BTEC Diploma Foundation Studies- Art, Design and Media Practice

If you’d like to apply to our BTEC Diploma Foundation Studies- Art, Design and Media Practice Course, please use the application form found here

A BTEC National Diploma in Foundation Studies – Art & Design, acts as a stepping stone between A-Levels and Degree courses.

At Ferndown, we have been transforming A Level students into degree ready creative practitioners since 1999.

Our students reguarly out perform other centres at distinction level.

The BTEC Diploma Foundation Studies – Art, Design and Media Practice course is free for those aged 18 at the start of the course in September and all students receive a free art kit and sketchbook on joining as well as a dedicated studio space and open access to a range of facilities across the Creative Arts Faculty.

We also run a subsidised residential visit each year, with London, Paris, Barcelona and Rome being recent destinations.

The course consists of a series of units that focus on different aspects of the creative process that have to be passed, and then culminates in a 10 week final major project that the students devise along their chosen creative pathway.

This is graded as a Pass, Merit or Distinction. At Ferndown we pride ourselves that our students consistently achieve above the national average at distinction level and many are accepted onto their first choice degree places.

At Ferndown, we are fortunate to benefit from the John Thornton Young Achievers Foundation, which gives students the opportunity to apply for material bursaries and travel scholarships, which have allowed Foundation students purchase specific equipment and to travel to India and Japan in recent years, to directly inform their Final Project.

At Ferndown, we pride ourselves on the hands on personal support and expertise that we can offer students in developing their creative potential, enabling them to construct impressive and varied portfolios for interview and accessing the right progression route into Higher Education.

Our BTEC Diploma Foundation Studies – Art, Design and Media Practice students have gone to study at destinations such as, Manchester Metropolitan University, Arts University Bournemouth, University of the Arts London, University for the Creative Arts, Winchester School of Art and University of Brighton – plus many more. 

Last summer the external Edexcel Moderator commented that “The spirit and ethos of the course, creates an environment where mature, challenging creativity can flourish” and a previous moderator described the course as “One of the best Foundation Art & Design courses that I visit nationally and across Europe”, with all of our students accepted onto a variety of quality creative degree courses.

Our new 2021 Specification is now available to download here.

If you’d like to apply to our BTEC Diploma Foundation Studies- Art, Design and Media Practice Course, please use the application form found here