Music and Dance Scheme: funding for students

You could get help to pay for your child to go to a specialist music or dance school.

The Music and Dance Scheme provides grants and help with fees at 8 schools and 20 Centres for Advanced Training (CATs).

You can apply for help to pay for:

  • full time study at a school
  • part time study at a CAT

Age eligibility

To be eligible, your child must be aged:

  • 8 to 19 for music schools or CATs
  • 11 to 19 for dance schools or CATs

Disabled students at music and dance CATs are eligible up to the age of 25.

Music and dance CATs will not usually accept new applications from students who’ll be 17 or over when they start.

How to apply

Apply directly to the school or CAT.

You’ll usually need to fill out a form and your child will need to audition.

The school or CAT will ask for information about your household income to decide how much funding your child can get.

Music and dance schools

Music schools

Name Location
Chetham’s School of Music Manchester
The Purcell School Hertfordshire
Wells Cathedral School Somerset
The Yehudi Menuhin School Surrey

Dance schools

Name Location
Elmhurst Ballet School Birmingham
The Hammond School Chester
Royal Ballet School London
Tring Park School Hertfordshire

Music and dance CATs

Music CATs

Name Location
Aldeburgh Young Musicians Suffolk
Centre for Young Musicians London
Guildhall School of Music & Drama London
Royal Academy of Music London
Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Birmingham
Royal College of Music London
Royal Northern College of Music Manchester
Sheffield Music Academy Sheffield
South West Music School South West England
The Glasshouse Gateshead
Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance London
Yorkshire Young Musicians Leeds, Hull

Dance CATs

Name Location
Dance City Newcastle upon Tyne
Dance East Suffolk
FABRIC (East Midlands) Nottingham
FABRIC (South Asian National Strand) Birmingham, across the UK
FABRIC (West Midlands) Birmingham
The Lowry Salford
National Centre for Circus Arts London, across the UK
Northern Ballet Leeds
Northern School of Contemporary Dance Leeds
The Place  London
Swindon Dance Swindon
Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance London

Choir Schools Scholarship Scheme

If your child is aged 8 to 13, you could get financial help with sending them to an independent cathedral or collegiate choir school. Contact the Choir Schools’ Association directly to apply.