Artemocion Quality Assurance Document

I

Artemocion Quality Assurance Document

Policy for internal quality assurance

The Mission Statement of Artemocion Dance and Leisure Studio is:

Artemocion Dance & Leisure Studio is the Home of all Arts. It offers a variety of lessons for everyone’s choice under one roof. All teachers and instructors are certified and qualified teachers in their respective fields to ensure that we give the best to our students.”

The mission statement may be publicly found on the Studio’s website http://artemocion.net/

Artemocion Dance and Leisure Studio are committed to offering high-quality lessons to all its students, irrespective of student’s age, race, beliefs, or gender. Artemocion Dance and Leisure Studio is a safe environment for students to learn according to their abilities.

Discrimination in all its forms and bullying is not tolerated at the Studio. Any individual experiencing discrimination or bullying at the Studio or has a complaint, should inform the Head of the School either orally or written so that the issue is duly taken care of through appropriate measures as per internal policies and procedures.

Artemocion Dance and Leisure Studio offer courses leading to the following internationally recognized qualifications. The guides and/or policies and procedures of the respective board may be found by clicking the following links:

Exams for the Royal Academy of Dance and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts are held at the Studio by foreign visiting examiners.

Institutional probity

Prior to launching a course, the owner takes into consideration the financial viability of each course both in the short term (up to one year) and in the long term (more than one year).

Design and approval of programmes

Prior to offering new courses, the owner evaluates both the internal and external environment of the Studio. This is because the need for new courses may be identified both internally and externally.

  • Internally – evaluating existing students’ potentials through teacher recommendation or students/legal guardians interest.
  • Externally – potential clients asking whether particular courses are offered.
  • Externally – a market niche is identified by the Head of the Studio and gathers information from potentially interested persons through various marketing tools.

Courses that are exam-oriented would have a course outline established by the relative board, which are in accordance with current RAD / LAMDA syllabi.

Other non-exam/non-MQF oriented courses are planned so as to identify:

  • The objective of the course
  • What will be covered during the course
  • How will the course be conducted
  • Who will conduct the course
  • How will feedback be collected for the course

Prior to launching any course, Artemocion Dance and Leisure Studio take into consideration both the short-term (one year) and long-term (more than one year) prospects and viability of the course.

Student-centred learning, teaching and assessment

At Artemocion Dance and Leisure Studio, all students are entitled to learn their art at their level of abilities. Students attend lessons and sit for exams appropriate for their ability and age after consultation with the relevant teacher.

The Studio is committed to offering lessons to all those interested, irrespective of abilities. The Studio is equipped with an external and internal ramp, which caters for wheelchair-bound individuals. The Studio does not preclude the assistance of private Learning Support Assistants when the legal guardians show their wish to include them in their child’s lessons. When Learning Support Assistants attend the lessons, they are encouraged to communicate with the respective course teacher to better cater to the needs of the student in his/her care.

For students sitting for examinations, the format of the exam as well as the criteria for exam success are explained by the respective teacher during the lessons leading to the exams. The teachers make use of the support material provided by the respective board.

Students who miss the exam would have to sit for the next exam session. Any fees paid would be lost unless the board grants a fee exemption.

Students are given written feedback by the examiner, which usually takes around four to six weeks to be handed to the Studio. The results are promptly sent to the students/legal guardians and the feedback is collected by each student at an agreed time or during the following lesson, during which the teacher will better explain the contents of the feedback given by the foreign examiner.

Students / legal guardians who wish to appeal or forward a complaint in relation to the result, may do so through the appropriate board channels. Consultation with the respective teacher and Head of the Studio is highly recommended before such a procedure is initiated. The teacher and Head would thus be in a better position to consult the students/legal guardians on the best course of action for the complaint / appeal. If the need arises, the Studio could forward the complaint/appeal on behalf of the student/legal guardian.

Student admission, progression, recognition and certification

Students are admitted to courses by application. Courses are open to anyone interested.

For courses leading to internationally recognised qualifications awarded by International Examination Boards, placement of students in specific grade classes is based as follows:

  • All students will have to comply with the relative requirements of the International Examination Board;
  • New students who attained a previous grade with another studio within the prior year have to present the qualification for the grade they have attained.
  • Current students who attained a previous grade within the past year with Artemocion Dance and Leisure Studio may proceed to a higher grade immediately.

