Category: News

CDMT is concerned about the proposal to reduce by 50% the high-cost subject funding allocated to the performing and creative arts in the Office for Students’ consultation on recurrent funding for 2021-22.

A letter from the Education Secretary  says that the OfS should ‘reprioritise funding towards the provision of high-cost, high-value subjects that support the NHS and wider healthcare policy, high-cost STEM subjects and/or specific labour market needs.’

The suggested cut will be shattering for Higher Education provision in the performing arts, affecting the financial viability of key vocational courses and having a detrimental impact on the sector as a whole.

A generation of creative professionals will be denied the opportunity to reach their potential, with less affluent young people disproportionately affected, further impacting a cohort of learners who have already faced serious disruption by the Covid-19 conditions.

Whilst the performing arts do require notable financial support, the OfS proposals regrettably make the assumption that their study is of less value than others. 

CDMT Accredited schools offering professional training in dance, drama and musical theatre transform lives, enrich communities, and drive regional and national economic growth.

They are a unique source of ready practitioners and new talent essential for the regeneration and renewal of the industry in future years.

These Accredited schools have a combined total of students on full-time vocational courses in the performing arts of 6,300 and an average graduate progression to the industry of over 89%. 

Along with the government’s Dance and Drama Awards scheme, many are supported as Higher Education providers. This proposed funding reduction will impact on the existing ‘pipeline’ of highly trained professionals on which the sector relies.

In 2019, the arts and culture contributed £10.8 Billion to the UK economy and £2.8 Billion to the Treasury through taxation, and generated a further £23 Billion a year and 360,000 jobs (Arts Council England).

It is therefore a matter of national interest to ensure that the next generation of performing arts workers are suitably trained and equipped to join a sector that can help drive the growth, job-creation and innovation that the UK now needs more than ever to recover and thrive.

Also, by removing the London weighting, as suggested by the OfS consultation, many students will be placed at a disadvantage in relation to their accommodation, travel and day-to-day living costs, facing substantial hardships. The notice given by the proposals is far too short to enable Higher Education providers to plan effectively for September 2021.

The UK has a long-standing reputation for the provision of outstanding professional training in dance, drama and musical theatre. However, in an economic climate where there is growing pressure on higher-level studies and the arts specifically this reputation could now be at risk.

The economy can only benefit from the creative contributions made by future trained professional practitioners from vocational training institutions in the performing arts whose diverse and talented graduates underpin the success of the cultural industries.

Photo Credit: Phil Hitchman

Following the Prime Minister’s announcement on Easter Monday that Step 2 of the roadmap would be implemented from 12^th April, the following sets of guidance have been updated to reflect the next steps in easing the lockdown conditions.

General guidance on Step 2 of the road map

The summary guidance for Step 2 confirms the opening of public buildings, including libraries and community centres. This also confirms that indoor leisure facilities such as gyms will also reopen.

Out-of-school settings

The guidance for out-of-school settings confirms that from 12^th April out-of-school settings and wraparound childcare providers can offer provision to all children, without restriction on the reasons for which they may attend.

For indoor provision, providers should aim to minimise mixing between children as far as possible, through keeping children in consistent groups or ‘bubbles’.  Where this is not possible, providers should restrict the groups to no more than 15 children and at least one staff member; and where possible, with the same children each time they attend.

If providers have multiple groups: Providers should allow enough changeover time in between groups for cleaning, and to prevent children and parents or carers waiting in large groups. Multiple groups of 15 children (or more if the provision is outside) plus staff can use the same shared space if necessary, with distancing between the groups and adequate ventilation. Although, different groups sharing the same space should be avoided where possible.

If providers use a shared space that is also used by other groups or organisations, such as a community centre, they should discuss the infection protection and control measures with the owner of the space. The owners of these shared spaces must continue to meet all existing health and safety obligations to ensure that their premises are safe for providers to hire and to operate from.

Grass roots sports providers

The guidance confirms that from 12^th April, indoor sports facilities can open to the public. This includes gyms and leisure centres, dance studios and fitness studios.

For adults:
–  Indoor facilities can only be used for individual activity or for activities by people from the same household (or support/childcare bubble)
–  Personal training and coaching can take place either 1:1 or within households/bubbles
–  Group activities and exercise classes are not otherwise permitted for adults.

For children:
–  All children can take part in indoor childcare and supervised activities,including sport and physical activity, in line with the guidance for out-of-school providers above.

