Guidance

Dance and Drama Awards application and assessment process

Published 12 March 2024

Applies to England

漏 Crown copyright 2024

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The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) closed on 31 March 2025. All activity has moved to the Department for Education (DfE). You should continue to follow these agreements and contracts.

This list sets out the application and assessment process for funding for new students.

  1. New student applies to the institution/s and is auditioned.
  2. The institution ranks the students in order of talent.
  3. Institution offers a place (NOT funding) to the student.
  4. Student provisionally accepts the place and confirms they want to apply for funding (by completing self-declaration of income).
  5. Student completes a self-declaration of income form.
  6. The institution records the students of the budget management spreadsheet in order of talent.
  7. Using the information in the self-declaration of income form, the institution offers provisional funding to students in order of talent, until the budget is spent. (No provisional Dance and Drama Awards (DaDA) funding to be offered before 1 March).
  8. Institution sends 鈥榗learing鈥� data to Council for Dance Drama and Music Theatre (CDMT).
  9. CDMT undertakes clearing process on a monthly basis between April to August and advises institutions where students are holding places.
  10. Students choose their preferred institution and formally accept a place.
  11. Following confirmation from the student that they have accepted a place, the institution gives a DaDA application form to the new student.
  12. Student completes and submits (to the institution) the DaDA application form together with appropriate income evidence.
  13. Institution assesses the DaDA application and evidence and determines the level of household income and the level of financial support.
  14. Institution offers final funding to students in order of talent, in accordance with the level of support as determined by their income assessment.
  15. Institution updates the budget management spreadsheet.
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