Diploma in dance Education
The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD) Diploma in Dance Education (DDE), is a prestigious Level 4 Ofqual-regulated qualification, offering a clear pathway to becoming a certified dance teacher with the ISTD.
The DDE equips aspiring dance teachers with practical skills and knowledge essential for a successful teaching career. Engage with up-to-date research, gain a regulated qualification, and unlock opportunities for further education and career progression.
Upon completion of the full DDE course, you’ll unlock a world of opportunities, including applying for full ISTD membership, entering students for exams, accessing discounted CPD programmes, receiving ISTD publications, and pursuing higher qualifications such as the Level 6 Diploma in Dance Pedagogy (DDP) and Licentiate*.
*Eligibility for Licentiate requires an Advanced 1 certificate in your chosen genre.
The contextual Units 1 and 5 are delivered remotely, Units 2, 3, and 4 are delivered in-house through our ISTD approved dance centre.
There are 5 Units to complete to achieve the full DDE qualification:
Unit 1: Preparing for Safe Teaching (15 credits at Level 3)
Unit 2: Observing, Assisting and Teaching Practice (30 credits at Level 4)
Unit 3: Vocational Graded Examination in Dance: Intermediate (28 credits at Level 3)
Unit 4: Dance Practice (30 credits at Level 4)
Unit 5: Child Development (17 credits at Level 4)
Candidates undertaking a study of the Cecchetti Ballet Vocational Graded syllabus should also typically display a sense of self-awareness and be self-motivated in terms of their personal development. As distinct from the General Graded examinations, a greater degree of personal interpretation is encouraged and the candidate is expected to show the potential to communicate effectively with an audience. Candidates will need to show the qualities of professionalism, commitment and focus, with the ability to manage a greater workload than that required for the general graded examinations. This would typically result in a successful candidate spending significant additional time each week in lessons, in practising and in studying independently.
The Vocational Graded examinations are concerned specifically with the mastery of technique and underpinning understanding, to a level sufficient to prepare candidates for further vocational training and match current expectations in the employment sector.
- Graded and Vocational Graded Examinations
- Diploma in Dance Education and Diploma in Dance Pedagogy are regulated by Ofqual in England; Qualifications Wales in Wales; and the Council for the Curriculum Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) in Northern Ireland.
- 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). Size is indicated by a credit value, corresponding to a term used in the title. An Award is worth 1-12 credits, a Certificate is worth 13-36 credits, and a Diploma is worth 37 or more credits. One credit corresponds to 10 hours of learning for the typical learner, which is divided into Guided Learning hours (GLH), which is broadly contact time with the teacher, and personal study time, which together make Total Qualification Time (TQT).
Approved Dance Centres are vocational colleges and independent schools that have been verified by the Society and regulators to deliver our regulated teaching qualifications. The Level 4 Diploma in Dance Education (DDE) can only be delivered by a Society Approved Dance Centre (ADC).
Prospective ADCs must have a proposed tutor(s) in place who hold the requisite qualifications and experience.
There are four practical examinations graded to measure appropriate stages of development from a general standard of Cecchetti Ballet education to that of professional competence and readiness.
- ISTD Level 2 Certificate in Vocational Graded Examination in Dance: Intermediate Foundation (Cecchetti Classical Ballet) Credits - 28
Qualification Number - 501/0764/1 • Guided Learning Hours - 150 • Qualification Time (hours) - 275
- ISTD Level 3 Certificate in Vocational Graded Examination in Dance: Intermediate (Cecchetti Classical Ballet) Credits - 28
Qualification Number - 501/0728/8 • Guided Learning Hours - 150 • Qualification Time (hours) - 275
- ISTD Level 4 Certificate in Vocational Graded Examination in Dance: Advanced 1 (Cecchetti Classical Ballet) Credits - 33
Qualification Number - 501/0760/4 Guided Learning Hours - 150 • Qualification Time (hours) - 325
- ISTD Level 4 Diploma in Vocational Graded Examination in Dance: Advanced 2 (Cecchetti Classical Ballet) Credits - 37
Qualification Number - 501/0761/6 • Guided Learning Hours - 150 • Qualification Time (hours) - 325
- ISTD Level 4 Diploma in Dance Education (Cecchetti Classical Ballet) Credits - 92
Qualification Number - 501/0750/1 • Guided Learning Hours - 630 • Qualification Time (hours) - 920
- ISTD Level 6 Diploma in Dance Pedagogy (Cecchetti Classical Ballet) Credits - 213
Qualification Number - 600/4269/2 • Guided Learning Hours - 920 • Qualification Time (hours) - 2130