Impact of LAMDA's Pathways Programme Case Study

In this case study, as published on Universities UK Comms Hub, Ella Murdoch, LAMDA’s Access and Widening Participation Manager, explores the impact and significance of the Pathways Programme and AWP*.

As the Access and Widening Participation Manager at LAMDA, her role involves designing and managing programs that ensure students from underrepresented backgrounds have equitable access to our world-leading training in the performing arts. She leads outreach efforts to raise awareness of LAMDA’s offerings, builds relationships with schools and youth agencies, and oversees initiatives that foster inclusivity in line with our Access and Participation Plan. This work directly supports students by creating pathways for their personal and artistic development and ensuring that they feel welcome, valued, and equipped to access our training, succeed during their time at LAMDA and beyond.

(*Please note Access and Widening Participation has been abbreviated to AWP throughout this case study)

What do you see as the key objectives of Access and Widening Participation (AWP) student support services at LAMDA?

The key objectives of AWP at LAMDA are to:

• Break down barriers to entry for students from underrepresented or hard-to-reach backgrounds.
• Increase diversity among applicants and students, especially in terms of socio-economic background, ethnicity, and geographic representation.
• Raise awareness of opportunities within the performing and technical arts for young people who may not have considered these career paths.
• Provide targeted support to students to ensure their success and retention through tailored programs, bursaries, and mentorship opportunities.

Our two main outreach programmes are the Pathways Programme (outlined below) and LAMDA Local, which aims to support state schools in the area by providing exciting opportunities for students to engage with the performing arts and explore creative careers. We launched our Future Technicians programme in collaboration with The Lyric Hammersmith in 2022, which is a free programme for young people in West London to explore careers in the technical and production side of the creative industries. Finally, we also support LAMDA graduates who may face barriers to progression after their training through our Graduate Ambassador Scheme. Graduate Ambassadors are offered professional development opportunities and paid work to support our Pathways Programme as Pathways Assistants.

What is the LAMDA Pathways Programme?

Pathways is a skills development programme that aims to support young people interested in applying to drama school or exploring arts careers. We remove financial barriers and build clear routes for talented individuals who are currently underrepresented in higher education and the arts, supporting at every stage of the application, audition/interview and enrolment process.

We also work with partner organisations and schools to offer advice and guidance to young people wishing to explore training and careers in the Arts, as well as run practical sessions led by drama school practitioners to complement existing engagement programmes and lessons.

How does the Pathways Programme support young people interested in applying to drama school or exploring arts careers?

Through the Pathways Programme we offer:

• Free applications to our BA undergraduate courses or our Foundation (CertHE) course
• Audition fee waivers for our Acting courses (there is no fee for interviews for our Production & Technical Arts course)
• Travel bursary support for in-person recall auditions, interviews or events at LAMDA (e.g. Open Days)
• Free workshops that aim to support the application journey
• Invitations to our 'Introduction to Drama School’ Days which take place round the country
• Free tickets to LAMDA productions and opportunities to meet current LAMDA staff and students

We also work with partner organisations and schools to deliver workshops and ‘Introduction to Drama School Days’ across the country that introduce the training and techniques used at LAMDA to young people in that area.

How have you seen LAMDA’s support services make a difference in students' lives? What feedback have you received from students about the support they’ve accessed, and how has that informed your work?

Our work has had transformative effects on applicants and LAMDA students. Our participant feedback has shown that:

• 75% of Pathways participants have gained the confidence and skills to apply to drama school after taking part in our activity, some of whom might never have considered such a path before.
• 88% of participants also agreed that ‘hearing from an ex-student was useful’ at the event, showing the effectiveness of training LAMDA Graduates with personal experience and links to the communities we target to support this activity.
• Overall, 76% of participants said that they felt the training at LAMDA was ‘open and accessible to them’ after taking part in Pathways activity.

Through fee waivers, bursaries and scholarships, students who faced financial hardship have felt able to complete their training with less undue stress. The role of our student support and wellbeing team is vital in delivering the personalised and inclusive support students receive during their time at LAMDA, empowering them to thrive academically and artistically.

This feedback has informed the development of our new Access and Participation Plan, which outlines LAMDA’s ongoing commitment to equality of opportunity for the next four years. It has also inspired and encouraged us to expand our AWP offerings, such as increasing the number of bursaries available and introducing more localised outreach efforts in West London and beyond. Regular evaluation ensures our programmes remain relevant and responsive to the needs of young people we target and our students.

What role does LAMDA play in fostering inclusivity and creating a sense of belonging for students?

LAMDA is committed to providing an inclusive, collaborative and creative environment

for all our students and places inclusivity at the heart of its mission. Our Access and Widening Participation initiatives, such as the Pathways Programme, aims to ensure that students from diverse backgrounds feel welcome and represented through the application and enrolment process. LAMDA continues to create equitable opportunities for all students while addressing systemic barriers to access and success in the creative industries.

More than ever, students from UK state schools face greater challenges to access information and guidance on pursuing arts careers due to a lack of priority for arts subjects in our current education system. We acknowledge LAMDA’s responsibility as a HE provider to support state schools to improve the uptake and attainment in arts subjects and are committed to working with local and national state schools to champion arts education and creative careers

How do you envision the support services at LAMDA evolving in the coming years?

Engaging young people in the Arts is becoming increasingly challenging. Arts education in the UK faces systemic challenges, including funding cuts, reduced teacher training, and a focus on STEM over creative subjects. Since 2010, arts GCSE entries have dropped by 42%, and A-Level entries by 21%. Many young people lack guidance on creative careers, which are often seen as insecure and inaccessible due to high costs and regional inequities. Better careers advice and cultural equity are urgently needed. As a world-leading conservatoire with an unwavering commitment to providing exceptional training in the performing arts, we see LAMDA as a crucial part of developing our country's workforce of performers, artists, technicians and production teams. We will continue to develop and expand our AWP work to ensure that all young people feel like the arts can be a place for them to survive and thrive in, and to advocate for careers in this industry as viable and needed.

In the future, I see LAMDA’s AWP work develop to:

• Expand outreach efforts to engage more young people from underrepresented areas across the UK and internationally.
• Strengthen collaborations with schools, community groups, and industry professionals to broaden access pathways.
• Deepen inclusivity measures, such as more comprehensive support for care leavers, students with disabilities, and those from low-income backgrounds.
• Secure additional funding to sustain and grow the impact of our programmes.

How does the work of the Pathways Programme align with LAMDA’s overall mission and values?

The Pathways Programme reflects LAMDA’s mission to make world-class drama training accessible to all, regardless of socio-economic background. By nurturing talent and providing opportunities for underrepresented groups, the programme embodies LAMDA’s values of excellence, inclusivity, and collaboration. It ensures that our student body reflects the diversity of stories and voices needed to enrich the arts and inspire future generations.

With thanks to Ella Murdoch, Access and Widening Participation Manager. You can also read this case study on the UUK website which was originally published on 1 April 2025. 

Photography credits: Lottie Amor and Zoë Birkbeck Photography