answers to FAQs

Here's answers to some of our most commonly asked questions relating to our classes. If by chance there's a question we haven't answered below, please contact us and a member of the team would be delighted to assist.

what classes are syllabus / do shows / exams?

Syllabus refers to specific course content for training purposes (e.g. content developed by establishments for the purpose of teaching specific skills) whereas Non-syllabus refers to classes that follow content developed by the qualified or professionally experienced teacher. Non-syllabus classes are not eligible for examinations and are mainly just for fun, but still develop the fundamental techniques and skills for that specific style. Show information found here.

To view the below table on a MOBILE DEVICE, please turn your phone to landscape:

	Syllabus?	Certified Teacher?	Exams?	In annual SSD shows?	​Other info
Acro	Part Syllabus	Yes - Acrobatic Arts  or AcroTrix Teacher	N/A	P1-7 - No Teen/Inter - Yes	-
Ballet	Part Syllabus	N/A	No	Yes - every MARCH	Note our Ballet classes do not currently enrol for Examinations
Commercial	​Non-syllabus	N/A	N/A	Yes - every MARCH	-
Commercial Academies	Non-syllabus	N/A	N/A	Yes - every OCTOBER	-
​House​	Non-syllabus	N/A	N/A	Yes - every MARCH	-
​Jazz	Non-syllabus	N/A	N/A	Yes - every MARCH	-
​Musical Theatre	Non-syllabus	N/A	N/A	​Yes - every MARCH	-
Move & Groove	Non-syllabus	N/A	N/A	No	-

CAN BEGINNERS JOIN SIMON SAYS DANCE CLASSES?

YES! Our classes are tailored as such to develop students by age group, meaning experience isn't essential. We welcome all abilities, and with the help of our experienced teaching team, we're positive your child will come on leaps and bounds in a very short space of time, regardless if your child has experience or not.

can my child try a class first?

YES! We offer a trial session to decide if your child likes a class or not. Your child's space is guaranteed until you decide after their trial. To book a trial*, visit our Timetable here. *spaces dependent 

IS THERE A UNIFORM?

Depending on the class style, there may be a specific uniform required if your child continues the class after their trial. For the purposes of a free trial class, simply ensure the clothing is comfortable and not too loose - a t-shirt, joggers/leggings and trainers is perfect. See our detailed Uniform Guidelines linked at the foot of this webpage for more info. ​

CAN PARENTS WATCH SSD CLASSES?

Due to venue space restrictions, we don't offer a specific viewing area at our classes. For those who are just starting with us, we can allow parents to come in for the first 5 minutes of a trial class, to help your child settle. To avoid any distractions, we usually ask parents to then head away and return to collect their child at the end of the class.

​Parents are always welcome to pop their heads into a class at any time, if they'd like to see the goings on! Just ask a member of staff if you'd like to take a peek. With the exception of Acro P1-7,  all classes and students have the option to take part in an annual dance show - this is when parents get to see how much their child has come on since joining us. You can read more about shows, here.  We also sometimes do end-of-term videos that we share with parents.

DO YOU TEACH MANY BOYS?

YES! At Simon Says Dance, we teach nearly 200 boys each week across ALL styles! We promote inclusivity here and welcome anyone to come and enjoy our classes. It can be daunting for boys to take the leap and try dance but we urge everyone to remember that some of the world's most famous dancers are male - think Diversity ​dance troupe! 

PAYING/BOOKING CLASSES

 We use Class4Kids for class bookings which allows parents to review their bookings online via a nifty online portal. You can pay Online via the portal, in Cash at class or via Bank Transfer. Classes must be paid by the date specified by us ​communicated in advance of a new term. When it comes to a new term,  we auto-enrol your child so they have a space in the class, unless you advise us otherwise.  ​We have a 14-day notice period to cancel auto-enrolment.  

Our class terms run by the Edinburgh school timetable - an Academic Year looks like:
Aug-Oct (Autumn) - usually 9 weeks
Oct-Dec (Winter) - usually 9 weeks
Jan-Apr (Spring) - usually 12 weeks
Apr-Jun (Summer) - usually 10 weeks

*We take the February, Easter, Summer, October and Festive School Breaks
**Classes run on bank holidays/in-service days unless otherwise stated

We bill by term - as follows:
Autumn Term (payment due August)
Winter Term (payment due October)
Spring Term (payment due December)
Summer Term (payment due April)

For splitting payments:
Autumn Term (first payment Aug, second in Sept)
Winter Term (first payment Oct, second in Nov)
Spring Term (first payment Dec, second in Feb)
Summer Term (first payment Apr, second in May)

During the school holidays, we often run holiday camps.