Dance and Drama Awards scheme: evaluation project phase II: final report

The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) Dance and Drama Awards (DADA) are offered to exceptionally talented performers and stage managers as a capped scholarship scheme (the DADA scheme), which provides access to the highest quality post-16 vocational training. The scheme was introduced by the UK government in 1999 to replace the Interim Funding Scheme (IFS) established by Arts Council England in 1999 in response to recommendations made in the Dearing Report into Higher Education in the Learning Society, which specifically recommended that government provide for the advanced training needs of highly skilled performers. The purpose of the first three year evaluation was to assess whether the DADA scheme was achieving its main aims of increasing quality and improving access to the best possible performing arts vocational training. The evaluation provided information on: inputs, auditions, training and curriculum processes; access to training for students from all sectors of society, especially students from ethnic minorities, students with disabilities, and students from lower income families; qualifications achieved and destinations of students on courses supported by the Awards; the extent to which the training meets the needs of employers in the sector; and skill shortages in the sector and the responsiveness of training providers in using the Awards to help address these. This is the final report of the second phase of the evaluation. The findings reveal that the Awards continue to be an effective scheme that ensures that there is a commitment to both excellence and equity in the independent performing arts market. There have also been real achievements in terms of widening participation and access to training for individuals and groups who are under-represented in the private training market for the performing arts. Show less