The Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) is a leading international organisation for dance education and training. As the professional membership body for dance teachers it inspires and empowers dance teachers and students, members, and staff to make innovative, artistic and lasting contributions to dance and dance education throughout the world.

The RAD offers an internationally recognised portfolio of exams and assessments, designed to encourage, motivate and reward students of all ages and abilities, providing a progressive structure for learning and achievement in dance.

Papillon students study one or more of the RAD syllabi (graded, vocational and repertoire). Those who attend two or more lessons a week have the option of taking the examination once they have reached the required standard. They will be assessed by an external examiner and given a mark out of 100 and awarded a medal – Bronze (40-54), Silver (55-74) or Gold (75-100). Children who come once a week may take the Class Award, as there is a lot of content in the syllabus and it cannot be covered thoroughly in one lesson a week. There is less content in the Class Award and the teacher is present in the exam room so is also a good option for the less confident child. They are assessed under the same criteria and will be awarded with a Successful or Unsuccessful result.

Exam sessions are optional and those who do not wish to take exams are welcome to progress at their own pace and are still encouraged to work to the best of their ability and improve their technique without the pressure of external assessment.

Our next exam session will take place in December 2023.