what it is like to study at Guildhall. I learnt a lot of specific stuff about the different pathways, which was so useful for me as my family don’t do theatre as an activity and it has always felt like a career where you have to know people.”
Our Access and Participation work is a vital part of making sure that every potential Guildhall School student has the knowledge, confidence and resources to apply, and that if they are successful in obtaining a place, they thrive as a student and progress to a rewarding career.