No! Exams are a great idea for some children, a not-so-great idea for others and for most they are simply a wonderful goal to achieve if the students have put in the hours and hard work to get ready.

Exams: a formal presentation of 3-4 students without their teacher. Requires the most preparation and a secure knowledge of the choreography. Receive a numerical result form and certificate of completion.

Class Awards: a slightly more relaxed format where a larger group of students show selected work from their level under the guidance of their teacher. This is a great option for new students or those who are less confident with their work. Receives a certificate of completion but do not receive a numerical result form

All students in our graded and vocational ballet classes learn the work required for the exam.

Each student must decide whether they want to enter for an exam or not. At the beginning of April each year, Miss Natalie will send out recommendations for which students are eligible for Exams. The options will be either:

            An offer for exam entry

            An offer for Class Award entry

            A recommendation that the student does not enter for either this year.

In most cases, no. Children will simply move onto their next grade of study with their same classmates regardless of whether they participated in an exam or not. Some exceptions to this include:

• Children who have struggled to keep up in class – either technically or socially – due to joining at a late stage in the year or extended absences.
• Children who are undergoing increased pressure from school that is affecting their dance training (for example, Yr 12 students who are susceptible to school exam stress may wish to not enter a ballet exam in that year.)

Once students reach Intermediate level (usually offered after grade 7 or 8 ballet), passing this this exam becomes a prerequisite for moving onto the advanced level exams.

All exams and class awards take place outside of regular class time so that students who choose not to participate do not have their class time affected.

To give themselves the best possible chance of preparing for their goals, we recommend students attend 2 classes per week. There is also the option, especially in the higher levels, to spread the training period over two years. This is usually a decision made as a class. Individual students who wish to either catch up or progress more quickly than their peers may organise private lessons to reach their training hours and/or the standard of technique required for entry.