Care for the young

Published Tuesday 13 March 2007 at 11:40

Doesn’t Equity care about children and young people? A motion proposed by Equity councillor Teri Scoble, to endorse the Council for Dance Education & Training’s new Recognised School Status mark failed at the Equity London Area AGM, held at the Victory Club in Seymour Street, London.

Early this year this brand new benchmark was born. Created by the CDET, it confers a mark of recognition for pre-vocational and non-vocational dance and musical theatre schools.

The RSS mark is a symbol of quality and signifies that the school that is permitted to display it has met the standards set by CDET. It is a sign that a school meets the standards and requirements that we must expect of any school that tutors our children and young people. It is a symbol that child protection policies are in place and that all staff are CRB checked.

Why doesn’t Equity want to endorse the RSS Mark? Why doesn’t it want to proudly display the Equity logo alongside a body that aims to protect our young students?

It has been suggested to me that Equity is not interested in this mark for children’s security and well-being, while in training for the stage, because the union does not represent children.

Main Equity membership starts at the age of 16, yet you are still a child at 16. There is also an Equity student membership from the age of 14 to 16 years. Union members work with child performers. Equity needs to show it cares.

If Equity does not care about children, who are, by the way, the future adults of the profession, how can we trust it to care about other important matters, including their present older membership?

Lesley Scoble

Golden Lane Estate

Islington

London

EC1Y