A group of children in white t-shirts and green trousers dance with their arms stretched out to the side or in the air

The School launches new on-demand programme for primary schools

We are excited to be launching our new Primary Steps on Demand programme. The programme has its roots in the School’s in-person Primary Steps programme, which has been delivering an introduction to creative ballet training to primary school children in England since 2005.

We are delighted to offer even more opportunities for young students to access high-quality ballet education through this programme. The School has long been committed to expanding the reach of Primary Steps beyond the current five centres and 28 partner schools, and can now do so due to the extensive development of our digital capability.

The School will be taking registration for the programme from April 1 2022. Schools may sign up for a 12-month programme, with content live from July 1 to June 30 each year. The programme is suitable for children in Key Stage 2 (seven to 11-year olds) with two levels of content available for Years 3 – 4 and Years 5 – 6. A three-tier pricing system is available for different-sized schools.

Accessible for all

The new programme takes a creative approach to teaching ballet, with a strong emphasis on developing students’ creativity and independent thinking skills. Designed to be accessible to all, including those with Special Educational Needs or physical disabilities, the programme is gender-neutral and uses inclusive language, with content adaptable to the students’ needs. Completely flexible, the programme is delivered via The Royal Ballet School’s Video On Demand platform.  Educators can therefore choose when, where and how to use the content, without the need to commit to pre-scheduled classes.

A range of resources

All materials will be developed and delivered by our team, bringing their wealth of knowledge, expertise and experience to guarantee a programme of exceptional quality. Schools who sign up for the programme will have access to libraries of classes on cross-curricular themes and exploring core concepts of movement in ballet as well as movement guides, accompanying lesson plans and resources for pupils and inspiration footage both of Royal Ballet School dancers and Primary Steps students. Teachers will be provided with notes, tutorials and advice to accompany the classes, and will also have the opportunity to join CPD webinars and live virtual workshops. Schools will receive ongoing support directly from The School as they need it.

The importance of dance education

As a school, we are passionate about and committed to widening access to ballet education. We believe that creative dance is a vital part of holistic education with an abundance of benefits for young people. Children with access to dance training can develop their creative and critical thinking and social skills and enjoy enhanced mental health and wellbeing. We are thrilled that we can extend our Primary Steps programme to children throughout the UK through our Video On Demand platform.

Find out more and register for Primary Steps on Demand