This support note is intended for teachers/facilitators and students who have either already completed, or are going to complete, a resource/activity/competition/scheme run by one of our partners which is also suitable for the CREST Awards. A full list of all accredited resources and activities can be found on the
CREST partner resources and activities page, including details of what CREST level activities are accredited at.
Accredited resources do not guarantee achieving a CREST Award, but assuming students fully engage, and at Silver and Gold levels provide enough evidence of meeting the criteria, it is likely that students will achieve their award through these activities or resources.
If you are downloading an accredited resource by an external provider:
There is very little difference in terms of entering when downloading a resource from an external provider, as
all CREST resources are simply downloaded and completed. For all levels simply complete the resource, complete the required documentation and
enter as usual.
For Silver and Gold, we always advise having the profile form (accessible when you
sign up for a free CREST account) handy, so that students can build the criteria into their work, using the checklist. You can also find the criteria for Bronze, Silver and Gold
here.
If you are going to complete an externally delivered accredited activity in the future:
Exactly what you need to do will be dependent on each level.
Star, SuperStar, Discovery and Bronze:
Assessment: If you are going to enter for Star, SuperStar, Discovery or Bronze, then these are facilitator assessed, meaning either the person running the activity or another facilitator should be able to decide if the students have met the CREST criteria. In advance of the activity you should find out who will be assessing and entering the students.
For Star and SuperStar participation in all 8 activities is sufficient. There are separate assessment criteria for
Discovery and
Bronze . The British Science Association (who run CREST) take no part in the assessment of projects at these levels.
N.B, if your students only complete one or two Star or SuperStar activities, then they will need to complete further activities to ensure they have completed the required 8 activities. View our exciting primary level resources here.
Entry: For Bronze, the person entering the students will need to keep a sample of their work (10% of the number of students) so that it can be included in the entry. This is used for moderation but will not have an impact on whether students gain a CREST Award. In some cases, the provider will be the one to enter the students, in other cases the educator will do this. The provider will be able to let you know if they or you should enter the students. If you are entering students, see how
here.
For Star, SuperStar and Discovery very little detail is required. Unless the provider is entering the children, you need to simply sign up and
enter the students.
Silver and Gold:
Assessment: For Silver and Gold CREST levels it is best to work on the CREST side of the project as the work progresses, rather than completing it retroactively. Therefore we always advise having the profile form (accessible when you
sign up for a free CREST account) handy, so that students can build the criteria into their work from the beginning, using the checklist. You can also find the criteria for Bronze, Silver and Gold
here.
For larger related schemes (for example Nuffield Research Placements) the provider is likely to be able to provide further guidance on entering for CREST.
The key to entering for Silver and Gold CREST via an external provider is remembering that CREST has its own assessment process, and students will need to meet the CREST criteria and evidence this in whatever work they submit.
Entry: Silver and Gold students are assessed by trained CREST assessors, via our online platform. Either students, teachers or providers can enter students for CREST Silver and Gold. See how
here.
If you are entering after having already completed an externally delivered accredited partner activity:
Awareness of CREST before taking part in an externally delivered activity is ideal, but not always possible. If you only found out about CREST after you or your students took part then follow the below guidance. What you will need to do depends on each level.
Star, SuperStar, Discovery and Bronze:
Assessment: If the activity is accredited at Star, SuperStar, Discovery or Bronze, then these are facilitator assessed, meaning the educator or the person running the activity should decide if students met the criteria. As this is being completed retroactively, then it is likely the provider who ran the resource assessed students on the day, and has decided that the students met the required criteria. If you are unsure, check with the provider.
If the provider lets you know that you need to assess the students, then for Star and SuperStar participation in all 8 activities is sufficient. There are separate assessment criteria for
Discovery and
Bronze . The British Science Association (who run CREST) take no part in the assessment of projects at these levels.
N.B, if children only complete one or two Star or SuperStar activities, then they will need to complete further activities to ensure they have completed the required 8 activities. View our exciting primary level resources here.
Entry: For Bronze the person entering the students will need to keep a sample of their work (10% of the number of students) so that it can be included in the entry. This is used for moderation but will not have an impact on whether or not students gain a CREST Award. If you are entering students, see how
here.
For Star, SuperStar and Discovery very little detail is required. Unless the provider is entering the children, you need to simply sign up and
enter the students.
Silver and Gold:
Assessment: For Silver and Gold CREST levels it can be more difficult to enter for CREST retroactively, but it is certainly still possible. As a first step we would advise having the profile form (accessible when you
sign up for a free CREST account) handy, so that students can see the criteria and what evidence they need to provide. If students already have a physical/computer based copy of their work it might simply be that they need to complete the profile form and ensure they are meeting the criteria using the checklist. If some criteria are missing, they may need to just add these in/flesh sections out.
If students do not have a physical/computer based copy of their work, then they will need to create a report and use the profile form to shape their work. The report can take any form (e.g. written, video, presentation etc) but needs to show detailed evidence of meeting the CREST criteria at the relevant level.
You can also find the criteria for Bronze, Silver and Gold
here.
For larger related schemes (for example Nuffield Research Placements) the provider is likely to be able to provide further guidance on entering for CREST.
The key to entering for Silver and Gold CREST via an external provider is remembering that CREST has its own assessment process, and students will need to meet the CREST criteria and evidence this in whatever work they submit.
Entry: Silver and Gold students are assessed by trained CREST assessors, via our online platform. Either students, teachers or providers can enter students for CREST Silver and Gold. See how
here.