Information for Providers
On 27 November 1998 Ministers announced that up to 820 of the most talented young actors and dancers will enter training each year with the help of Dance and Drama Awards (DaDA). These Awards provide for reduced fees for Further Education (FE) students from the FE Fees and Maintenance Fund. This will ensure that the most talented students can complete high quality training at the country's leading private schools.
The Awards are available to new students commencing courses of between 1 and 3 years duration. The number of students in training has built up year on year. In 2002, students were training on first, second and third year Awards. Ministers decided to cease to provide Awards for both vocational qualifications and degrees. Some providers have opted to join mainstream Higher Education (HE) funding arrangements and have therefore ceased to be in the Awards. Providers of the Awards must offer vocational qualifications funded via the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and become part of a unified set of Awards arrangements.
This page provides advice to Schools who offer the Dance and Drama Awards and are required to follow terms and conditions.
The Dance and Drama Awards are designed to train students to the highest standards of professional competence. Awards are available for vocationally relevant courses and lead to approved qualifications in acting, dance and stage management. The qualifications were developed and approved for the Awards; the awarding body for these qualifications is Trinity College, London.
Schools offering Awards are subject also to independent inspection arrangements. Schools are inspected by the Office for Standards in Education (OfSTED).
Review meetings will be held on a 3 yearly cycle from February 2003. The next review will take place in February 2009.
The first evaluation of the Dance and Drama Awards was initiated in January 2000 by the then Department for Education and Employment and has been undertaken by the Centre for Education Development and Research (CEDAR) at the University of Warwick. The CEDAR team has been engaged in a three year collection and analysis of data to measure the Award's effectiveness in widening access to dance and drama training in the DaDA schools.
Advice on Audition procedures for Providers and Students
An Auditions Code of Practice has been developed for the Awards by the Council for Dance Education and Training and the National Council for Drama Training. "Auditioning and Interviewing for Dance and Drama Courses" consists of good practice information on the process of auditioning and gives guidance on the development of an appeals procedure.
Both Council's have also produced "An Applicant's Guide to Auditioning and Interviewing at Dance and Drama Schools" has also been developed. This booklet advises students on the audition process, what will be expected of them at audition/interview and other useful advice on what clothing to wear, what to bring etc.
Both of these publications are available CDET's and NCDT's websites www.cdet.org.uk and www.ncdt.co.uk.
