At the full meeting of Thurrock Council on Thursday, local Conservatives called for reform of the Dance and Drama Awards (DaDA) scheme and protection for students currently receiving the grants.
Cllr Phil Anderson said:
“The current DaDA scheme is flawed for several reasons:
· It is open to students from anywhere in the European Union, which means that the British taxpayer is expected to foot the bill for training overseas students at private colleges in the UK;
· It is awarded “regardless of household income”, which sounds commendable but in fact means that some students from wealthy backgrounds are being subsidised through taxes paid by ordinary working families.
We cannot carry on like this, but it is very important that students currently in the middle of their studies are protected during the transition. They started their courses in good faith based on the rules as they existed at the time, and it would be wrong to remove this support half way through when they have already invested so much effort and commitment into pursuing their chosen career.”
Cllr James Halden added:
“The Coalition Government has already shown that we can push through successful reform in these areas. The controversial Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) has been scrapped and replaced with a £165M fund paid direct to schools and colleges. This ends the scandal of ‘state funded pocket money’ while ensuring that poorer students will not be excluded from education because they cannot afford essentials like travel and study materials.”
The Labour Group had put a motion demanding that the DaDA scheme continue in its current form. Cllr Anderson suggested an alternative wording, calling for reform of DaDA while protecting students who had already started their courses. Unfortunately the time for debate ran out before the Conservative amendment could be voted on.
As usual we have Cllr James Halden proclaiming to be the voice of the young people of Thurrock. Now anybody that has met Cllr Halden will realise that this is just not the case and by his own admission he was not entitled to claim EMA due to his family income. He is doing very nicely at university and will be long gone by the time the 9k per year funding is forced on other Thurock young people.
The way that he talks about understanding young people in Thurrock and the ‘state funded pocketmoney’ remark in the chamber shows that he has absolutley no understanding of what it is like to be an average working class young person in Thurrock and is very patronising.
What about the hundreds of Thurrock young people who want to better themself but comes from a family working living on the breadline. The reforms that were announced last week will totally miss these young people. These young peopel will not be attending college or Palmers this year or the next year because their parents will have other priorities.
Sting seems to think that coming from a privileged background makes you a useless uncaring posh twit. What does it matter that his family earned enough to take him out of the reach of EMA, why is that a reason to criticise anybody? Yet again it’s the politics of envy. Maybe Sting should look at the works of Sir Tom Hunter, Sir Ian Wood or maybe Lord Sainsbury to see how much good can be done coming from a monied background.
I have said before that, In my experience of college kids and EMA, state sponsored pocket money is exactly the way to describe it for a lot of kids. Now that doesn’t mean all kids, there are clearly some who really need the help, but Sting can’t pretend that it is crucial to all kids like he sometimes does. The last of his paragraphs is speculation. There are measures and funds in place to help the poorer families and it remains to be seen how that pans out. It might not work, but it might. Alarmist comments are certainly not helpful.
The EMA did not work, the money was meant to assist with the books etc for attending further education; however, the majority of students saw this as an extra £30 in their social fund, maybe the EMA should have been paid in educational vouchers rather than cold hard cash.
Not be-littleing Dance and Drama but aren’t those subjects just a nice to have rather than “proper” subjects like maths, science, english etc….
Support for those on low Income and Income based Benefits will be discretionary for the future, with the school deciding who shall get the money and any balances left over to be used by the school not the student. EMA bill reduced from £560m to £180m. All I can say is that EMA helped my clients immensely and the loss will be felt.
Thurrock For All, you seem to know a bit more about this issue than most, what’s to stop the schools hoarding the money for their own use and is there a mechanism in
place to stop that happening?