Nonetheless, the teacher has the discretion to recommend whether a student would be able to sit for an exam sitting. This would usually depend on the attendance, participation, and ability of the student to meet the exam criteria.

Certification is issued by the respective boards are all internationally recognised.  The certificates are first received by the Studio, which are then forwarded to the students either at the first next lesson or at an agreed date with the students/legal guardians.

Teaching Staff

Teaching staff for LAMDA and RAD examinations are either warranted school teachers or in possession of required LAMDA / RAD teaching qualification.

Artemocion Dance and Leisure studio also ensures that the teachers have clean police conduct upon engagement.

Where applicable, Artemocion Dance and Leisure studio annually obtains a copy of the teachers’ CPD certificates to ensure that the teachers engaged are up to date with the latest techniques.

Learning resources and student support

Learning resources and lesson planning are provided by the qualified teaching staff engaged by the Studio.

Students are given individual and group support in preparation for examinations e.g., mock exams and rehearsals.

Teachers also provide individual online support to students and/or legal guardians to ensure better communication.

Equipment such as sound/PA system/projector etc. is provided and maintained by Artemocion studio.

Information management

The Studio collects and analyses data on student population, course participation, retention, success rates and student satisfaction. Tools used for the collection of such data include:

  • Admission – application forms
  • Lessons – attendance list
  • Examinations – list of students that will undertake an exam and student exam roster received from the respective board.
  • Results –a copy of the exam certificate and individual student grades.
  • Feedback from teachers, students, and legal guardians.
  • Consent forms signed by students and/or legal guardians, where students are under the legal age.

All the above data is collected in line with GDPR rules. In accordance with GDPR Rules, data collected is kept for forty years. After four years, such data will be held in an anonymised manner.

The above data is collected by the Head of the Studio in relation to admission,  exam results, feedback, and consent forms. Student attendance data and student exam application list data are collected by the respective teacher and handed over to the Head of the Studio.

All data collected is analysed by the Head of the Studio to ensure compliance with relevant laws and regulations, for administration purposes, for internal quality assurance purposes and to identify potential market trends. Data collected may also be used electronically, such as the Studio website and social media.

Students / legal guardians are encouraged to take part in surveys / questionnaires relating to their learning, facilities offered by the studio and the level of communication during the lesson and by the Studio as a whole. This is over and above the informal feedback forwarded by legal guardians through group chats. Open Days also offer an opportunity for the Studio to gather valuable students/legal guardians feedback, whilst offering the opportunity for legal guardians to appreciate the efforts of their children.

Public Information

Information regarding classes offered, timetables, examination dates/sessions and events are published on the Studio website in accordance with Data Protection Regulations.

The website is kept up to date and is readily accessible.  It provides the following course information:

  • Selection criteria (where applicable) for the courses/programmes
  • Intended learning outcomes of the courses/programmes
  • Qualifications awarded by the International Examination Boards and their equivalence in terms of EQF/MQF level and ECTS/ECVET learning credits. (where applicable)
  • The teaching, learning and assessment procedures used
  • The pass rates (where applicable), and
  • Further learning opportunities available to students.

For courses leading to International Examination Boards examinations, the public is provided with links with such information available from the respective board.

Ongoing monitoring and periodic review of programmes

Teachers meet regularly with the Head of the Studio to review the ongoing progress of students in examination classes and the continued relevance of such programmes.

Internal reviews are conducted through a panel comprising the Head of Artemocion Dance and Leisure Studio, a student of the studio, a teacher of a different discipline and an independent observer. During deliberation on the internal review, notes are taken by the Head of the Studio for any further improvement.  The Head would then issue revised instructions to teachers/students/legal guardians accordingly.  Periodically, the Head would check that the revised instructions are being adhered to.

The Head would ensure that necessary action is taken to improve the quality of teaching and learning or deal with any issue or complaint. Feedback is nonetheless taken by the teachers/students/legal guardians and if considered to be useful to the relative board, this is forwarded to them.

Where the Studio is subject to any external quality assurance, necessary measures are undertaken so that their recommendations are implemented.