Quality Assurance

UEA
TRINITY COLLEGE LONDON
CDMT
FDS
AMTC
NSS
HESA Graduate Outcomes
QAA
OfS
Ofsted

Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts is one of the UK’s top five drama schools.

Our vision is for excellence, access and innovation.

Excellence: to produce the next generation of leading actors and creative artists.

Access: to train the most talented people regardless of background or income.

Innovation: to create challenging work in collaboration with the finest directors, writers and composers and to build a new fit-for-purpose theatre and training facility in the heart of Peckham.

Our mission is to develop actors and practitioners who will become the future of the creative industries worldwide. To share our training expertise extensively and help dismantle barriers to arts engagement. To ensure the next generations of actors and practitioners are bold – fuelled by curiosity, courage, optimism, and purpose. To challenge the status quo.

Mountview:

Trains students differently.
Welcomes students and staff from every background.
Gives potential a chance – no student or staff member is limited.
Boldly encourages independent thinking and individual flair.
Respects students and staff alike.
Makes space to offer creative chances for the many.
Believes everything is possible.

Mountview’s Values

CHALLENGE THE STATUS QUO: doing things differently and courageously; allowing curiosity to drive us; being motivated by new ideas and pushing boundaries; celebrating dynamic and playful exploration; influencing industry with progressive practice; inspiring everyone we reach.

CREATE BELONGING: welcoming all people from all backgrounds; implementing anti-oppressive practices; actively seeking to break down barriers to inclusion; creating access; embedding Equality, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion approaches; celebrating difference.

SUSTAIN THE FUTURE: environmental mindset, maintenance, and renewal of existing resources; retaining rigour and integrity of our quality and standards; financial sustainability; resilience and wellbeing and supporting with nurture and kindness.

COMPASSIONATE COLLABORATION: elevating ideas by working together with respect, sharing our warmth, creativity, and resources; finding strength in partnerships and collaborating internally and externally; developing cultural competency; listening; utilising networks.

TRANSPARENT COMMUNICATION: being appropriately open with our information and processes; developing liberatory training practices; compassionate and clear communication; solutions focussed; ownership of responsibilities with clear accountability; observing data privacy.

Mountview and the University of East Anglia (UEA) have been academic partners since 1997, with UEA providing much-valued academic support and guidance and validating Mountview’s undergraduate and postgraduate degree courses.

Both UEA and Mountview enjoy world-class reputations for study of the creative arts and both place huge value on the support and personal development of each student.

All UEA-validated courses are reviewed by External Examiners and in 2021, Dr Kate Craddock (MA Creative Producing External Examiner) said “The work produced […] is often of a professional standard, moving beyond the realms of what is appropriate and comparable to other UK HEIs, but rather, what is comparable to the professional sector.”

Find out about the University of East Anglia.

The University of East Anglia is proud to validate Mountview’s undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. Mountview’s renowned vocational training in performance and production is a perfect complement to UEA’s global reputation for study in the creative arts. We place a strong emphasis on the importance of the student experience and the significant contact through teaching time and personal support that all students receive at Mountview is very much in harmony with this ethos.

Professor David Richardson, Vice-Chancellor, University of East Anglia

Mountview is delighted to celebrate its 25th anniversary of UEA as our validating partner in 2022/23. The longevity of 25 years of partnership with UEA has enabled Mountview to grow its academic reputation alongside its world class vocational expertise. UEA and Mountview share values of collaboration and ambition which are deeply embedded in our working practices, partnership working and student outcomes. Achievement at the highest level is a mutually shared aim and this excellence is expressed through our student destinations and our shared commitment to innovative practice. Our warm thanks and respect goes out to colleagues at UEA and we look forward to our partnership continuing to develop and to create further opportunities for our joint working.

Sally Ann Gritton – Principal

Three-Year Diploma in Professional Acting | Three-Year Diploma in Professional Musical Theatre

The national qualification in professional acting and musical theatre.

These government-recognised professional qualifications from Trinity College London give formal accreditation of the skills, knowledge and understanding that are acquired in training for employment as a professional actor or musical theatre performer. They are recognised by QCA, and have been devised with advice from members of the theatrical professions and are assessed by professional actors, dancers and directors appointed by Trinity.

With one of these qualifications a student will be able to demonstrate that they have:

imaginative, expressive and technical skills as a creative artist
professional employment skills and knowledge of the industry
personal skills and qualities which will enhance their profession and personal lives
adequate preparation for a varied career in the performing arts and entertainment industry

Find out more about Trinity College London.

CDMT provides quality assurance for the professional dance, drama and musical theatre industries. It is the first point of contact for those seeking information on education, training and assessment in the UK. CDMT negotiates with government bodies, as well as national and international agencies on behalf of our member organisations.

