do an art foundation year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i cannot emphasise this enough !!! schools tend not to tell art students about this because it looks better for them if you go straight to uni, but the best artists at uni pretty much have always done an art foundation course first.
The course is free if you go to a college, i go to a local one and live at home as you don't get any loans. It is so much fun and really expands your knowledge as an artist and what you would like to apply for at uni. Also, you get SOOO many UCAS points for simply passing an art foundation course (it is not at all hard to pass, and anyone could achieve a distinction if they work hard enough).
theres plenty people who dont go on to an art degree, someone i know went on to do history at cambridge