The quickest answer is "When they are confident in everything that they need to perform" - but there are also several other considerations...
Attendance and punctuality. Very simply, if children are missing from class, they are missing what is being taught which slows their progress.
Effort, focus and behaviour. It's important that pupils are fully present in their classes, trying their best in all areas.
Once a Week Dance. Children attending only one dance class a week will generally take longer to develop correct technique than those attending 2, 3 or more classes per week.
Time spent in a grade. We follow rigorous and comprehensive syllabi from the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) and The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance (ISTD) which have lengthy requirements and systems of training. As an example, the RAD recommends a child taking their Primary Ballet exam should have received 40 hours of tuition. It's worth adding that there are lots of dance boards in the UK, catering for different types of dance schools. Some of the dance boards offer low key assessments but with large rewards (medals, rosettes, trophies) but this isn't necessarily an indication of standard of technique.
Logistics and Timing. As we spend the Autumn term working on our Showcase, it's usually only possibly to run exam sessions in the spring or summer term, there are quite a few other logistics to consider too!
Read about the benefits of taking dance exams below:
Step Up to Success - what are the benefits for my child? - Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (istd.org)
Hope the above helps understand the exam process, if you have any questions regarding exams for your child please get in touch.
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