Introducing the Research and Policy Team at UAL Awarding Body

At UAL Awarding Body, we believe creative education deserves a strong voice in national policy and a clear message about its impact.

In this first edition of our new Research and Policy Round-up, we’re introducing the people behind the insights – just one of the many teams working to ensure our qualifications stay relevant and centred around the needs of learners and educators across the UK.

Kenny Bradley – Research and Policy Manager

Kenny leads on our research strategy and policy work. He’s here to make sure UAL Awarding Body’s voice is heard in national conversations about pre-degree education, and that our qualifications are backed by solid evidence and a focus on positive learner impact.

“Visiting the centres that we work with usually means we can see our qualifications providing the jumping off point for a wide range of creative practices. This is by far the most meaningful aspect of our work for me.”

Kenny comes from a background in creative community engagement and policy and impact roles within the likes of Towner Eastbourne, ScreenSkills and the BFI. His experience has consistently included advocating for access and equity in creative education.

Dr Kristen Horner– Impact and Evaluation Officer

Kristen works closely with Kenny to evaluate the impact of our qualifications. She’s focused on turning data into insights, particularly in relation to learner outcomes and widening participation in creative education.

“The projects I find most meaningful are always those that put learners at the heart. I make sure to always consider learner and tutor experiences when I’m planning data collection... or exploring how research can inform our work.”

She’s a classically trained musician, a former music tutor and university lecturer, and her PhD focused on music education policy. Kristen recently joined us from Arts Council England, where she managed national music education programmes and led evaluation work.

At first glance, ‘research and policy’ might sound like something tucked away in spreadsheets or government documents, but in reality, this work sits at the heart of everything we do at UAL Awarding Body. By connecting it with the expertise in our qualification development and academic teams we can maximise our understanding of what works for students and teachers.

Kenny and Kristen’s roles are to gather evidence and make sense of what’s really happening across our centres. This data helps shape how we advocate for pre-degree creative education.

Crucially, their work is translated into action. The team leads our efforts in analysing and communicating the impact of our qualifications - that includes:

• Responding to policy reforms and consultations (like the Curriculum & Assessment Review).
• Making the case for creative education in national conversations.
• Evaluating and evidencing the value of our qualifications – especially for SEND learners and those from underrepresented groups.
• Sharing learner progression outcomes and regional benchmarking data.

Over the next year, the team will be focusing on:

• Strengthening our long-term data and impact reporting.
• Increasing the visibility of FE learners and tutors in national education debates.
• Advocating for creative vocational pathways as valid, valuable alternatives to A-Levels.
• Enhancing collaboration across the network to share best practice.

As Kenny puts it:

“There is quite a large imbalance between research in further education and research in schools. This can result in the voices of FE learners and practitioners going unheard in some of the broader debates concerning not only curriculum and assessment, but evidence as to what best serves creative arts learners outside of more traditional routes such as A-Levels.”

Kristen flags a few important developments to keep an eye on:

• The Curriculum and Assessment Review,
• The Creative Industries Sector Plan, including £380M in investment and a new creative careers service,
• A planned National Centre for Arts and Music Education, aiming to promote high-quality arts education and teacher training.

UAL Awarding Body is actively engaging with all of these conversations – making sure our sector’s voice is heard, and that your work is well represented.

According to Kristen, what makes UAL Awarding Body different is the values. There is a genuine care for young people’s futures, with a majority of the team coming from educational backgrounds. The qualifications are designed with flexibility, creativity, inclusivity and learner-focused objectives in mind.

One of the team’s goals is to make research and policy more transparent and collaborative. So, if you’ve got insights or questions you want to share – they'd love to hear from you!

For examples of recent work being conducting behind the scenes, read our report, Building on what works in creative education: evidence from UAL Awarding Body, responding to the Department of Education’s Curriculum and Assessment Review.