Category: Fair Access

Discover Fair Access Creative Pathways at RCS: Upcoming Events & Information Sessions

Posted on by Ellen McNeill

 Discover Creative Pathways at   RCS 

A young person sitting smiling at table with friends

Are you aged 16+ and interested in performing or production arts?

Come along to one of our upcoming events or information sessions to find out more about our programmes: Get Into: Performing and Production Arts (16+) and brand new credit-rated Access Courses (17+). Explore your next steps towards a creative career, meet staff and students from RCS and get advice about applying. 

Online Information Sessions

Join us from the comfort of your own home to find out more about the courses, what they involve and how to apply. These sessions run from 5.30 – 6.15pm on:

  • Thursday 6 March
  • Monday 10 March
  • Thursday 13 March

Book Now buttonIn-Person Events

Join us at RCS or The Beacon Arts Centre for a fun, practical session where you get to work with our tutors to explore performing and production arts in action. These in-person events run from 4.30 – 6.30pm on:

Book Now button

Online Artform Information Sessions

Join us to delve deeper into what each of our creative pathways is all about. Meet staff and students from RCS who will let you know what to expect on the Get Into and Access Courses. These online sessions run from 5.30 – 6.30pm on: 

  • Monday 31 March (Find Out More: Production)
  • Wednesday 2 April (Find Out More: Music Education)
  • Thursday 3 April (Find Out More: Arts with Community)

Book Now button

 Who Can Apply 

Our Access Courses are fully funded and specifically aimed at people who:

  • live in an SIMD1 Postcode 
  • are care experienced 
  • are estranged and receive no support from family or carers
  • live in an SIMD1 Postcode or SIMD2 Postcode and belong to one of the following groups:
    • living rurally with poor transport links
    • Black, Indigenous or People of Colour 
    • D/deaf or Hard of Hearing

Get in touch if you have any questions or need us to check a postcode for you.

 Contact Us 

If you have any questions about these activities please get in touch with us at: fairaccess@rcs.ac.uk

Brand New Access Courses

Posted on by Ellen McNeill

 New Access Courses 

Royal Conservatoire of Scotland launches brand new Access Courses for people ages 17+ starting July 2025

A man sitting while a young girl laughs holding a microphone

This eight-month accredited programme will help you discover your creative potential and take your artistic skills to the next level. It is fully funded for those who meet our Fair Access eligibility and is designed for people who are serious about studying BA Arts with Community, Music Education, or Production at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

The programme is split into three areas of study and offers 40 credits at SCQF Level 6 on completion:

  • Access to Arts with Community
  • Access to Production
  • Access to Music Education

Throughout the course you will deepen your understanding and increase experience in your chosen artform. You will work collaboratively with other students to create performances and receive expert guidance on how to apply for degree programmes and prepare for auditions/interviews.

Find out more about these exciting new courses running from July 2025 – March 2026 here: Access Courses at RCS

 

Apply Now Button

Deadline to apply: 14 March 2025

 Who Can Apply 

Our Access Courses are fully funded and specifically aimed at people who:

  • live in an SIMD1 Postcode 
  • are care experienced or estranged from, and receive no support from, family or carers
  • live in an SIMD1 Postcode or SIMD2 Postcode and belong to one of the following groups:
    • living rurally with poor transport links
    • Black, Indigenous or People of Colour 
    • D/deaf or Hard of Hearing

Get in touch if you have any questions or need us to check a postcode for you.

 Contact Us 

If you have any questions about these activities please get in touch with us at: fairaccess@rcs.ac.uk

School Info Sessions: New Access Courses and Get Into

Posted on by Ellen McNeill

 School Info Sessions 

New Access Courses and Get Into at RCS

A young person holding a theatre light

Are your pupils curious about creative careers? Do they want to know how to get into training and what jobs this could lead to in the world of work?

Book an in-school information session for your S5/6 pupils to find out about two exciting Fair Access courses that could be their next step.

Our staff will come and lead an interactive session about the following fully funded pathways and answer any questions that you and your pupils have:

  • Get Into: Performing and Production is for people 16+. This programme builds skills, confidence and insider knowledge. Ten weeks of practical workshops gets pupils started on their creative journey in Performance, Production for Stage and Screen, Singing Together or Arts with Community.
     
  • Our brand new Access Courses are for people 17+. This eight-month programme awards 40 Credits at SCQF Level 6. The courses are for people who are serious about studying BA Theatre Production, Bachelor of Education (Music) or BA Arts with Community at RCS. Pupils hone their skills and receive expert guidance on applying for BA programmes and preparing for auditions/interviews.

Pave your pupils’ way to employable careers in the creative industries.

Information sessions last one hour – morning or afternoon slots available. Choose from our menu of dates on application form. Spaces are limited so please sign up as soon as possible.

 

Book Now button

Deadline: 31 January

 Who Can Apply 

Our Get Into programme and Access Courses are fully funded and specifically aimed at people who:

Get in touch if you have any questions or need us to check a postcode for you.

