The Conservatoire is one of the newest and most exciting higher education institutions in the country, established in 2001 to secure the future of conservatoire-level vocational training in dance and drama in England.  It has a unique structure, made up of eight affiliate schools.  All are small, specialist, vocational training institutions with international reputations for high quality training in dance, drama or circus arts.  Through the Conservatoire, all the affiliates receive funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England, which helps to ensure that the most talented students benefit from vocational training, to which access can be given regardless of background or financial circumstances. 

The eight Conservatoire schools are:

• Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
  
• Central School of Ballet
• The Circus Space
• London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA)
• London Contemporary Dance School
• Northern School of Contemporary Dance
• Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance
• Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA)

As a designated Higher Education Institution, the CDD receives funding from central government via the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). This means that the CDD is funded in the same way as all other universities and Higher Education Institutions in England, so students attending any of the CDD affiliate schools will be eligible for the same financial assistance, such as loans and assistance with fees, as  students at other English universities. This enables the affiliated schools to select students on the basis of talent and suitability for training alone.