28th March Debate in House Of Commons – concerns were raised in House about the degree to which schools retain monies. The worry is the criteria is too harsh and we see only the odd award. There are always problems with universal distribution of benefits / awards but the primary idea of including all is sound. I have dealt with some discretionary awards before and you felt like you were Oliver – Please Sir can I have some more! Example – The Problem with Pension Credits take up has been in the papers this weekend – many Elderly People feel ashamed to take up the support. Leading now to possible flat rate Pension of £155 by 2016. I am no supporter of the current ConDems alliance but if you can stand by Pensioners do the same for youth – unemployment in the youth age categories is truly appalling.
Dada supported for 11/12 but then likely students will have to get Student Loan.
Support Funding Advice
CDL
Students may wish to apply for a (Career Development Loan) through the Learning Skills Council.
Full information at: http://www.lsc.gov.uk
Adult Learning
For information on financial assistance to support your learning, please visit Direct Gov.
http://www.direct.gov.uk/adultlearning
For further funding you can also look in good reference libraries at books such as ‘The Educational Grants Directory’ and ‘A Guide to Grants for Individuals in Need’.
Dance and Drama Award Schemes (DaDas)
NB: If you have a DaDa you cannot apply for a student loan.
DANCE AND DRAMA AWARDS – Undergraduate Courses
The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) only supports private dance and drama courses through the Dance and Drama Awards (DaDAs). The DaDAs offer greatly reduced tuition fees and help with living and learning costs at some of the leading private dance and drama training providers in England. To be eligible for a DaDA students must be aged 16 or over for dance courses, and aged 18 or over for acting or stage management courses. There are only 21 private providers in England who are eligible to offer the DaDAs. Please check with your college to see if you are eligible.
http://www.direct.gov.uk
The Elizabeth Evans Trust
Supports anyone wishing to pursue a career in any branch of the performing arts, including a career backstage. All applicants need to be aged between 16 and 26 and have a connection to Wales.
http://www.theelizabethevanstrust.co.uk
Council for Dance Education and Training
Provides an information service which covers all aspects of vocational dance training, including advice on funding.
http://www.cdet.org.uk
Learndirect
Learndirect offers free impartial advice on careers, courses and funding. Learndirect advice line on: 0800 100 900 or visit their website.
http://www.learndirect-advice.co.uk
Musicians Benevolent Fund
Awards of up to £4,000 are available for full-time postgraduate study on a musical theatre course. You must be British or Irish or have lived in the UK for at least three years at the closing date to be eligible. The next closing date for applications will be during May 2008 and the application process will open in the spring.
http://www.mbf.org.uk/
Educational Grants Advisory Service
The Educational Grants Advisory Service (EGAS) offers guidance and advice on funding for those studying in post-16 education in the UK.
http://www.family-action.org.uk
The Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC)
http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/
Hope this is useful
Left message maybe too large
28th March Debate in House centred on issues around distribution. There are grave concerns that discretionary restrictions will be too harsh and Schools / Academies /Colleges use the £180m (Reduced from £560m) for their own ends and students see little. Universal benefits have their problems (Rich and Poor share alike) but usually it is the “Richer” part of our society who dishes out the money and unfortunately human nature dictates an element of aloofness / arrogance. Example of poor take up is Pension Credits – elderly people feel ashamed about process leading to flat rate pension by 2016.
Dada help
Funding Advice
Winner’s Advice
2009 Training in Musical Theatre winner Madeleine Mantock impressed the judges with her ideas on how to seek funding.
Read her funding advice here (pdf)
The BBC Performing Arts Fund is not responsible for any content within this document, nor the content on any external websites
CDL
Students may wish to apply for a (Career Development Loan) through the Learning Skills Council.
Full information at: http://www.lsc.gov.uk
Adult Learning
For information on financial assistance to support your learning, please visit Direct Gov.
http://www.direct.gov.uk/adultlearning
For further funding you can also look in good reference libraries at books such as ‘The Educational Grants Directory’ and ‘A Guide to Grants for Individuals in Need’.
Dance and Drama Award Schemes (DaDas)
NB: If you have a DaDa you cannot apply for a student loan.
