Question 1

Public role and legal status

Accepted Answer

Publicly stated role. The BDC website states that the British Dance Council was formed in 1929 as the Official Board of Ballroom Dancing. Its Corporate Members page states that the aim of the founders was “to establish a co-ordinating organisation to enable teachers to work together on uniform lines.”The same page describes the BDC as “accepted as the regulatory body for all matters pertaining to all forms of Ballroom, Latin American, Sequence and Freestyle dancing throughout England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Channel Islands.”The page states that one of the Council’s main functions is “to formulate and administer the rules for competition dancing.” It also states that recognised competitions in Great Britain are governed by those rules and that the BDC “grants championship status.”The BDC’s One Voice page uses the headings “One Central Control,” “One Forum,” “One Point of Reference” and “One Voice.” The accompanying wording refers to a common rule book, adjudicator licensing, professional and amateur matters, member dance associations, teachers, the media, the public, government officials and departments, and relationships with other organisations.These statements are the BDC’s own public descriptions of its role. The reviewed material did not independently establish how terms such as “accepted,” “recognised” or “approved” are defined or how the stated central-control, forum and representative functions operate in practice.Legal status and external verification. Companies House lists British Dance Council as an active company, company number 00502695. The registered office recorded by Companies House matches the registered office shown on the BDC Contact Us page: Unit 9, The 1929 Shop, Merton Abbey Mills, Watermill Way, London, SW19 2RD.Charity Commission status was not identified in the reviewed material.Corporate members. The BDC publicly lists organisations under Teacher Organisations, Professional Dance Organisations, Public Companies and Amateur Organisations.The Teacher Organisations listed are Associated Board of Dance, Allied Dancing Association, British Association of Teachers of Dancing, International Dance Teachers’ Association, Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing, National Association of Teachers of Dancing, Northern Counties Dance Teachers’ Association, Scottish Dance Teachers’ Alliance, United Kingdom Alliance and World Association of Professional Teachers of Dancing. WAPTD is marked on the BDC page as a non-examining body.The Professional Dance Organisations listed are Association of Dance and Freestyle Professionals, The Ballroom Dancers’ Federation, British Competitors Dancesport Corporation and Dance Promoters Association.Blackpool Entertainment Company Limited is listed under Public Companies. Dancesport Scotland and English Amateur Dancesport Association are listed under Amateur Organisations.The reviewed public material did not establish the full voting, decision-making or representative rights of the listed corporate members, or how each category participates in BDC governance and appointments. The BDC Rules state that proposals for changes to the Rules may be submitted by Corporate members and the Rules Committee, with approved proposals proceeding to a Council vote.Other stated relationships. The One Voice page states that the BDC speaks and liaises on behalf of dance as a member of the World Dance Council, as a member of the Dance and Movement Division of the Sport and Recreation Alliance and as a member of the Music Users Council.These relationships were identified as BDC website wording. The reviewed material did not independently verify these memberships through external official membership sources.