CDMT:

Accredits excellent professional training at full-time dance, drama, musical theatre and performing arts schools—providing the industry benchmark of quality since 1979
Validates the world’s leading awarding organisations which offer performing arts qualifications
Works with Affiliates and Collaborative bodies to develop the highest standards of programme provision across the performing arts
Recognises, by means of the Recognised Awards Scheme, pre-vocational dance, drama, musical theatre and performing arts schools and teachers
Provides membership and other specialist services through the Conference of Professional Schools, Awarding Organisations Committee, Steering Group for the Dance and Drama Awards (DaDA), Affiliate meetings and Graded Examinations Forum
Negotiates with government authorities on issues of education funding, policy and regulation
Manages a substantial public-facing online platform which promotes members and core services, as well as administering two information websites for DaDA and Graded Examinations respectively
Publishes the UK Guide to professional training, education and assessment in dance, drama, musical theatre and the performing arts, which is the definitive resource for those seeking information on quality provision in the sector (sponsored by Spotlight)
Operates a free comprehensive information service for students, parents, teachers, artists and employers.

Find out more about CDMT.

The Federation of Drama Schools was established in 2017.

We are a group of institutions that provides conservatoire style vocational training for those who want to be professional performers, theatre makers and technical theatre practitioners.

Each member of the federation offers a range of different courses and programmes. They are also individual in terms of particular ethos and approaches.

All Members adhere to principles and hallmarks that underpin their training. This is how institutions become a part of the federation. These hallmarks outline the key elements of a professional training experience and are what you should expect.

Find out more about the Federation of Drama Schools.

The Alliance of Musical Theatre Conservatoires brings together a group of like-minded institutions who collaborate and share good practice, in order to deliver world class musical theatre education and vocational training.

Find out more about AMTC.

Annual Report 2017

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The NSS is a high-profile annual census of nearly half a million undergraduate students across the UK. Conducted annually since 2005, it is an established survey and produces useful data to help universities, colleges, and students’ unions (associations or guilds) identify what they do well, and what needs to be improved. It gives students a powerful voice to help shape the future of their course. It also provides helpful information for prospective students deciding what and where to study.

The survey gathers feedback from eligible students, most of whom are at the end of their studies. They are asked to respond to single choice questions relating to various aspects of their course.

Mountview’s undergraduate students are eligible to respond to the NSS during their final year of study and the previous data for BA Performance is publicly available via www.discoveruni.gov.uk or www.officeforstudents.org.uk

Unfortunately, due to small cohort sizes, we do not have publicly available data for Production Arts students.

For more information on the NSS, please visit www.thestudentsurvey.com

Graduate Outcomes is the biggest UK annual social survey and captures the perspectives and current status of recent graduates.

All graduates who completed a higher education course in the UK after August 2017 will be asked to take part in the survey 15 months after they finish their studies. The survey aims to help current and future students gain an insight into career destinations and development.

Mountview’s Graduate Outcomes data for BA Performance is publicly available via www.discoveruni.gov.uk

Unfortunately, due to small cohort sizes, we do not have publicly available data for Production Arts students and there is currently no public platform for postgraduate student data.

For more information on the HESA Graduate Outcomes survey, please visit www.graduateoutcomes.ac.uk

The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) is an independent charity working to benefit students and higher education, and one of the world’s experts in quality assurance.

Membership of QAA is now voluntary in England and as an English provider, we are therefore not required to be regularly reviewed and monitored by QAA. That being said, we are delighted that our QAA Higher Education Review (Alternative Providers) in October 2017 found that Mountview is meeting UK expectations in all areas. This is the best possible outcome for a HER(AP) judgement.

Judgements about standards and quality

The maintenance of the academic standards of awards offered on behalf of degree-awarding bodies and/or other awarding organisations meets UK expectations.
The quality of student learning opportunities at the provider meets UK expectations.
The quality of the information about learning opportunities meets UK expectations.
The enhancement of student learning opportunities at the provider is commended.

To find out about the recommendations made by QAA, read our Action Plan.

Read the monitoring report. Read the full report.

More information can be found on the QAA website.

As a Higher Education provider registered with the Office for Students (OfS) we are required to provide transparency data on specific areas regarding undergraduate applications, offers, acceptances and registrations as well as attainment information.

The information published on these pages shows:

The number of applications for admission on to recognised, undergraduate higher education courses that we have received from UK domiciled applicants.
The number of offers we have made in relation to those applications.
The number of those offers accepted and the number of those who have registered with us.
The number of students who attained a particular degree or other academic award, or a particular level of such an award, on completion of their course with us.

It also shows these numbers by reference to:

The gender of the individuals to which they relate
Their ethnicity
Their socio-economic background.

It is important to note that the data presented has not been contextualised. This means, for example, that you will not be able to see from this data how many of those applying to courses met the entry criteria. It is also the case that universities and colleges will often receive many more applications than they have spaces on courses and so offer rates will necessarily be lower than application rates in those circumstances.

OfS Transparency Data 2023

Download OfS Transparency Tables 2023 PDF

OfS Transparency Data 2021

Download OfS Transparency Tables 2021 PDF

OfS Transparency Data 2019

Download OfS Transparency Tables 2019 PDF

Students on our undergraduate Performance courses have the opportunity to obtain a Diploma in Professional Acting/Musical Theatre from Trinity College London, one of our Academic Partners. This FE provision means that these courses are subject to inspection by the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted).

Our most recent inspection was in autumn 2015. We were delighted to be deemed an Outstanding provider across all elements of the inspection.