DANCE AND DRAMA AWARDS – Undergraduate Courses
The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) only supports private dance and drama courses through the Dance and Drama Awards (DaDAs). The DaDAs offer greatly reduced tuition fees and help with living and learning costs at some of the leading private dance and drama training providers in England. To be eligible for a DaDA students must be aged 16 or over for dance courses, and aged 18 or over for acting or stage management courses. There are only 21 private providers in England who are eligible to offer the DaDAs. Please check with your college to see if you are eligible.
http://www.direct.gov.uk
The Elizabeth Evans Trust
Supports anyone wishing to pursue a career in any branch of the performing arts, including a career backstage. All applicants need to be aged between 16 and 26 and have a connection to Wales.
http://www.theelizabethevanstrust.co.uk
Council for Dance Education and Training
Provides an information service which covers all aspects of vocational dance training, including advice on funding.
http://www.cdet.org.uk
Learndirect
Learndirect offers free impartial advice on careers, courses and funding. Learndirect advice line on: 0800 100 900 or visit their website.
http://www.learndirect-advice.co.uk
Musicians Benevolent Fund
Awards of up to £4,000 are available for full-time postgraduate study on a musical theatre course. You must be British or Irish or have lived in the UK for at least three years at the closing date to be eligible. The next closing date for applications will be during May 2008 and the application process will open in the spring.
http://www.mbf.org.uk/
Educational Grants Advisory Service
The Educational Grants Advisory Service (EGAS) offers guidance and advice on funding for those studying in post-16 education in the UK.
http://www.family-action.org.uk
The Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC)
http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/
What i was saying was that Cllr James Halden should not always start everything with ‘ i am the voice of young people in this chamber’ when he clearly is not a ‘typical’ thurrock young person – that does not make him a bad person but he does not and should not always try to be the’ listen to me i know best about young people stance’.
Maybe some young people did not use the money in the most sensible of way but a majority of them did and it helped them achieve better futures. You only got the full amount if you attended all of your classes and kept up with your studies and it was all dependant on you family income as far as i recall you got £30 per week and it reduced down to £10. Last weeks report showed that a whole load of these yp are about to lose the very benefit that allowed them to attend sixth form and try to make career for themselves.
The principals of both Palmers and the college have spoken out about their fears for young people who are about to have their EMA taken away from them, some are just about to go into their last years of courses and may not be able to do so. Neither of these are political but they know that for many students the money is the only way they can stay in eductation.
The government could have gone some way to meet this need by providing free bus passes to young people who were currently in the system but no it slashed it all. I read the same stuff as Thurrock for all – it was not a government report, i read the exact same figures in the Daily Mirror newsaper!!
If Cllr Halden wants to give up his youth to be a politician that is all well and good for him, but that in itself shows you that he is not a ‘typical’ young person. Again nothing wrong with this but just give up the ‘im the voice of young people’ bit and in the words of Gary Hague ‘Get on with your job’.
He needs someone to take him to a good barbers. Then he needs to find himself a nice girl and leave thepolitics for the oldies.
Thanks Thurrock for all, that does indeed highlight the problems. If, as suggested, it
will lead to the schools keeping hold of the money then it is no solution at all. The problem still remains though that universal benefit is an expensive way to make sure poorer kids get the help they need. Assuming we cannot afford EMA for all I can’t think of a reasonable solution.
On the James Halden point, if he is indeed calling himself the voice of young Thurrock then he needs a swift kick in the jacksie. It is not for him to give himself that moniker, it is for the young people of Thurrock to give him it if he actually does anything to deserve it. I suggest that, thus far, he hasn’t.
I believe in EMA but there was supposed to be a review any way this year. A way forward given there are cuts of 2/3rds, target low income families but keep EMA, and make the means tested criteria (Grandad Forgive Me) more rigid. The administration would not change IE from current structure to schools (no set up costs) and schools would not be burdened with more admin. School Uniform budget could also be added onto this as well. Another task away from Local Authorities.