To think it's wrong that Dance and Drama students get so much help with degree costs?

[Serin]

When everyone else has to pay £9000 a year and then living costs.
If the government has money to fund some courses why not use it to fund nursing students?
www.gov.uk/dance-drama-awards

Do we have a chronic shortage of actors?

God yes I would LOVE ds2 to be able to get an apprenticeship - he would love it as well.

Oh, not bitter. I didn't have a DaDa, didn't go to a UK drama school. I'm doing perfectly fine. I just loathe this mentality of life in theatre is comparable to a grad job. It's very much a labour of love and often an incredibly short career. The current UK funding position reflects that.

FWIW, I know plenty of people who self funded because they couldn't get a DaDa.

Nurses don't repay their 16-18yrs education (BTEC or A levels), they pay back their degrees

Don't you think it would be better if they could all get loans rather than a few get bursaries? Seems fairer to me.

Most people in theatre DON'T get bursaries. DaDa's are mainly for post 16 (mainly dance, sometimes MT).

Most people going to drama schools get loans. Some have to pay fees.

If ds2 goes to drama school he will either have to pay a fee or take out a student loan. A DaDa won't be an option for him.

Just as a point of interest a degree at RADA costs the same as most other degrees and student loans are available in just the sane way.

The audition fee can be waved by RADA and travel bursaries are available from RADA for the auditions.

TinselTwins, the DaDa bursaries are available up to 23 and include level 6 qualifications, level 6 is degree level.

Granny have you understood that the DaDa is for specialist post 16 training.

So the equivalent of A levels or BTEC.

Ds2 is looking at A levels or a post 16 extended diploma in film. As he's under 19 he won't pay for either

Don't you think it would be better if they could all get loans rather than a few get bursaries? Seems fairer to me

What other degree route takes out a student loan at sixteen ?

GetAHaircutCarl, that's interesting.

The vast majority of post 18 courses are paid for via student loans as most are now degrees.

RADA also have some bursaries to help students from poorer backgrounds live in London during their degree.

A levels are level 4 qualifications, the DaDA bursaries are for level 5 and 6. If start a university course before you are 18 I assume you pay the same as everyone else and are eligible for loans although I'm not sure if your parents would have to sign if you are under age.

If you think that's interesting granny you haven't understood what DaDa's are for. The vast majority of performing arts training post 18 is now organised as degrees (even in drama schools) and so qualifies for student loans.

granny, with all due respect, you have misunderstood how DaDas work.

Which is probably because you don't work in theatre.

I'm starting to think you ARE my ex's partner.

You can do 2/3 A levels alongside a Level 6 diploma aged 16if you want to.

Gaelic

I trained at a drama school and got a loan as it was a degree. In the same way that diplomas in other areas have become degrees, most drama school courses are already, and more will go that way. But these are small institutions so can't afford to go through the process yet.

It's a very small number of people and I doubt the administration of it would make financial sense. Otherwise I'm sure the government would be all over that.

I don't think any of the commenters from the industry got DaDAs, and are all paying back our student loans. We're not bitter and we haven't profited from the scheme. We just know our industry well.

A lot of the drama schools have their degree courses accredited by a university basically so that their students can access some funding. If you get a degree from Mountview for instance it isn't conferred from 'Mountview' it's from (I think?) Middlesex Uni.

If you do a course that they have managed to attach enough academic content to so that it can be called a degree, you are lucky enough to be eligible for student loans. Otherwise you just have to self fund or get a career development loan which is a genuine 'this finishes and you pay it back whatever' loan. It's what I funded my postgrad with.

If you do a nursing degree you are eligible for student loans. When I did my HCP degree bursaries were in force but I was assessed as being eligible for £0 as my bursary amount so I was only allowed a reduced rate of loan. So I had about £1000 to live on for my 3rd year. At least with how things are now, people like me wouldn't end up living on their mate's floor as they couldn't afford rent.

*Every council and local authority in the UK has sports centres, tennis courts, football pitches, swimming pools, skate parks etc, etc, all of which are heavily subsidised by the taxpayer.

How many local authority-funded dance studios are there? How many council-funded drama training schemes? How many council music departments have had their budgets slashed?*

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This

Is it possible to get figures from somewhere about the amount of funding sport gets v dance and drama? I know that our local council has invested quite a substantial amount in projects like local skate parks for example or putting gym equipment into parks - no problems with either but would like to know.

That is the cheaper and easier way to become a degree, Curious. It works for smaller organisations, in the same way that local vocational colleges are often part of universities now. Central became degree awarding early on, and others have changed from partnering with a university to becoming degree awarding themselves.

You could say this about anything though. Why should there be parks when we can't afford cancer drugs.

Etc etc etc.

The idea that you either do a practical drama school course or a theoretical drama degree isn't correct.

I did a university degree. It was hugely practical, the balance was approx 70-30 in favour of practical/vocational work. It's the reason I chose the course; the others I visited were three years of reading and watching plays. You can do practical theatre degrees without going to drama school.

The scheme was set up in 1999 & the majority of courses are dance or musical theatre. Many many west end performers will have been DaDa recipients.