 Contact Us 

If you have any questions about these activities please get in touch with us at: fairaccess@rcs.ac.uk

Creative Conversations: Play Therapy and Documentary Filmmaking

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 Creative Conversations 

Play Therapy and Documentary Filmmaking.
Open to all Fair Access Students, RCS Staff and Students

Fair Access are running an exciting new series of Fair Access Creative Conversations focused on Community Arts in Scotland. Come along to one, or to the whole series to find out more about Community Arts in Scotland.

Play Therapy with Izzy Joss

Woman with bobbed hair and smiling
Our first Creative Conversation features from Izzi Joss who will be speaking about Play Therapy. Izzi is a freelance actor, creative collaborator and drama facilitator with over 20 years experience in this field. 

Young woman with bobbed dark hair, smiling in front of a video camera

Documentary Filmmaking with Bircan Birol

Our second Creative Conversation features filmmaker Bircan Birol. Bircan is a Glasgow-based non-fiction filmmaker/artist who will be speaking about the importance of self-representation and working ethically with diverse communities. Bircan will be talking about creative documentaries and how they go beyond usual TV and factual work. She’ll touch on finding your own way, style, and voice in the world of non-fiction filmmaking.

 Contact Us 

If you have any questions about these activities please get in touch with us at: fairaccess@rcs.ac.uk

Fair Access Community Choir

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 Fair Access Community Choir 

Wednesday Evenings, 6 – 7:30pm at RCS

Woman singing with words: Fair Access Community Choir

We’re excited to invite you to our new, weekly Fair Access Community Choir, here at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland led by Anna Ghazal.

Anna is a community choir leader who conducts choirs in Glasgow, including the RSNO Workplace and Buggy Choirs. As the Creative Learning Producer at the National Youth Choir of Scotland (NYCOS), she focuses on making music accessible and inclusive. 

The Fair Access Community Choir is open to all current and past Fair Access students and staff. This includes Get Into, WACI and Transitions participants and their families and support networks.

All levels and voices are encouraged to join. No previous singing experience is required. There’s no audition and no pressure to attend every week. 

You will experience sight reading and build general musicianship skills so this will be useful for instrumentalists, for musical theatre and those interested in teaching as well as fun, social and healthy. 
Text: Apply Now

Please note: Under 13s must be accompanied by an adult.

Fair Access prioritise those facing barriers in accessing the arts such as those who are:

Get in touch and we can check your postcode for you. 

How to Contact Us

If you have an queries or questions about this activity, you can contact the team at: 📧 fairaccess@rcs.ac.uk

Fair Access Fair Access Expo: Community and Applied Arts Practice

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 Fair Access Expo: 

 Community and Applied Arts Practice 

Friday 7 June, 10-3:30pm at The Boardwalk, Glasgow G1 1TF

Are you aged 16 – 25 and want to use your creativity to ask questions, share stories and make change? Do you think the arts can change people’s minds, opinions and lives? Are you interested in building leadership and facilitation skills? If the answer is yes, come along to find out more about Community and Applied Arts Practice at our Fair Access Expo.

At this exciting all-day event, we’re inviting you to join practical sessions with experienced community artists to:

  • Make Theatre
  • Get Moving
  • Make Music
  • Tell a Story

They’ll share their skills and show you how they work creatively with a range of communities. Come and learn about the stories that matter.

What is Community Arts Practice? 

It’s a springboard to careers in teaching, directing, performance making, youth work, community music, arts in health and wellbeing, community education, play work, arts funding, creative learning in arts and cultural organisations and so much more.

How to register

*Booking Now Closed*

Who can attend

Fair Access prioritise places for young people aged 16 – 25 who are facing barriers in accessing the arts and who meet one or more of the following criteria:

Get in touch if you have any questions or need us to check a postcode for you.

If you are a young person living very rurally (e.g. on an island) you may also be eligible. Please get in touch with us and we will let you know if you can apply.

Note to teachers

If you are a teacher, we encourage you to attend this opportunity with your pupils. If you cannot attend, we ask that either an alternative member of staff accompanies the group, or that the students are passed on the booking link in order to book themselves a place. This will enable us to collect the details we require from the young people attending to be able to run the event effectively.

Contact WACI for More Information

You can contact the team at waci@rcs.ac.uk

Fair Access Filmmaking Taster Morning

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 Fair Access 

 Filmmaking Taster Morning 

Wednesday 8 November, 9:30 – 1pm

RCS, 100 Renfrew St, Glasgow G2 3DB

A group of young people with a tutor playing with film cameras

Are your pupils interested in studying Filmmaking at a college, university or conservatoire? Sign up now for you and up to three of your pupils to attend our Filmmaking Taster Morning at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. 

Come and meet some of the Fair Access team where we’ll be on hand to advise about what support we can offer you and your pupils. The taster session will also be a great opportunity to:

  • Find out more about the RCS BA Filmmaking course
  • Try your hand at screenwriting
  • Hear from and chat with current filmmaking students
  • Get up close with filmmaking equipment

We welcome you inside RCS to get a feel for what it could be like to study here.

