The Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) is a leading International dance examination board specialising in Classical Ballet. This Academy was established in London, England in 1920 and received its Royal Charter in 1936. HM Queen Elizabeth II is currently the Royal patron of the RAD and Darcey Bussell was elected to serve as President in 2012, succeeding Antoinette Sibley who served as President for 21 years.

This method has become one of the most widely used in the world and has led to the RAD becoming a leading dance education and training organisation, with over 13,000 members, operating in 79 countries Worldwide. The examination syllabus is taught to more than a quarter of a million students worldwide.

The Graded Examination RAD Children’s Ballet consists of 10 grades, each incorporating classical ballet, free movement and character dance. The syllabus is devised to progress in difficulty from one grade to the next and a student studying the grades in sequence would be expected to develop a greater degree of dance technique at each level.

Working towards examinations gives pupils something to strive for as well as a sense of achievement.