the level of a typical secondary school, both at Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4, with all students sitting GCSE examinations. Covent Garden The Royal Ballet School's Covent Garden base was established in 1955, when the younger students were moved to White Lodge. The school remained at existing studios in Barons Court, London, with academic studies introduced for the first time. Later in 2003, the school relocated to new premises, and the former Barons Court site now houses the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. The school relocated to new, purpose-built premises in Covent Garden in January 2003. The complex is a four-storey building with six dance studios, including a studio theatre with retractable raked seating for an audience of 200. The building also houses changing rooms and showers for male and female students, a gym and fitness room, a pilates studio, physiotherapy suite and students common room. Facilities for academic education include four classrooms, a library with computer equipment, an art studio and audiovisual suite. All the dance studios are linked to the audiovisual suite so that classes and rehearsals can be filmed as a training tool, enabling the dancers to analyse themselves. Alongside a timetable of intensive ballet training, students also study pas de deux, solos, repertoire, character, contemporary dance, stagecraft, make-up, and body conditioning. 3rd year students get many opportunities throughout the year to train with The Royal Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet. Performances Each year The Royal Ballet School presents its Summer Performances, featuring students from all age groups in a wide variety of classical and contemporary works. The highlight of the school's dance year is the annual matinée at the Royal Opera House, which showcases graduate students before they embark on their professional careers as well as featuring students from all years of the school. The programme includes new works and heritage pieces from the Royal Ballet repertory and culminates in a grand défilé, in which every student of the school appears on stage in a choreographed curtain call. Prima ballerina assoluta The Royal Ballet School is unique in having trained four of only a small number of dancers in history to have been recognised as prima ballerina assoluta, the ultimate honorary title for a ballerina. Exclusively trained at The Royal Ballet School and dancing her entire professional career with The Royal Ballet, Margot Fonteyn was appointed prima ballerina assoluta of the company