Our Story

Saxtead School Of Dance began with 2 RAD classes taught by Sandra Hartley and her mother Pauline Stephens in 1995.
Three years later the school moved into it's own premises at The Old School in Saxtead. Over the years the dance school grew and ISTD modern and tap were introduced . A s well as ballet we now have jazz, tap, modern and "Tappytots" in Saxtead. We also teach ballet in Debenham and Eye with 72 classes per week in total.

All our ballet classes are from the Royal Academy of Dance syllabus.

The Royal Academy of Dance

With over 13,000 members' spread across 79 countries, The Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) is one of the largest and most influential dance education and training organisations in the world.
The Academy's patron is HM Queen Elizabeth II. RAD Membership supports the advancement of dance and includes professional dancers, students, teachers, benefactors and friends.
Established in 1920, to improve standards and re-invigorate dance training initially within the UK, the Academy helps and encourages its teachers to perfect their teaching skills and pass on this knowledge to their students.
Saxtead School Of Dance have classes from Pre-school to Grade 6 and Vocational Grades to Advanced 2 level.

Tappytots

The tappytots programme is unique and educational. It has been devised specifically for children aged 2-5 years and uses a combination of stories, soundscapes, props and music to help engage little ones in learning music, social skills and building confidence.

Children love to explore the world around them and tappytots encourages expression and imagination, taking little ones on exciting adventures wher they can dance and sing with ted astaire (our resident tap-dancing bear)

The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing

The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD) is one of the world’s leading dance examination boards. From ballet to ballroom, the ISTD has 12 dance faculties covering theatre, dancesport and social dance. No other dance examination board offers as many genres.

For more than 110 years we have provided training for dance teachers and examiners, enabling teachers to enter their students for examinations, develop new techniques and spread the joy of dance.

As a registered educational charity, the ISTD’s mission is to educate the public in the art of dancing in all its forms, to promote knowledge of dance, to provide up-to-date techniques for our members, and to maintain and improve teaching standards. We support our members through updated teaching syllabi and techniques, plus a wide variety of courses, summer schools and congresses.