At AADA it is our aim to ensure we are committed to ongoing quality assurance. 

The purpose of this policy is to outline potential improvements through evaluation and action planning.

Within this document ‘stakeholders’ include; students, parents/carers, teachers, our affiliated organisation. Amanda Isard holds the overall accountability for quality assurance.

AADA aims to:

• Understand and meet student requirements and aim to exceed expectations
• Provide high quality training which will challenge students to reach their personal potential
• Provide a high quality service to customers and aim to maintain excellent relationships

In order to do this we will:

• Uphold good levels of communication with our stakeholders and inform them of relevant changes via newsletters, social media, email, our website
• Ensure our terms and conditions are easily visible to all
• Respond quickly to any complaints 
• Make sure our polices meet regulatory and relevant professional standards
• Plan an effective program of learning to support individual needs
• Provide a safe and creative learning environment with up to date risk assessments in place
• Provide quality resources in order to deliver excellent tuition 
• Ensure AADA staff have appropriate qualifications, knowledge, skill and experience for the classes they teach.
• Ensure all AADA staff provide an up to date DBS check 
• Support AADA staff with personal development via training, reflective practice and continuing professional development opportunities

We take very seriously our responsibility to ensure the safety of our students and the quality service we deliver.

We are confident that we are providing a high-quality service and would be extremely disappointed if this is not the case. However, it is important that, should you feel you have encountered a level of service that is below both your own and our expectations, you raise any concerns you may have with us immediately so that we may address them and learn lessons.

Complaints

All our staff have been trained to help our customers, so you should first try to resolve any problems (at the earliest opportunity) by speaking to the person who dealt with you. If they cannot help or you wish to speak to someone else, you can ask to speak to Amanda Isard.

If this is not possible, or if you are not satisfied with the help provided, please send a written complaint, normally within one month of the event that you are complaining about. Amanda Isard will investigate your complaint and reply within 20 days.

Confidentiality and Whistleblowing 

Sometimes a complainant will wish to remain anonymous. It is always preferable to reveal your identity and contact details to us. However, if you are concerned about possible adverse consequences, please inform us that you do not wish for us to divulge your identity. 

While we are prepared to investigate issues that are reported to us anonymously and/or by whistleblowers, we shall always try to confirm an allegation by means of a separate investigation before taking up the matter with those the complaint/allegation relates. 

Should you wish to make an anonymous report that you believe we have put the safety and welfare of a student at risk, please e-mail Lisa Thornton who acts as our independent, Designated Safeguarding Officer. Lisa will undertake an independent investigation, where appropriate.

Copyright © 2018 by Taye Training Limited (www.tayetraining.org.uk)             

All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of Taye Training. Company Number 10556912

Children can be invited from age 5 (for Tap) and 6 (for Ballet) to take an exam. This invitation will be handed out via letter from your child’s class teacher. 

All ISTD examinations are single performance at one moment in time, with a detailed marking system awarded according to the assessment criteria and attainment descriptors given for each examination. 

ISTD Graded and Vocational Graded Examinations are regulated by Ofqual in England. The Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) provides a single, simple system for cataloguing all regulated qualifications, indicating qualifications by their level (degree of difficulty) and size (amount or breadth of learning). 

(ISTD 2017) 

The ISTD gives information to teachers on recommended ‘learning hours’ for each graded exam. We, as qualified teachers also have the knowledge and experience to know what is expected at each grade and therefore what qualifies a student to be exam ready. 

With this in mind, children are very carefully considered before being invited to take their examinations. This means that children will not be entered just because they are old enough, or because someone in their class who started around the same time is taking one or because they have been in the same class for a while. 

Please trust our judgement and know that we want the absolute best outcome from your child’s exam experience. If your child hasn’t been invited to take an exam, its not because we are trying to hold them back we just simply want them to do well, sometimes just a little bit longer in a class will help them to achieve their personal best. 

As with anything like this, committing to taking an exam does mean hard work and practice. They are not easy to pass and the students themselves and the parent need to be dedicated to it. The extra exam classes are compulsory and we suggest students Grade 3 and above attend a second weekly class on top of their normal classes and the exam class. 

Technique and performance are a huge part of the criteria and therefore needs a lot of practice. 

Having said that, we understand that sometimes nerves gets the better of people and as examiners only see pupils for that moment in time a few too many mistakes can result in lower marks than expected or sometimes even not attaining a pass mark. 

Please be assured that no student will ever be forced to take an exam. It is an invitation to do so and something we teachers believe is a valuable and (should be) an enjoyable
experience. It encourages good self discipline and a huge sense of achievement at the end of it!