Many believe that exams add a stressful element to their child’s life and come to us with the question “why exams?”
- Ballet and modern dance classes are taught in a pleasant and friendly environment built on trust and respect. Our aim is for all children to achieve their best by the end of the year. In December the teachers choose which children can participate in the exams. The screening is done carefully with a number of factors in mind. Once a child has been entered for exams, the work will be done during class hours as long as the child does not miss any lessons. Extra classes will be offered if needed. By June your child will feel confident and excited about their exams!
- The ballet and modern exams are the most enjoyable exams your children will experience. For them it is like a performance or presentation of their work that results to a certificate, medal and recognition from family, friends and teachers. The children gain confidence in themselves that also reduces school exams anxiety.
- As most parents do not know how to check the teaching quality nor the correct technique used in the dance classes, which is vital for the proper anatomical development of your child, exams help you, as parents, ensure the standard and quality of the school.
- If your child is not ready for exams, he/she has the opportunity to participate in class-awards which have the same style and subject matter but the children are not assessed in detail but in general. In this case they also get a medal and a certificate which gives them great satisfaction and joy.
- The “pre-school” students receive a very happy certificate. They do not go through any evaluation, they just feel proud to have presented their work to a person who traveled from far away to see them….
- “Pre-primary in dance” is a class-award. Children receive a certificate.
- From “primary in dance” up to grade 5 we have the alternative of exams or class-awards. At the higher levels there are only exams. In the exams the children are assessed in great detail against the criteria set by RAD and ISTD and receive a medal and certificate. In the class-awards the children are assessed on a general level and receive a corresponding certificate.
Through the RAD and ISTD examinations the school and its teachers are monitored by the respective organizations for the elements of quality, technique and safety used in teaching children.
In Greece dance schools are assessed by Greek government criteria and are granted the “State-recognized School” certification. This covers you as to the foundation of the school and the people who teach. Beyond that the state has no way to control the technique, safety and ethics of the teaching. That is controlled through exams.
Exams certify the level of your children through institutions you can trust.
The RAD and ISTD certificates are globally recognized. Apart from recognition this practically means that in case of relocation to any country in the world your children can comfortably continue from the level they are at or better still continue under the umbrella of RAD and ISTD in respective schools since RAD is networked in 79 countries worldwide.
The certificates go on your child’s resume and are used for their admission to universities abroad. When a child applies for university (not yet in Greece) they have to show extracurricular activities. The richer the resume the better the chances of being accepted.
If the student wants to continue his/her studies in the field of dance (outside Greece or remotely) then he/she will need to have these certificates.