Youth programme information

Welcome to the National Centre for Circus Arts

Whether you’re coming to us for the first time or returning for a new term it’s important that you read all the information below to ensure you get the most out of your course and understand our policies and procedures.

Please ensure that you have filled in the ‘Medical information’ and ‘Emergency contact’ fields on your account. If you have no medical issues please enter ‘none’ and if you have any questions about your ability to do the course please contact us.

You can access your account here. If you have not logged in online before, you will need to tick ‘Forgotten your password?’, giving the email address that you used to book your course.

If you have any questions contact us on 020 7613 4141 or info@nationalcircus.org.uk

Moving on

You will receive an email in the second half of the term, letting you know if your child is at the right age or level to move on to a new course. Although we can’t guarantee you a space in the older class if your child has changed age groups, you will be given higher priority than those who have never done youth courses before.

Priority

We give priority booking for the next term to those who are rebooking the same course. Once those already on a course have had a chance to rebook we open any spaces to people who are interested in that course. We do appreciate that it can be frustrating waiting for a space to open but demand is very high for our courses and unfortunately availability is limited. If you have any questions about the moving on or booking process please contact info@nationalcircus.org.uk

Scholarships

Applications are now open for our Scholarship Scheme.

The scheme allows successful participants to be awarded a full academic year on one of our youth programmes at no cost (September 2024 – July 2025).

Find out more about the scholarship scheme 2024/25

Access Cards

To make our building safe for all of our learners we have a touch card system. Members of London Youth Circus and Youth Circus (Year 7-12) are expected to be responsible for their own membership cards, whilst parents of all other youth classes (Family Circus, Junior Circus, Primary Circus) are asked to be responsible for the cards issued in their child’s name.

When coming to our space it’s important that the access card is used to touch in and out of the premises. Our cards will also allow you entry to some of the other studios that classes might be held in if there are any room changes.

As some of the busiest periods are when our youth classes run this helps with the traffic in the reception area and ensures that staff can monitor who is coming in and out of the building.

Access cards form part of our Health and Safety policy and helps with the safeguarding of our youth participants.

When to be here

You can check the time and days of your specific course on the timetable using the filter on the courses section.

It’s important to be changed and ready before the start time of your class as you may not be admitted if you’re late. You will need to sign in and out of the building whenever you arrive or leave. There is a sign-in sheet on reception. Please be aware that you must not miss three or more classes during a term. Where students fail to meet this commitment they will lose priority and may not be able to rebook for the following term.

What to wear

As with any physical activity, it’s important to be able to move about comfortably. Below are a few suggestions about the best clothing to wear to classes.
What to wear/bring:

• Leotards, tracksuit bottoms, leggings or jogging pants – make sure your arms and legs are covered
• Bare feet or gym shoes
• If you have long hair, tie this back during sessions
• A bottle of water

What not to wear

• Socks can be slippery – your teacher will advise you whether you will need to wear socks in class
• Jeans
• Trousers with lots of zips or pockets
• Skirts
• Jewellery and watches

Health and safety

Please be aware that you must remain in the building if your child aged 7 or under is taking a class. Children in the building who are not taking a class must always be supervised by a parent/guardian.

Signing in and out of the building is vital; this includes all students, class participants, staff, visitors, parents or carers waiting for young people, and any other spectators. Whilst we take all reasonably practicable measures to ensure safety, all circus training involves an element of risk. In order to maintain an environment of maximum safety, it is important that you inform the course teacher about any illnesses or injuries that could be exacerbated by undertaking any moderately strenuous activity. Please also ensure that you keep the medical information field in your account up to date.

Circus training is a physical activity: in order to ensure safety and maximise learning, activities may involve hands-on correction or support. Members are only allowed in the training spaces when accompanied by a member of National Centre for Circus Arts staff.

The National Centre for Circus Arts aims to provide a well-maintained environment that all users and staff members find safe and enjoyable to use and where goals can be effectively achieved.  See our Code of Conduct.

Keeping in touch

We want to make sure you are always up to date with information about your course so we send termly newsletters and information about booking dates and sign-offs via email. Please make sure that we always have your up to date email address amend your details here.

If you’d like to hear more from the National Centre for Circus Arts, tick the ‘I am happy to receive emails from the National Centre for Circus Arts’ box under ‘Preferences’ on your online account.

Our website is a good first point of call for information about your course, along with timetables and term dates. Please make a note of any dates when your course will not be running, such as half-term and bank holidays.

We also recommend that you follow us on Instagram, on twitter and like our facebook page, to find out more about all the activities that go on here and become a part of the wider National Centre community.

For general enquiries, contact us on 020 7613 4141 or info@nationalcircus.org.uk. For more information about the courses, contact us on recreational@nationcircus.org.uk 

Terms and conditions

Courses are non-refundable unless you cannot complete the course due to serious injury or illness and have a medical note. In this case the refund shall be pro-rata for the remainder of the course from the point at which we receive the medical note. You should give a minimum of 48 hours’ notice before your next class.

Youth Experience Days are non-refundable and cannot be exchanged but are transferable to another person. Experience Day vouchers cannot be extended.

Age brackets – All of our recreational youth courses are bracketed by age and this allows us to tailor our content to a suitable level for those participating. Throughout the year our team check records to ensure that participants are on the correct courses for their age. Please ensure that you are enrolling your child on the right course, particularly when booking online. If your child is found to be on the wrong course for their age, they will lose their place on the programme and you will not be refunded.

Code of conduct

All of our users are expected to abide by the National Centre for Circus Arts code of conduct.