Education and training:
–  Training that is working towards an external accreditation recognised by a professional body (e.g. a national governing body coaching course) can go ahead. Therefore:

• Performing arts assessments for under 18s can be conducted in all out-of-school settings
• Regulated performing arts assessments and examination preparation can be conducted in all out-of-school settings for over 18s. Unregulated assessments can take place for the purposes of meeting all or part of the entry requirements for an educational institution.

                      

                                                                            The above are supporters of the Recognised Awards Scheme

If you are a Performing Arts School or Teacher who is committed to upholding safe and professional standards of practice, CDMT’s Recognised Awards scheme is perfect for you. The Awards are a set of industry-designed standards for performing arts teachers and schools working in pre-vocational settings, and enable students and their parents/carers to make informed choices about schools and teachers providing performing arts training.

The Awards confirm that schools and teachers:

• Have suitable Professional Policies and Procedures, including safeguarding and health & safety
• Hold valid DBS Certificates and adequate Insurance
• Adhere to the CDMT Code of Professional Conduct and Practice
• Have the appropriate level of relevant Teaching Qualifications and/or Professional Experience

In October 2020, the Department for Education (DfE) published non-statutory guidance on Keeping Children Safe in Out-of-School Settings. The code of practice and supporting information, which can be accessed here, lays out the minimum level of safeguarding practice that organisations should have in place to reduce the risk of harm to children in clubs, tuition or community-led activities in England, and provides advice to parents/carers about what to look for when choosing suitable provision.

Following publication of the guidance, CDMT has updated the policy template documents for its Recognised Awards Scheme to ensure that they align with the DfE guidance as follows:

Code of professional conduct

• References added to risk assessment and record keeping
• References added to complaints and whistleblowing policies
• Added information on safeguarding

Health and Safety policy guidelines

• Minor amendments to information on safety checks
• Addition of section on parental consent and registers

Child and at risk adults policy guidelines

• Updates to terminology
• Amendments to information about the role of the Designated Safeguarding Lead
• Updated links to useful resources and organisations

CDMT aims to promote the scheme as a means for teachers working in Out-of-Schools-Settings across dance, drama and musical theatre to transparently address the DfE expectations.

Further information about the scheme and how to apply can be found here or please email [email protected]

CDMT Recognised Schools and Teachers are able to get the most out of being part of the scheme by utilising the benefits provided by its supporters. Find out more about the supporters of the scheme here.

Continue reading “Meet the Supporters of the Recognised Awards Scheme”

CDMT is delighted to highlight that we have released the 2021 annual UK Guide to Professional Training, Education & Assessment in the Performing Arts as an E-Book. 

The UK Guide is the authoritative source of information about the professional schools, conservatoires and awarding organisations with whom we share a mission for advancing outstanding artistic performance. The publication shines a spotlight on CDMT’s membership; on institutions that together make an enormous contribution to the sustainability and international profile of the UK creative industries. We sincerely hope you enjoy reading about them, about us, and about our shared mission in the performing arts.

The 2021 UK Guide is released as an E-Book here.

Hard copies are still available for circulation, or alternatively you can visit cdmt.org.uk

Last week the Department for Education received confirmation from the Department of Health and Social Care that the full education and training exemption for Out-of-Schools Settings is only attached to library premises, community centres, theatres and concert halls from 8 March 2021.

The exemption has no age limit placed on it and covers activities in which students/candidates are engaged that meet the definition of education and training as laid out in the legislation summarised below. It also assumes that the premises can legally open for that purpose.

(h) activities provided by a business, a charitable, benevolent or philanthropic institution or a public body for the purposes of—

From 8 March 2021, indoor dance studios and sports facilities in Out-of-School Settings are only able to open for supervised activities for:

• vulnerable children and young people
• other children, where the provision is reasonably necessary to enable their parents and carers to work, search for work, undertake education or training, or attend a medical appointment or address a medical need, or attend a support group

More information is available here on gov.uk.

Note that it is the Government’s intention for Out-Of-Schools Settings and wraparound childcare providers to be able to offer provision as normal, to all children, from the start of the school summer term. This will be no earlier than 12 April, and will be confirmed as part of Step 2 of the Covid-19 Response – Spring 2021.

                                                               

In support of this development, CDMT and One Dance UK have issued the following statement: 

Further to our joint statement of 9 February we are delighted that the government announcement of 22 February allows HE providers to resume in-person teaching and learning from 8 March for students of the practical creative arts. The Council for Dance, Drama and Musical Theatre (CDMT) and One Dance UK will continue to liaise to ensure that the sector’s views are strongly represented and addressed in the period ahead.

