Access, Equality & Diversity

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

The National Centre for Circus Arts is committed to identifying, training and supporting talented students from diverse backgrounds, regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, marital or civil partnership status, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, disability or age. 

Applicants are selected on the basis of their suitability for training, taking into account their current skills, potential for development, creativity, commitment and readiness to engage with professional circus training. We recognise that excellence in circus can be demonstrated in many different ways and that talent and potential are not limited by disability, background or identity. 

Removing Barriers 

Some individuals may face barriers to accessing circus training and higher education, including financial, social, cultural, geographical and disability-related barriers. We also recognise that disability often arises from barriers within environments and systems, rather than from an individual’s impairment or condition alone. We therefore, work to identify and remove barriers wherever possible, and can make reasonable adjustments to both interviews and auditions o ensure that all applicants have an equitable opportunity to demonstrate their potential. 

We welcome applications from all disabled and neurodivergent people, including those with physical, sensory, learning and mental health disabilities, and neurodivergent conditions such as ADHD, autism, dyslexia and dyspraxia, and applicants can contact us at any time to share any disability or access requirements in advance so that we can explore support and reasonable adjustments during auditions and throughout the course. Sharing information is entirely voluntary, and any information provided will be treated confidentially We also encourage applicants to visit the school to view classes and facilities. 

Once on the course, students work with teaching staff and the Student Support Manager to develop an approach to training that is sustainable, ambitious, and responsive to their access needs. This may include adapting techniques, pacing, equipment, or modes of participation.  

Access and Participation 

The National Centre also provides pre application and audition support specific support for the following groups who will be offered an audition and interview regardless of their academic background: 

• Applicants from the Global Majority 
• Applicants who live in areas of higher levels of deprivation – (IMD 1 and 2) 
• Applicants from low-income households 
• Applicants with gaps in education 
• Applicants with caring responsibilities 
• Applicants with disabilities 
• Applicants with refugee status 

Support for all these groups includes: 

• Online and in-person Q&A sessions with the Higher Education Team. 
• One-to-one application surgeries or online sessions 
• Financial support to attend in-person open days or auditions 

Full details of our approach can be found in the downloads below 

As part of the National Centre for Circus Arts Inclusive Cultures Strategy, we have developed a series of policies and protocol addressing a range of subjects including: gender identity, sexual orientation, religion and belief, race and ethnicity, and disability.

These are published here.

The information published on this page shows:  

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 shows these numbers by reference to:  

• the gender of the individuals to which they relate  
• their ethnicity  
• their socioeconomic background. 

Please note that the average cohort size graduating from the National Centre each year is no more than 20 and this means that much of the data included in the downloads will appear suppressed for data protection reasons and to avoid identifying individual students. In some cases the data may show a value of ‘none’ even if there were two or fewer in that category and ‘low’ where numbers are below 23.