"It’s time we stop judging the value of a young person by a number."
Collarts, the Australian College of the Arts, has removed the ATAR barrier to entry in an initiative to shatter creative school leavers’ misconceptions that their score defines their worth, via Fenton Stephens.
The move is being announced as a quarter of a million Australian teenagers have been anxiously waiting for news today on whether they've ‘smashed their ATAR’, and is supported by a film directed by Christopher Tovo that sees creative students smash their ATAR in a different way, using the power of creativity.
Collarts CEO Sam Jacob said the ATAR is a moment in time, not a life sentence.
"It’s time we stop judging the value of a young person by a number. Creativity is key to solving complex problems and our future workforce will depend on it," Jacob said.
"We care about the unique ways a student has contributed to their community, to caring for country, to honing their craft, not their tertiary rank. And it works: our students go on to be highly successful in their fields."
Fenton Stephens ECD Chris Ellis said other universities reduce people to a single number – but with creative subjects marked down, the ATAR score is not a fair or accurate measure of creativity.
"That means potentially exceptional creative talent is slipping through the cracks and not even applying. So in an incredibly bold initiative, we’ve worked with Collarts to remove the ATAR barrier to entry, clearing the pathway and empowering creative students to realise their true potential," Ellis said.
"The message: ‘Creativity is not a number. Neither are you’. This isn’t advertising but a change that will help students put their creativity first and change their preference. Ultimately, this is about changing the course of lives."
Working with Collarts, it was found that there is very little correlation between ATAR ‘success’ and performance in creative course subjects.
Dr Kim Hazendonk, a Clinical Neuropsychologist, argues that the current ATAR system has the potential to negatively impact mental health, especially as it may not accurately reflect the diverse talents of students, particularly when it comes to those with creative skills.
"We need to shift the conversation around education," Hazendonk said.
"ATARs can be a limiting way to assess a student’s potential. It is important to give credit to the creative and artistic intelligence that is crucial in today’s world."
Hijacking the conversation in the lead up to ATAR release today, the TikTok film has already gained nationwide news coverage.
The initiative continues across social, led by Fenton Stephens with a PR push to continue education reform around the outdated ATAR system.
Credits
Client: Collarts CEO: Sam Jacob
Chief Sales and Marketing Officer: Tonya Willoughby
Marketing & Communications Manager: Varshha Tewari
Social Media & Content Manager: Luana Spadafora
Creative Agency: Fenton Stephens
Chief Creative Officer: Alex Fenton
Executive Creative Director: Chris Ellis
Copywriter: Lou Egan
Art Director: Damian Sloan Account Manager: Montana McInnes
CEO: Simon Antonis
Client Services Officer: Amy Stephens Design: Tim McPherson
Social Strategist: Ned Considine
Performance Agency: Fenton Stephens
Chief Operating Officer: Joey Dorrington
Performance Director: Michael Blake
Production Company: Positive Ape
Director: Chris Tovo
Producer: Jason Byrne
Production Manager: Jack Davies
DOP: David Guest
Phantom High Speed Camera: Robot Face
Art Director: Killer Bowden
Special Effects Art: Clint Dodd
Offline Editor: Richard Hamer
Colourist Grade: Edel Rafferty
Online Editor: Jon Holmes
PR: Pitch Perfect PR Senior Publicist: Allex Conley
Sound Design: Ramsay De Marco
Music Composition: MADBS Composing Palace Maria Alfonsine & Damian de Boos-Smith
