Citation and commencement

1.  These Regulations may be cited as the Education (Student Support) (Dance and Drama) Regulations 1999 and shall come into force on 1st September 1999.

Interpretation

2.—(1) In these Regulations, except where the context otherwise requires–

“the Act” means the Teaching and Higher Education Act 1998;

“designated course” means a course designated by regulation 4;

“eligible student” means a person who the Secretary of State has determined is eligible for support in connection with his attendance at a course in accordance with regulation 5;

“the Student Support Regulations” means the Education (Student Support) Regulations 1999(2) as amended from time to time, and any Regulations made under section 22 of the Act which replace with or without modification those Regulations.

(2) Subject to paragraph (1) expressions in these Regulations have the same meaning as they have in the Student Support Regulations.

Eligibility

3.—(1) Subject to and in accordance with these Regulations a person shall be eligible for support in connection with his attendance at a designated course the first academic year of which begins on or after 1st September 1999 if–

(a)he is eligible for support under the Student Support Regulations or would be eligible if the course were a designated course for the purposes of those Regulations;

(b)he has on the first day of the first academic year of the course attained the age of–

(i)16, if the course is a dance course; or

(ii)18 if it is any other course; and

(c)the Secretary of State has determined that by reason of merit he shall be eligible for support under these Regulations.

(2) The number of persons who the Secretary of State has determined shall be eligible for support in connection with attendance at courses beginning in any one 12 month period beginning on 1st September shall not exceed 329.

Designated courses

4.  A course shall be designated for the purposes of section 22(1) of the Act and regulation 3 if it is–

(a)mentioned in Schedule 2 to the Student Support Regulations;

(b)a full-time course other than a sandwich course;

(c)of at least one academic year’s duration; and

(d)provided by one of the following institutions:

(i)Birmingham School of Speech and Drama;

(ii)Bristol Old Vic Theatre School;

(iii)College of the Royal Academy of Dancing;

(iv)Doreen Bird College of Performing Arts;

(v)Guildford School of Acting;

(vi)Laban Centre for Movement and Dance;

(vii)London Contemporary Dance School;

(viii)London Studio Centre;

(ix)Mountview Theatre School (Conservatoire);

(x)Italia Conti Academy.

Application for financial support

5.—(1) With such modifications as may be necessary a person shall apply for support under these Regulations as if he were applying for support under the Student Support Regulations, shall comply with and be subject to the provisions of those Regulations.

(2) If the Secretary of State considers that an applicant is eligible for support under these Regulations he shall notify him of that fact, and thenceforth the applicant shall be an eligible student for the purposes of these Regulations and for the purposes of the Student Support Regulations.

(3) Where an applicant–

(a)is an eligible student for the purposes of the Student Support Regulations but not for the purposes of these Regulations, and

(b)is then notified that he is eligible for support under these Regulations in accordance with paragraph (2)

he shall be an eligible student for the purposes of both these Regulations and the Student Support Regulations in respect of such academic years of his course as the Secretary of State specifies in the notification under paragraph (2).

Financial support payable

6.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2) an eligible student shall be eligible for support under the Student Support Regulations, and the Secretary of State shall pay such support subject to and in accordance with those Regulations.

(2) For the purposes of determining the amount of grant for fees for which an eligible student shall be eligible under the Student Support Regulations, his course shall be considered to be provided by an institution maintained or assisted by recurrent grants out of public funds, whether or not it is so maintained or assisted.

(3) Support paid to an eligible student by virtue of these Regulations shall be treated for all purposes as support paid under the Student Support Regulations.

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations, which come into force on 1st September 1999, are made under section 22 of the Teaching and Higher Education Act 1998. They provide for grants for fees, loans for maintenance and supplementary grants for maintenance for eligible students in connection with their attendance on designated higher education dance or drama courses.

Eligible students are dance students aged 16 or over or drama students aged 18 or over who meet the eligibility criteria found in the Education (Student Support) Regulations 1999, or would meet them if they were attending courses designated for the purposes of those Regulations (regulation 3(1)(a) and (b)). In addition the students must have been selected by the Secretary of State on the basis of merit (regulation 3(1)(c)). The selection will be undertaken on behalf of the Secretary of State by governing bodies of higher education institutions pursuant to a determination under section 23 of the 1998 Act. The total number selected must not exceed 329 (regulation 3(2)).

Designated courses are specified full-time courses of at least one academic year’s duration provided by ten specified privately funded higher education institutions (regulation 4).

Applications for support will be made following the procedure applicable under the Education (Student Support) Regulations 1999 (regulation 5), and a student who is determined to be eligible for support will be eligible for support under those Regulations (regulation 6). The level of support for fees shall be that applicable to publicly funded institutions (regulation 6(2)).

Where an applicant is already eligible for support under the Education (Student Support) Regulations 1999 if he is notified of eligibility under these Regulations they will apply for the purposes of determining the support payable for the academic years specified in the notification (regulation 5(3)).