CDMT[i] and One Dance UK[ii] are calling on the government to allow students on vocational training courses in
the performing arts a safe return to face-to-face teaching, through the next review 
due to be completed by 22 February 2021.

We firmly believe that the unique combination of practical, technical, creative and academic skills required to
succeed in a performing arts career, including the need to collaborate with others,
 cannot be achieved through remote learning alone – especially
 over a sustained period of time.

We particularly urge Ministers to allow students in their final year of training, and on one-year MA courses, to return to in-person rehearsal and teaching at the earliest possible opportunity. Specialist institutions offering vocational training in dance, drama and musical theatre conduct lessons in small groups, usually fewer than 15 per class, which allows for appropriate adherence to Covid-19 preventative measures. These proved effective during the first term of this academic year.

Further, final year students at these respected institutions are at the start of launching their professional careers, and would benefit immeasurably from access to face-to-face teaching, vital to their performance aspirations. They should be given equal working status as professional performers and be permitted to create live performances for streaming in theatre settings, strictly observing the current guidance for working safely in the performing arts.

Despite the heroic efforts and creative responses of providers to sustain delivery of the world-class training available in the UK, there is no doubt that dance, drama and musical theatre trainees are being unfairly disadvantaged due to the nature of their subjects.

We note that the performing arts make a significant contribution to the UK economy. They are part of an arts and culture industry that contributes £10.8 billion to the UK economy annually and £2.8 billion to the Treasury via taxation, further generating £23 billion a year (Arts Council England, 2019). It is therefore a matter of national interest to ensure that the next generation of performing arts workers are suitably trained and equipped to join a sector that can help drive the growth, job-creation and innovation that the UK now needs to recover and thrive.

While the safety of students and staff must remain a priority, as we look towards a gradual easing of the current restrictions, strong consideration must be given to the fact that not all higher education provision is the same. A one-size-fits-all approach is not an appropriate or proportionate response. We therefore ask for the ‘prioritisation’ of performing arts vocational training, including dance, drama and musical theatre, particularly to ensure that final-year and postgraduate students are successfully supported to graduate for the profession.

---

[i] CDMT is the industry body offering quality assurance and membership services to institutions delivering training, education and assessment in dance, drama and musical theatre. It also works across the sector to further research on performing arts’ teaching and learning. As background:

CDMT’s Accredited professional training schools and conservatoires have an approximate combined:

• Annual turnover of more than £90M
• Student cohort on full-time vocational courses in the performing arts of 6,500
• Intake of new students onto vocational courses of 2,700 annually, from 20,500 auditions
• Average graduate progression to the industry of over 90%.
  

  ---

[ii] One Dance UK is the sector support organisation working for a stronger, more vibrant and diverse dance sector. It provides a clear voice to:

• Support all those working in the sector to achieve excellence in dance performance, education and management
• Advocate for the increased profile and importance of dance in all its diverse forms and settings
• Enhance dancers’ health, well-being and performance
• Identify gaps, provide opportunities and improve conditions for dance to be learnt, discussed and seen

 

                                                

From 2 December 2020, any supervised activity and education for children and young people of up to age 18 in out-of-school settings can happen in all tiers, both inside and outdoors. 

In relation to activities at out-of-schools-settings, the gov.uk guidance updated on 30 November includes:

• exemptions for limits on gatherings for supervised activities provided for children, including wraparound care (before and after-school childcare), groups and activities for under 18s, and children’s playgroups.

This information is also contained within the guidance for out-of-school-settings which was updated on 27 November and confirms that, with protective measures, providers of out of school activities are able to open in a range of settings including:

• their own premises
• education premises, such as schools or colleges (where providers would be using them outside of school hours, or when closed over school holiday periods)
• community-facing premises including village halls, community centres and places of worship. 

The Department for Education (DfE) has also clarified that:

• the above cover supervised activities for children or other persons who were under the age of 18 on 31 August 2020 (this means that if a person, for example, turns 18 on 1 September they can still take part in activities with their peers who may not be 18 until end of the academic year.)
• as before, examinations and other assessments for regulated qualifications (including regulated qualifications in dance, drama, music and musical theatre) can go ahead so long as they are conducted in line with the public health guidance for examinations and the guidance specified by the relevant awarding organisation. The current guidance can be found here


 Some helpful web links:
• DfE Out of School Settings Provider Guidance is available here
• Out of School Settings Parent Guidance is available here
• Guidance for Schools is available here 
• More information on Further Education provision is available here