Exams & grades
Grades, medals and a lot of proud parents.
We teach the Royal Academy of Dance ballet syllabus and ISTD tap and modern. Exams are optional, and 98% of our candidates pass with Merit or Distinction.
N° 01 — The ballet ladder
One step at a time
Most children move up one grade a year. Teachers decide when a pupil is ready, never the calendar.
Tiny Toes
Ages 3 – 4. Music, stories and first ballet steps. Optional RAD Dance to Your Own Tune.
Pre-Primary & Primary
Ages 5 – 7. Posture, the five positions and their first RAD exam.
Grades 1 – 3
Ages 7 – 10. Classical barre and centre, character dances, tap and musical theatre.
Grades 4 – 5
Ages 10 – 12. Stronger jumps and turns, pre-pointe strength, jazz.
Grades 6 – 8 & pointe
Ages 12 – 18. Pointe work, UCAS points and our own choreography.
Intermediate & beyond
For dancers thinking about vocational school. Our pupils have gone on to Elmhurst and Central.
N° 02 — Every grade we teach
Syllabus by syllabus
Ballet, tap and modern theatre, from first exams to vocational grades.
Free movement, posture and the first positions, with mime and a short dance.
Simple barre work, skips and gallops, and a character dance.
Classical barre and centre, first pirouette preparations, character dances.
Stronger jumps, turns and a free movement section.
Classical, free movement and character at a higher level. Grade 6 to 8 earn UCAS points.
The first vocational grade, on pointe. For pupils thinking about dance training.
Rhythm work, time steps and a set dance in each grade.
Jazz-based technique, kicks, leaps and turns.
N° 03 — Spring 2026 results
Sixty-one exams. Sixty passes.
Exams taken
Distinctions
Merits
Pass rate
N° 04 — Exam season
How exams work at Pointe
01
Invitation
In January, teachers write to families of pupils who are ready. Saying no is always fine.
02
Coaching
Six weeks of extra coaching in normal class time, plus a free mock exam with a visiting teacher.
03
Exam day
Exams are held at St Anne’s Hall in March (RAD) and June (ISTD). Parents wait in the hall with tea and cake.
Every dancer starts somewhere
Book a free trial and the teacher will tell you which grade fits.
