Art schools, and specifically digital animation and FX.

[OCSockOrphanage]

DS is considering options. I was academic and did a humanities degree at an RG university; DH wasn't. DS is headed in a direction we can't advise on from experience. He's been directed into academic A levels so is looking at this from outside. Any colleges that we should choose (or swerve)? Very grateful for insights.....

Look at local art colleges. In fact, visit all colleges he will be able to get to and talk to them about what they offer and talk to the lecturers.

My DD went to a local art college. Decided she wanted to go there as soon as she visited. I would never have thought it would have suited her.

Have a look at some of the courses Glasgow University has to offer (sorry I'm not being more specific).

My OH is very experienced in digital animation and FX and has worked around the world on huge films (not trying to brag, just so you know where I'm coming from!).

A lot of unis/colleges offer FX type stuff as it's seen as quite a popular new subject but I think quality of teaching can vary.

He'd be happy to offer advice if you want to PM - he asks what a-levels is he doing/subjects is he interested in (e.g. more art side or maths/coding side, or both?) and what sort of jobs in the industry is he drawn to - is he aware there's a huge variety of different jobs?

Have a look at Escape Studios - well known in the VFX / animation industry for good short and postgraduate courses, but now offering undergraduate courses too www.pearsoncollegelondon.ac.uk/escape-studios.html

They aren't publicly funded courses, though - although they are closely tied to the industry. There isn't one size fits all.. They really need to talk to someone in the industry to understand for themselves what they want to pursue.

Dundee. It's very competitive though.

OCSockOrphanage - that is what my son is interested in too. Like you we also can't advise from experience and are a little at loss to know what we should help our DS look for in a degree. We have discussed a Fine Arts degree with options to do with digital art but I am not sure if that is the right route for him. Falmouth seems to have a good selection of courses but as I am not sure what I am looking for...not confident they are 'good' or not! What subjects is your DS taking at A Level?

Take a look at University of Hertfordshire. They claim to have v good industry links

Has he checked out Ravensbourne?

@reallyorange - if you mean Escape Studios, the undergraduate courses attract student loans and they charge lower than usual fees so less debt www.pearsoncollegelondon.ac.uk/for-students/finances.html

insert that's good - looks like their degrees are validated by University of Kent.
I'd still strongly recommend talking to someone before choosing a course as 'digital animation and FX' still covers a huge variety of types of jobs.
Of course all places offering courses are going to say they have good links with industry, which is probably more important in this field than most -(and Escape really do!) so good to get a realistic idea of how true that is... it's a surprisingly small industry in many ways, people tend to know each other!

Sorry, I've banged on quite a lot about that point! I'd be excited for him if he's genuinely interested, it's a great field to work in although the downsides are often long hours and limited places to work (in the UK the majority of jobs are in London although hopefully that's changing...)

@reallyorange - yes, they are validated by Kent, which is a useful bonus and means you know there's decent quality there as I'm sure Kent won't sign off on just anything

Definitely agree about talking to someone before choosing a course, especially one that's specialist and significant departure from anything studied at school / college. Open days and taster days are also good too - yes, they're aimed at selling things (especially open days) but you'll find out more about the subject and get a feel for the uni too

If that’s the course he wants to do you can get a list of the universities that offer it from UCAS. Falmouth University has courses in animation and VFX, it’s a highly rated specialist university so broader than an art college but still with a high concentration of creative degrees.

Have a look at London College of Communication, part of University of the Arts London. They have an excellent Screen School.

While we're mentioning random courses, Bournemouth does traditionally have a good proportion of Arts graduates going into VFX.

May as well mention Unistats website that gives data on courses (things like student satisfaction, employment/earnings after finishing) - you can compare similar courses at different unis. unistats.ac.uk/