Excellent ISI Report for The Royal Ballet School

Last year, the Independent School Inspectorate (ISI) found The Royal Ballet School to be “excellent” — the highest possible rating — in all areas.

The ISI report:

• Highlighted the School’s consistent efforts to offer an outstanding educational experience for students learning classical ballet.
• Emphasised the School’s commitment to providing a compassionate and respectful environment for young dancers where students strive to reach their potential.

The Royal Ballet School’s ISI Visit

In autumn 2022, the ISI conducted a Focussed Compliance Inspection and an Educational Quality Inspection of the School. The ISI was due to inspect The Royal Ballet School in 2021 (following the prior inspection in 2015) but the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the agency’s usual six-year inspection cycle.

During the visit, inspectors:

• Examined examples of students’ schoolwork.
• Observed lessons, extracurricular activities, and tutor group meetings.
• Visited boarding houses.
• Met with the Chair of Governors.

In addition to speaking with teachers and students, inspectors gathered feedback from parents, students, and staff through detailed questionnaires.

The inspectors also thoroughly appraised the School’s provision for students with additional learning needs and for whom English isn’t their first language.

Curious, Enthusiastic Thinkers

The ISI reported that The Royal Ballet School has a robust educational ethos that encourages creativity, individuality, responsibility and time management in students’ learning. Students show resolute purpose in upholding the School’s ethos, and the report emphasises how enthusiastic students are when learning.

The report describes Royal Ballet School students as curious thinkers who can analyse, hypothesise, and synthesise elements of their learning with confidence.

The report also notes that the School’s students always strive to make the most of their education and hold above-average expectations of themselves. Not only are students skilled when applying new techniques and methods but they also exhibit excellent study skills, self-discipline, and focus during lessons.

How The Royal Ballet School Supports Young Dancers

Royal Ballet School students’ discipline for learning extends beyond the classroom to the dance studio.

The ISI report explains that young dancers show resilience and honesty in their academic and artistic work. Students identify and understand the steps and protocols required to progress their dancing and performance skills.

According to the report, the School inspires students to see risk-tasking as a fundamental part of their education and personal growth and to view failure as integral to the learning process.

Thanks to the enduring support of the School’s highly respected teachers and the leadership team, students feel encouraged to face challenges with bravery and flourish as dancers.

A Community Based On Kindness and Respect

Students of The Royal Ballet School are not just skilled, resilient, and hard-working: The report reflects that young dancers treat one another with kindness, maturity, and empathy. The students also demonstrate moral steadfastness and collaborative skills, building trusted relationships with their peers.

The inspectors’ findings point to the School’s efforts to cultivate a nurturing community that values thoughtful, respectful, and compassionate behaviour. Good cultural awareness and an excellent understanding of diversity are both integral to this welcoming atmosphere that extends to all staff and students, plus the wider community.

These are some examples of kindness demonstrated by students that appear in the report.

• Boarding house students make newcomers feel welcome by gifting them letters and decorated ballet shoes and acting as guides around the School.
• Students regularly collect donations for local good causes and community events, raising money for charities in the UK and abroad.
• Young dancers took part in a ballet lesson that the School broadcast to a local retirement home for retired theatre professionals.

A Team Effort

The Royal Ballet School’s CEO and Artistic Director Christopher Powney and Academic and Pastoral Principal David Gajadharsingh have underscored the “glowing comments” the ISI report made about students. The artistic director and pastoral principal said the report attested to the “excellence and maturity” of the School’s student body.

Powney and Gajadharsingh also expressed gratitude towards all members of staff for their dedication to the smooth running of the School. They noted that the exceptional learning and living environments that the young dancers enjoy — and the students’ significant achievements — owe much to the tireless support of the School’s team of professionals.

The impressive ISI report is a validation of The Royal Ballet School’s recent endeavours. As the School cultivates a spirit of continual improvement and innovation for its students, it’s clear that this ethos extends across all operations and departments.

How the ISI Assesses Schools

The ISI is an independent body that works with the UK’s Department for Education to produce comprehensive reports of the country’s schools and educational establishments.

With one day’s notice, schools must host a team of inspectors for three days. During the visit, inspectors assess all aspects of a school, including its academic and co-curricular provisions and any boarding facilities. The ISI then publishes the inspectors’ findings in a public report.

The best-known ISI inspection is the Educational Quality Inspection, although the agency also conducts Focussed Compliance Inspections. The Focussed Compliance Inspection scrutinises a school’s policies and practices to ensure they are compliant with regulations set by the Department for Education.

The Educational Quality Inspection investigates the standard of education a school offers students, primarily through students’ academic achievements and personal development. Inspectors award both areas with a rating ranging from the lowest score — “unsatisfactory” — to the highest score — “excellent.”

Read The Royal Ballet School’s latest ISI report.

About The Royal Ballet School

A world-renowned educational centre, The Royal Ballet School is committed to teaching and nurturing talented young dancers whilst inspiring the future of classical ballet training. Established in 1926, the School’s ongoing mission sees the nearly 100-year-old institution continuously raise the standard of ballet training worldwide.

Graduates of the School pursue professional dancing and choreographic careers with prominent UK and international dance companies, including The Royal Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet. Famous Royal Ballet School alumni include Margot Fonteyn, Anya Linden, Darcey Bussell, and Jonathan Cope.

The School selects students through an audition process that focuses solely on young dancers’ talent and potential in classical ballet. Students hail from various backgrounds and, on average, 88% receive financial support to train full-time with the School.

Students of the School’s full-time training course study, train, and board at two London-based sites:

• White Lodge, in Richmond Park, for dancers aged 11 to 16.
• Upper School, in Covent Garden, for dancers aged 16 to 19.

Both White Lodge and Upper School have state-of-the-art facilities and quality accommodation to ensure students make the most of their artistic and academic potential.

Full-time training course aside, the School improves the wider community’s access to classical ballet training by running a variety of pre-vocational and recreational dance programmes for students and teachers.