City Academy of Ballet

About the Academy

The City Academy of Ballet was founded in 1951 by Margaret Jones teaching RAD grades and was later taken over by June Bendall from Cambridge when the Russian style classical ballet syllabus of the Federation of Russian Classical Ballet (FRCB) was adopted. 

The current Principal, Eileen Bennett, took over the school in 1963 having been a pupil there from the age of eight. After a brief closure in the early 1970s the school reopened in 1976 and became affiliated to the National Association of Teachers of Dancing (NATD) teaching their Classic Ballet (Russian Style) syllabus and entering for their examinations, medal tests and awards. 

Contemporary has been taught since 2014 after the NATD launched their contemporary graded syllabus.  All examinations entered for are accredited by the Council for Dance Education and Training (CDET), regulated by Ofqual and with the vocational grades qualifying for UCAS points. Performances are staged each year in the summer term and since 1977 these have been at the Key Theatre in Peterborough.

A number of pupils have progressed to full time dance training in vocational schools and also degree courses in dance and performing arts at universities. This has led them to careers in the theatre and in teaching dance.