COVID-19 guidance

This guidance follows official government advice and will be reviewed and updated as necessary (last updated intro and local lockdown information on 04 August). The health and safety of our staff, students, visitors and the wider community is our primary concern, and we are monitoring the situation day-by-day as it evolves.

The UK government is asking people to help control the virus.

To protect yourself and others, when you leave home you must:

wash hands – keep washing your hands regularly
cover face – wear a face covering over your nose and mouth in enclosed spaces
make space – stay at least a metre away from people not in your household

If you are feeling unwell, get a test and do not leave home for at least 10 days.

Full guidance can be found on the government website and anyone concerned about their health in relation to COVID-19 should follow Public Health England guidance and contact NHS 111 (or NHS 111 online) if the guidance advises them to do so.

Local lockdown updates

North of England lockdown

Since the reopening of dance studios in England at the end of July, the UK government has implemented new local lockdowns in the North of England. From 1 August, indoor fitness and dance studios in Bradford must now be closed by law. ‘Bradford’ refers to the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council.

For further information, please visit the UK government website.

How RAD services are affected

For RAD Members we are updating the Members’ Area regularly and have plans to create more online content and resources for you. We have added information on how to approach online classes, music licences and other considerations as well as useful information about business and financial support available.

RAD headquarters

Following the government’s announcement outlining more stringent measures to combat coronavirus, we have taken the decision to close RAD headquarters, including Ship House until further notice. This includes access to the library and the shop. RAD staff will be working from home and still able to respond to queries.

Shop and Library & Archive

The Shop is closed to the public from Friday 20 March until the end of April, when we will review the situation. Online orders may still be placed as usual through our online shop, but will be despatched only once our operations resume. Orders placed prior to 3pm on Monday 23 March have already been despatched. RAD app videos and ebooks are available if you require resources urgently. We plan to re-open as soon as it is advisable and will keep you updated.

Archive Services have been suspended from 22 April. Any general enquiries may be directed to library@rad.org.uk until 8 May when Library services will also be suspended until further notice. From 9 May phones and emails will not be monitored.

Examinations

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting travel restrictions, international examiner travel has been suspended for the time being – we will keep this suspension under review.

With lockdown and containment measures still in place, and with timescales unknown in many areas, we are working with local offices to identify when examinations can resume. Due to reduced working hours and furlough, your local office will be in touch should there be an examinations service in your area before September.

If you have questions please contact exams@rad.org.uk or your local office. You can also view our Frequently Asked Questions page. We will continue to communicate with you regularly throughout this global pandemic.

Dance School

RAD Dance School is closed for the remainder of the Spring Term.

In order to protect our staff, the Dance School team will be working offsite until further notice we, therefore, ask that all enquiries be sent via email to danceschool@rad.org.uk.

BA (Hons) Ballet Education practical class suspension

All onsite BABE sessions have been suspended until at least 20 April 2020.

We have also taken the decision to suspend all BBE507 and BBE607 teaching placements until at least 20 April.

We are also working very closely with the University of Bath to prepare more detailed information regarding Semester 2 BABE assessments.

If you have any urgent queries regarding your studies, please contact Janine Streuli on jstreuli@rad.org.uk.

Faculty of Education

The Faculty of Education is still accepting applications for all our programmes that commence from September 2020 onwards, but we have moved our application, audition and interview process online. If you are looking to apply you must email your application and reference to faculty@rad.org.uk. Read more on how to apply.

If you have been offered a place to start on one of the Faculty of Education’s onsite or distance learning programmes this year, we will stay in contact and give you regular updates. If you are an international student whose first language is not English and have been impacted by IELTs tests being available, we are here to help support you. Likewise, if you have been impacted by delays in exams. We are doing all we can to ease the impact that the COVID-19 may have during this crucial time in the application process. If you have any specific concerns, please email faculty@rad.org.uk.

CPD

All UK based face-to-face CPD activities are currently postponed with the view to offer these activities as soon as reasonably possible in the next CPD year. International CPD activity is subject to the current government guidance of that country, please email your National Office for further information.

Many of you may have already completed your CPD requirement. However, we recognise that the current exceptional circumstances mean that some of you may face difficulties in fulfilling the required CPD hours. If this is the case, when it is time to declare your CPD please indicate that you are Eligible for Exemption.

If you have questions please contact cpd@rad.org.uk or your local office. We will continue to offer a number of online activities, including live webinars and courses.

Events & Centenary Programme

The Margot Fonteyn International Ballet Competition 2020

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, the Royal Academy of Dance and the Royal Opera House and have taken the difficult decision to cancel The Margot Fonteyn International Ballet Competition 2020. Both the RAD and the Royal Opera House remain committed to collaborating on The Fonteyn in the future.

The RAD will review the entry criteria to ensure, where possible that the cancellation of the competition this year does not prohibit candidates from entering in 2021.

If you have purchased tickets for the Final, you will be contacted shortly by the Royal Opera House team and will be offered a full refund. If you have booked one of our Creative Spaces events, we will be in touch with you in due course to offer a full refund.

Other events

Centenary

Whilst it is important to mark the Academy’s centenary it is clear that our priority must be to support our members through this difficult and challenging time and to secure the future of your membership organisation. Therefore, the Trustees have taken the decision to cancel all remaining centenary events and initiatives with some exceptions and to draw a line under the centenary in 2020, with a view to reprising a more modest centenary programme in 2021. As the actual birthday is 31 December 2020, 2021 is just as fitting a year to mark the occasion.

The exception to this is On Point: Royal Academy of Dance at 100. The V&A remains committed to staging the display and we are hopeful that it will open in the last quarter of this year. We are also committed to the Dance Teacher Awards, as now more than ever we want to acknowledge your achievements. Nominations are open now until 1 May 2020. Finally, having delivered our first guest-edited Dance Gazette, we are pressing ahead with plans for the next two issues; however, we have taken the decision to deliver them in a digital format only, with an option to produce a small print-run for souvenir purposes at the end of the year.

Summer Schools and workshops

We have had to cancel the London Summer School, Adult Summer Course, and the Children’s Summer Classes for 2020.

The Giselle Adult Repertoire Workshop (Saturday 18 July 2020) has been postponed. We will update our events page if and when we have a new date.

Step into Dance

Step into Dance classes in schools, Step Company rehearsals and Ambassador scheme sessions will be suspended as of Friday 20 March until further notice. Step into Dance events and holiday projects scheduled to take place in April and May have also been cancelled.

Guidance on what to do if you have symptoms

Please stay at home for 14 days if you have either:

a high temperature
a new continuous cough

This will help to protect others in our community while you are infectious.

Do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital.

COVID-19: stay at home guidance.

The NHS website has more information about how the virus is spread and answers common questions about the virus.

Advice for staff, students and visitors to RAD headquarters or RAD activities

Latest Travel Advice

Foreign & Commonwealth Office travel advice is advising against all but essential travel to some countries, cities and regions. You must check the travel advice to the country you are travelling to.

Many countries and territories have introduced screening measures (temperature checks and health/travel questions) and entry restrictions at border crossings and transport hubs.

If you have recently been in a country affected by the virus, you may need to be quarantined, or you may not be allowed to enter or travel through a third country. Check the travel advice pages for all countries you are planning to visit or transit.

Trusted Sources of information

Please stay informed by visiting the Government’s website and the following websites:

Visit RAD@Home for our range of online activities and resources in response to COVID-19.