The Federation of Drama Schools (FDS) is the UK’s national network for conservatoire-style drama training. It brings together the country’s leading vocational schools for actors, theatre makers and technical theatre practitioners, and exists to keep standards high across the sector while giving prospective students a clear, trustworthy picture of what serious drama training actually involves.
The Federation traces its roots back to the Conference of Drama Schools, founded in 1969, which later merged with the National Council for Drama Training to form Drama UK in 2012. When Drama UK was dissolved in 2016, the FDS was established the following year to take its place, this time as a membership body built around a shared set of “hallmarks” rather than a formal accrediting authority. Its members include some of the most recognised names in actor training, among them RADA, the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, ArtsEd, Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and East 15 Acting School.
Membership isn’t automatic. Schools have to demonstrate a consistent track record of producing graduates with lasting careers, alongside professional training that holds real value in a competitive industry. That selectivity is part of what makes the Federation’s badge meaningful to students weighing up where to train.
In July 2025, The Northern School of Art’s BA (Hons) Acting for Stage and Screen became part of that network, one of only two UK drama schools to be accepted since the FDS was founded in 2017. It placed the course, based at the School’s Hartlepool campus, alongside the likes of RADA and Guildhall, and marked a significant moment for actor training in the North East. Stuart Drummond, Head of the School’s Stage and Screen faculty, said the partnership confirmed the course’s place as a centre of excellence, built on shared values with the Federation around inclusion, rigour and creative development.
For students on the course, FDS membership means training within a network that actively shapes national conversations about drama education, alongside schools whose graduates go on to sustained careers across stage and screen.