Whether you are a current business owner or looking to set-up your own dance school, these courses are a must for you to attend.

Working within the dance sector can present its own set of unique challenges and questions, when it comes to managing finances and tax. This area of business is often one which causes concern and raises lots of questions. Therefore it is important for you to be aware of the pitfalls, exemption rules and your responsibilities to ensure that you are correctly following HMRC guidelines. These courses have been designed to provide clarity and clear guidance on VAT for performing arts.

These courses are an essential for any teacher across all sectors and genres, whether you are a trainee, newly qualified or experienced in your field. ‘To provide clarity on the minefield of VAT!’

We are offering three short courses with Sam Smith, a chartered certified accountant, so that we can support your business.

Purchase all three sessions as a bundle for the best deal.
These will be recorded - so even if you can’t attend one, you can catch up.

Wednesday 14 May 2025, 10:30 - 11:30 (1 CPD hour)
VAT and Performing Arts - Part 1
Lecturer: Sam Smith

This first session will focus on providing attendees with information on VAT exemptions and the various VAT exemption rules.  

Wednesday 21 May 2025, 10:30 - 11:30 (1 CPD hour)
VAT and Performing Arts - Part 2
Lecturer: Sam Smith

The second session will discuss details of how to manage VAT with the available VAT schemes and business structures.

Wednesday 28 May 2025, 10:30 - 11:30 (1 CPD hour)
VAT and Performing Arts - Part 3
Lecturer: Sam Smith

This last session will provide a recap on the two previous sessions, followed by discussion on specific case studies and examples. Attendees will also have the opportunity to ask questions about their own businesses. 

Please note: these courses will be recorded for delegates who are unable to attend all 3 sessions. 

Sam Smith

Sam Smith formed Smith & Co in 2021 after managing a regional accountancy practice for over 8 years, which in turn was after spending some years qualifying with a ‘top-10’ international accountancy firm.

Smith & Co offer their clients a wide range of accountancy and business advisory services and have a wide range of experience working with professionals in the performing arts. 

Times and dates

Please note that all course dates and times are stated in UK Time.

Closing dates

Bookings for this course will close 3 days before it is due to take place. Therefore tickets may not always be available to purchase via the website However, if you contact us via email coursebookings@istd.org we may be able to manually book you onto a course. 

Course Prices

Members have the opportunity to take advantage of the course bundle discount, if attending all 3 sessions. 

Course cancellations

Courses are subject to cancellation (up to 3 weeks in advance) if the minimum attendee numbers have not been reached. Therefore we strongly advise that all attendees book well in advance to avoid disappointment. 

Lecturers

In the instance of a change to availability, we may need to find an alternative lecturer (than the one originally scheduled) to lead a course. This will not affect the content covered in the course

CPD hours

All hours stated next to each course refer to the earned CPD hours. This will be reflected on each certificate of attendance that you will receive.

Waiting list 

If a course you wish to attend has sold out, please contact us via email coursebookings@istd.org to be added to the waiting list.

Terms and conditions 

Please refer to our website for the full terms and conditions of your booking, including details about refunds.

Further questions

If you have any further questions, please contact coursebookings@istd.org and a member of the CPD team will get back to you.

Booking conditions

All fees must be paid in full, with cleared funds, before bookings close for the course. Delegates will only be provided with zoom details and have access to online courses once payment has been made.

Each participant (irrespective of whether they are sharing a studio or device) is required to pay for their place on the course. Therefore, it is your responsibility to ensure that you do not pass on the zoom login details or allow anybody that has not booked, to join the course on any device.

Cancellations must be made via email to coursebookings@istd.org 

• For any cancellations made less than 10 days before the event, the ISTD will retain 50% of the total booking fee.
• For any cancellations made less than 7 days before the event, the ISTD will retain 75% of the total booking fee.
• For any cancellations made less than 4 days before the event, the ISTD will retain the total booking fee.

Under exceptional circumstances or where a doctor’s certificate is provided a full or partial refund may be given at the discretion of the Education and Training department.

In the event that delivery is affected by a local lockdown or any other force majeure, we will do our best to make alternative arrangements in order to ensure the course can go ahead. However, if this is not possible, delegates will be contacted and offered a refund or a credit note.

We cannot account for the strength of delegate internet connection and ask that each attendee check the connection before each course. In the case of loss of connection part-way through a course, refunds will not be given. Where possible, we may offer you an alternative course to attend. This will be at the discretion of the Director of Education.

Certificates of attendance will be sent to each delegate via email as a PDF document after the CPD event has taken place. The CPD hours on the certificate will reflect the time attended by the participant with time deducted for late arrival or early departure from the session.

The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing has the right to refuse bookings on the grounds of health and safety or if acceptance would contravene its Regulatory Authority Approval.

Course delegates are responsible for their own personal property and safety. Delegates must ensure that they follow the appropriate health and safety warnings, including:

• Ensuring the space is environmentally equipped and safe (i.e. proper lighting and adequate temperature).
• Having enough room to participate in the activity without there being any obvious risk of injury to the participant, to others, or risk of any damage to the surrounding property.
• Ensuring that the flooring in the room is appropriate for the activity to be undertaken.
• That no other adult is observing during the course without the prior knowledge and permission of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing.
• The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing reserves the right to record any online CPD for the purpose of further training.

Filming/photography/recording of any content displayed or discussed during the online class is not permitted by any delegate.

All work displayed is the intellectual property of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing and appointed lecturers. Recording the lectures would be a breach of copyright and anyone found doing so may be removed from the session and future bookings.

Consent and release

ISTD is committed to the principle that the interests and welfare of participants taking part in dance activities is paramount. To comply with the Data Protection Act 1998, ISTD needs your permission before we take any photography or video of you.

By acknowledging and agreeing to these terms, I consent to ISTD photographing or videoing me at this event. I can confirm that I have been made aware that these images or videos could be used in dance-related publications, the ISTD website, at future events, and broadcast on social media or video streaming services. I give the ISTD permission without a time limit to use this photography or video (including facial images) worldwide on any medium.

How we use your information

Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing will process your personal information in accordance with our privacy policy. Please refer to our privacy policy which can be found in full on our website.

Any concerns should be emailed to coursebookings@istd.org