* Applications now closed *

Booking Deadline: 1 November, 12 noon

Please note: Fair Access is funded to support young people who face barriers in accessing the arts. You are welcome to book up to three of your pupils on this session who meet the following criteria:

Get in touch and we can check your postcode for you. 

 Contact Us 

If you have any questions about this activity, please email: fairaccesshello@rcs.ac.uk

Focus Group: BIPOC

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 BIPOC Focus Group 

Wed 20 September 2023 & Wed 24 January 2024, 6 – 7:30pm

©RCS-Robbie McFadzean

You are warmly invited to come along to our Fair Access BIPOC Focus Group sessions here at RCS.

What it’s for:

We look forward to having a discussion with you all to help us gather experiences and talk about how we might improve what we offer to our students. At the Focus Group, you will have a chance to contribute ideas about how RCS should support BIPOC students. The sessions will be run by our Head of Fair Access and Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion team. 

Dates for the diaries:
Book now to secure your place on the Focus Groups taking place from 6pm on:

  • Wednesday 20 September 2023
  • Wednesday 24 January 2024

* Applications now closed *

Location
Both Focus Groups will take place in the Renfrew Street Building

Got questions?
You can get in touch with Jesse Paul, Head of Fair Access at: j.paul@rcs.ac.uk

Future reminders:
Add these events to your calendar or diaries but you can also check the dates at any time on our online calendar.

Focus Group: Care Experienced and Estranged Students

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 Fair Access Focus Group 

 Care Experienced & Estranged Student 

Wed 4 October 2023 & Wed 7 February 2024, 6 – 7:30pm

A group of people chatting round a table
©RCS-Robbie McFadzean

You are warmly invited to come along to our Fair Access Focus Group for Care Experienced and Estranged Students here at RCS. This focus group is run by Jesse Paul, the Head of Fair Access and is designed to give you the opportunity to contribute your ideas about how RCS should support care experienced and estranged students. Members of the RCS and Transitions staff will be in attendance to hear your views so that we can best understand ways to support you.

Dates for the diaries:
Book now to secure your place on the Focus Groups taking place from 6pm on:

  • Wednesday 4 October 2023
  • Wednesday 7 February 2024

* Applications now closed *

Future reminders:
Keep details of this Focus Group in your calendar or diaries but you can also check the dates at any time on our online calendar.

Got questions?
You can get in touch with Jesse at: j.paul@rcs.ac.uk

Creative Conversations, Get Ready and Ambassadors

Posted on by Yvonne McLellan

 Recent Events and Activity 

Creative Conversations, Get Ready, and Ambassadors

☀️ As we approach the end of the academic year, we’ve had a busy time across our Fair Access departments.

🎙️ CREATIVE CONVERSATIONS

Panel of people talking to students

Last week we held two Creative Conversations. The first at St Margaret Mary’s Secondary School in Castlemilk. Actors Atta Yaqub and Martin Docherty and BA Musical Theatre student Star Penders spoke to Higher and NC5 pupils about their careers, obstacles and inspirations. Marty Docherty was once a St Margaret Mary’s pupil and is still a local Castlemilk lad.

Group of students sitting on the floor

The second was at Holyrood Secondary in Govanhill, this time with a musical focus. Musicians Michael John McCarthy, Ray Aggs and RCS masters student Dean Garrity talked to a group of pupils about the joys of musical collaboration, taking creative risks and why being in a band is such a good thing!

🎥 Filmmaker Seth Hardwick is making a short film on both events that we hope to share with you all.

🎓 GET READY

Two students doing a presentation

This week, Transitions held the first of two events for students, parents and carers in our Get Ready series.

Get Ready to Apply focused on information around personal statements, UCAS and interview skills. The Transitions team have been working away creating a brand new resource ‘Get Ready to Apply’ which can be accessed on our portal:

🌐 portal.rcs.ac.uk/tstudents

Students doing a presentation

Get Ready to Study, took place last night and we’d like to thank Ken Fairbrother, the RCS SU President and Transitions Alumni, for coming along and telling us more about what support, communities and opportunities there are available at RCS.

A huge thank you also to Gem and Charlotte for sharing their own experiences of being a new student, for giving lots of tips, advice and motivation. It was great to see you all there and please keep in touch and let us know how you are getting on.

⭐️ FAIR ACCESS AMBASSADORS

Lastly, the final meeting for session 2022.23 of our fabulous Fair Access ambassadors and Transitions alumni/student assistants took place this week. A chance to celebrate their amazing year and thank them for everything they’ve done to spread the word about Fair Access in their schools, colleges and communities. We’ve learned so much from them and had a great laugh at the same time! Thank you!

 Get In Touch 

If you would like to find out more about the work that Fair Access do, visit or website at rcs.ac.uk/fair-access, sign up for our newsletter via the website or if you have any questions or queries, email: fairaccesshello@rcs.ac.uk