RBO Leaders for Impact

Person/Organisation:

The Royal Ballet and Opera (RBO)

Introduction:

The Royal Ballet and Opera is the UK’s home of world class opera and ballet. We are a cultural powerhouse, bringing together two world-class performing companies in one of the UK’s leading arts institutions, supported by a cast of more than 3,000 employees, including technical staff, creatives, and freelancers.

Based primarily at the Royal Opera House in the heart of London’s Covent Garden, with production and logistics sites in Thurrock and Aberdare, our work is enjoyed by audiences in our two theatres and globally through our streaming platform, cinema Season and company tours. 

About RBO Learning & Participation (L&P)

Learning and Participation (L&P) is central to RBO’s mission to enrich the cultural life of the nation. An extensive programme, based at our Covent Garden and Thurrock homes and across England, aims to inspire creativity and give people of all ages the chance to discover, question and respond to the power of our artforms.  

The L&P programme is distinctive in its scale and ambitions, involving more than 100,000 annual participants across three strands: 

• An award-winning, multi-disciplinary Schools programme including a dedicated schools’ website (www.rbo.org.uk/schools), which encompasses our role in supporting important school and pupil outcomes via our Create & Learn classroom schemes and teacher training, as well as a programme of work in the East of England, 

• Talent development work through opera and ballet training networks, and

• Enriching participatory events in our Covent Garden home.

 Our work in the East will facilitate local place-based partnerships in Levelling Up for Culture places offering a range of RBO teacher development programmes and creative interventions for children and young people. 

Offer:

Leaders for Impact

Now in its eighth year, Leaders for Impact is a year-long leadership development programme for headteachers and senior school leaders in a position to influence whole school approaches to creative and cultural learning.  

Leaders for Impact offers a tailored year-long programme of online and onsite group workshops, a collaborative leadership challenge, and individual mentoring and coaching. Leaders on the programme reflect on and develop their individual leadership. They are connected as a supportive cohort of changemakers and empowered to make a long-term impact for creative and cultural learning in their schools and communities. 

Is Leaders for Impact right for you?

• Do you want to develop your leadership skills?

• Are you currently leading or ambitious to lead on creative and cultural learning in and beyond your school community?

• Do you want to make positive changes on a whole school, local and national level?

• Do you want to join a network of leaders and schools that collaborate, support, and embed innovative practice?

If the answer to any of these questions is ‘yes’, this is the leadership development programme for you. 

We are currently seeking 20 committed and experienced professionals from across England to join the 2025/26 cohort.

Read more about the programme offer here.

The deadline for applications is Tuesday 03 June 2025, 12pm. This year’s programme will start in September 2025.  Apply Now