To think the school should return this artwork?

[SquirrelHash]

My daughter took GCSE art last year.

I understand that a school has to hold on to the work for the time that it is marked, after the moderation period and the deadline for enquiries about results, but there were no issues and this deadline passed long ago (September 2022).

It's now March and we are being fobbed off by the school. They have confirmed that they still have the artwork - it has not been lost or disposed of, and my daughter is getting quite anxious about having it back.

AIBU to think there is no reason for them to hold on to it, that they (hopefully?) have no right to do so, and that it should be returned?

We're the art materials there's to start with?

of course she should have got it back,
she should have got it back last summer surely?

Some were provided by the school, some were sourced by us.

I think that we were supposed to retain all Coursework for a year in case of later queries, don't know about Art etc., this was Maths.

I teach GCSE media studies (among other subjects). Our exams office says we have to keep all coursework for three years after the qualification is awarded. It’s a right pain, because it all has to be stored securely, but it must be even worse for art, because some of the pieces are massive!

@JudgeJ perhaps this is the case, though if they just said "we have to keep it till 30th June 2023" for instance - we'd be okay with that.

They don't seem to know what they are doing and if they do, they are not communicating it, which is rather disconcerting!

It might be that they have to keep it for a period of time for some reason but with staffing changes no one can remember that reason so they’re scared to give it back. Or it could be it’s very good and they want it show off the school.

If they’re not giving a straight answer I’d just go onto the examining body’s website and see if they have made a restriction. If not just escalate - head of art, head teacher and politely ask for it back.

Whatever you do, keep on at them! They disposed of my gcse A* graded art work because I didn’t collect in time - although much like you I had been given random dates and timelines and it was only when I actually went in to school and interrupted the teacher during a class who finally told me it had been skipped (obviously this was a while ago now but I’m still bitter about it!).

Yikes Stealth 🥲

Sorry that was at Changethenamey not stealth!

Ha ha I saw your comment and wondered if I’d accidentally said something controversial!

This happened to my sons art GCSE course work too. He got an A* and was gutted.

dd got her's back,
it could have been a level, i think,
it is massive - pride of place and we got it back fairly quickly

www.jcq.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Instructions_NEA_21-22_FINAL.pdf

Page 15 and 16 tell you what you need to know

It might also be the case that the exam board have retained the work. In which case, the centre would have been notified and would/should have notified the candidate.

If you have already escalated to the Head and to the Governors, you could try a solicitors letter to the Head. It is your daughters property. At least it would make it unlikely for them to dispose of it.

Whilst it's obviously something they are proud of, is it any different to other work? My dd couldn't get back any of her controlled assessment pieces (written) including the one she got national recognition for nor her recording of her music which she got full marks for. We were told they do not give back work, end of.

We were told they are property of the school as the school paid for the exam costs and the recording equipment rather than her intellectual property

If she did the exam last summer, EAR passed by the end of November.
Schools are now required to securely dispose of pupil work after one year. Whether that starts from the date of submission, which would be May, or EAR, which would be November, I don't know.
I suggest that she (because the work belongs to her) emails the teacher, the head of dept, and the exams officer to ask for the date on which she can collect it, and see what they say.

Our school contacted us to arrange an appointment to collect at a pre agreed time during one week at the end of Nov/beginning of Dec after holding it for the required time by the exam board and GCSE certificates had been issued

Thank you!

Perhaps not, legally - though I would have liked them to manage her expectations a bit with this as if they don't or can't give it back it's nice to know rather than being strung along. Even a politely worded email that puts a close to the matter is fine really if that is the case.

My son eventually got his artwork exam piece back when his younger sister started at the senior school, he was 19 at the time, art teacher said ‘you are £££ sister aren’t you’ and handed it to her’ he had forgotten all about it. They had used it as an exhibition piece !

It is not, legally, her property and they are not under any legal obligation to return it to her. This advice is awful.

Many moons ago when I did GCSE art mine was kept until the following year (some, not all iirc but it was a good while ago!). Was on display in the art rooms.