Inside the all-new Italia Conti stage school

When I step into Italia Conti’s smart Woking building, which has been its home since 2022, the first thing I notice is the quiet: no dancing on tables, no corridor rehearsals, just students on their phones. The school marks its 115th anniversary this year; it was founded in London in 1911 by Italia Conti to teach children appearing in Where the Rainbow Ends at the Savoy, and Noël Coward was among those early performers.

Where once the curriculum advertised elocution, fencing and ballroom, the offer now includes commercial dance, aerial circus skills and advice on building a social media presence. The last decade has seen big changes. Financial strain during Covid forced the closure in 2021 of the junior school for 11- to 16-year-olds, something CEO Hayley Newton-Jarvis says they hope to reverse on “a 10-year plan rather than a two-year plan.” Other independent stage schools closed and Liverpool’s Lipa will end its primary and secondary provision this summer.

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