If you’ve ever watched your dancers collect a certificate and felt so proud, this week is for you. The UK Dance Awards celebrated schools and teachers from across the country. There’s more from Arts Council England too, including a new handbook for freelancers.
UK Dance Awards 2026 celebrate schools and teachers
The UK Dance Awards took place on Sunday 4 October at the De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London. An independent panel judged 24 categories. They included Dance School of the Year, which went to Natalia Kremen Ballet School, and Teacher of the Year, which went to Lauren Alvis. Outstanding Studio Culture went to Eleanor Clark Dance Company, and Excellence in Inclusive Dance Practice went to Dance Sensation School of Dance.
Our partner, the British DanceSport Association (BDSA), won Outstanding Contribution to Dance in the UK. We’ve listed every winner in our UK Dance Awards 2026 winners round up.
What this means for your school: several categories reward the things we care about most, including studio culture, wellbeing and early years. Entry is free, so it’s worth thinking about next year.
More from the private dance school research
Last week, we shared the headlines from Arts Council England’s research into private dance schools, carried out by the University of Bedfordshire. The short read for dance teachers, schools and studios that sums up the findings has a few more figures worth knowing.
59% of survey respondents rented teaching space by the hour or session, and nine out of ten reported some kind of problem with their teaching space. Around 10% said they felt their organisation was at risk of closure in the following 12 months. On a brighter note, 62% said increased visibility and recognition of private dance schools, studios and groups would strengthen the sector.
What this means for your school: we’ve pulled the findings together in what Arts Council research means for your dance school, with practical ideas on space, costs, progression and safeguarding.
A new Freelancers’ Handbook from Arts Council England
On 6 October, Arts Council England published its first co-created Freelancers’ Handbook for creative and cultural practitioners. It is free and digital. It covers contracts, fees, funding, tax, business development and professional wellbeing. It also has practical tools, including fee calculators, a contracting checklist, email templates and invoice guidance. A Resources Directory of paid opportunities, funded programmes and training sits alongside it.
The handbook is written for the wider cultural sector, not only dance. Arts Council England says it will keep updating it.
What this means for your school: many of us teach freelance, or work with freelance teachers and choreographers. The fee calculators and contract tips could be a useful starting point. Our guide to Self Assessment for dance teachers covers the tax side.
This week’s tip
DBS fees came down on Monday 5 October, and an Enhanced check now costs £41. If your team has checks to book, now is a good time. Our guide to the DBS changes for dance teachers explains the new rules and fees. For your whole team, our free Introduction to Safeguarding in Dance (Level 1) course, from BDSA and powered by Teach.Dance, is a friendly next step. This is general guidance, not legal advice. If you’re unsure about a particular role, check gov.uk or get advice.
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