Question 2

Public access and membership

Accepted Answer

Publicly accessible information. Public website routes are visible for Contact Us, MyBDC, About Us, About Dance, Committees, Championships, Application Forms and Licences, BDC and FRC Rules, Freestyle and BDC News.Public information is also visible for the BDC and its Corporate Members, Board members, officers, honorary members, patrons, committees, Teaching and Qualifications, Find a Dance School, championship categories, application guidance, rules, policies, safeguarding, complaints, events, publications and statements, terms of use, privacy, payment information, direct contact routes and the BDC Championship League.Individual names are shown on the BDC website for Board members, officers, committee members and role holders.MyBDC. A public MyBDC login and registration page is visible. It states that current valid BDC licence holders should log in or create an account using the email address supplied on their licence registration form.The account content, completed application forms and processes operating behind login were not reviewed as public material.Applications, registrations and licences. Public routes are visible for adjudicators, amateur competitors, professional competitors, Freestyle participants, WDC forms, competition and championship recognition, formation-team registration, scrutineers and promoters.Completion of some reviewed routes requires MyBDC login, a separate form login or contact with the BDC office.Adjudicator applications. The BDC Rules separately state that adjudicator licences are issued only to persons holding qualifications with an approved British Teacher Organisation and that applicants must fulfil the criteria set out in the BDC Safeguarding Policy. For competitions, the Rules list Associate, Technical Dance Assessment or Certificate of Dance Education qualifications in the required division; for championships, they list Membership or Licentiate Certificate or Technical Dance Assessment (Two). A current BDC adjudicator licence is also required.The reviewed public material did not establish how qualification evidence is checked, how the full application and renewal process operates, or what refusal, review or appeal route applies.Amateur applications. The public Amateur Forms page refers to a 2026 Amateur Online Form. It identifies Juvenile competitors as under 12, Junior competitors as aged 12 to 15 inclusive and Adult competitors as aged 16 and over. Parent or guardian signature wording is visible, together with BDC amateur registration and a route for reinstatement to amateur status.The BDC Rules also state that, from age 10, a Juvenile may request to be upgraded to Junior status in order to dance with an eligible older Junior partner. From age 14, a Junior may request to be upgraded to Adult status with a partner aged at least 16. In each case, once the competitor has competed in the higher age group under the relevant rule, the Rules state that they cannot revert to the younger age group.Professional applications. The Professional Forms page states that professional competitors taking part in professional competitions or championships in Great Britain under BDC Rules are required to register as professional competitors.WDC applications. The WDC Forms page states that applicants must hold a BDC Professional licence before applying for a WDC Competitor licence and a BDC Adjudicator licence before applying for a WDC Adjudicator licence.The external WDC requirements were not independently reviewed.Competition and championship recognition. Public routes are visible for an Application for Recognition of Championship and for Inventive Dance Competition applications.The BDC Rules state that organisers/promoters of competitions and championships held under BDC Rules must hold an organiser/promoter licence. They also set out application and renewal arrangements for BDC championship recognition and list the categories of championship for which applications may be considered.Scrutineers. The public page refers to a 2026 Scrutineer Application, One Dance and Full Dance examinations, the Skating System booklet and an office contact route.The BDC Rules state that anyone wishing to scrutineer at Council-recognised competitions and championships must have passed a Council scrutineer’s examination and must hold an annual Scrutineer’s Licence, except where a qualified scrutineer holds a current Council Adjudicator’s Licence.The reviewed pages contained differing fee wording of £5 plus postage and £6 plus postage. The current fee was not confirmed.Formation teams. Public registration is visible for Ballroom, Latin and Sequence formation teams. The page states that this registration route is not for Freestyle teams.Promoters. The public Promoters Licence page refers to organiser and promoter licence requirements. It also includes Freestyle promoter wording relating to DBS and safeguarding certificates.The completed application and checking process was not publicly visible through the reviewed page and requires a form or contact route.Membership and participation structure. The reviewed public material lists corporate-member organisations and separate individual registration and licence routes.Public routes exist for amateur and professional competitor registration, adjudicator licences, promoter licences, scrutineer applications, formation-team registration and WDC-linked applications.A single publicly presented general membership offer and a single consolidated public list of all current fees were not identified in the reviewed material.Payments and refunds. The Bank and Payment Details page states that card payment is accepted through online forms and that bank details must be requested from the Secretary. It states that cheques are no longer accepted, fees are due in advance, yearly fees are non-refundable and any refund is at BDC discretion.The page states that correctly completed forms may take up to ten days to process. Bank details are not publicly displayed.Teaching and qualifications. The public Teaching and Qualifications page states that dance teachers should receive proper training and that professional qualifications should be gained through examining dance-teacher organisations recognised by the BDC.Qualification levels listed include Student Certificate, Associate, Member or Licentiate and Fellowship.The page states that professionally qualified teachers will be aware of matters including child-protection legislation, appropriate insurance cover, music licences and safe teaching practice. The reviewed page did not show individual verification of those matters for every teacher.Find a Dance School. A public database or list of dance schools is visible. The page states that entries are vetted by staff before appearing and describes it as a free register of dance schools “under the control of qualified dance teachers.”It also states that applicants must be current paid members of one of the BDC’s teacher organisations before an entry is approved. Login or registration is required to add or amend an entry.The reviewed material did not establish the full checks carried out before approval or all information displayed within each View Details entry.Publicly visible competition information. Championship category pages show information including reference number, organiser or promoter, date and championship title.Contact routes and addresses. The Contact Us page provides a contact form, Secretary email, telephone number, complaints route, role-based email contacts and the registered office at Unit 9, The 1929 Shop, Merton Abbey Mills, Watermill Way, London, SW19 2RD.The Publications and Statements page gives a separate ordering address at 240 Merton Road, South Wimbledon, London, SW19 1EQ.The reviewed material did not establish whether the second address remains current for purposes beyond the page on which it appears or whether the two addresses are intended for the same purposes.

Question 3

Rules and policies

Accepted Answer

BDC Rules. The public BDC Rules page includes a search function and a Download Rules option. The visible contents include General, Amateur, Championship, Sequence, Competitions and Championships, Formation, Professional, International, Organisers and Promoters, Pro-Am, Teacher/Student, Appendices and Amendments.The downloaded BDC Rulebook reviewed contains the current rule text made available through the BDC public Rules route. It includes provisions for rule changes and states that proposals for changes may be submitted by Corporate members of the Council and the Rules Committee. Approved changes require a two-thirds majority of those present and voting at a Council meeting.Rule 3(a) within the downloaded document still refers to proposals being considered in 2020 and to a Rulebook for the period 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2023. The reviewed material did not establish a complete amendment history or explain how that wording relates to the rulebook currently made available by the BDCPublic policies. The BDC Policies page lists Articles of Association, Safeguarding Policy, Complaint Policy, Prevention of Bullying and Harassment Policy, Equality Policy, Whistleblowing Policy, GDPR Policy, Communications Policy, Conflict of Interest and Conflict of Loyalty Policy, Procedure for Managing Allegations of Harm Against Children, Procedure for Managing Allegations Involving Adults and Safeguarding Adults Policy.Public routes to these documents were visible. The review did not establish the current date, version, scope, review period or final or draft status of every individual document.FRC Rules and Freestyle. The FRC Rules page states “New FRC Rules effective from 1st September 2024” and provides public downloads for Professional Rules, Amateur Rules, Chairpersons Rules and Promoters Rules.The page also lists proposals or propositions stated to have been agreed and passed following the ADFP National AGM on 14 September 2025, with effect from 1 January 2026.Visible amendments refer to skin-tone fabric, safeguarding, authorised personnel, Dance Code wording, professional and adjudicator dress, competitors aged 12 to 15 not dancing after midnight, under-12 adjacent age groups and mental health and wellbeing.Freestyle is separately visible through FRC Rules, Freestyle Forms, the Freestyle Committee and the Freestyle Rules Committee.Freestyle is separately visible through FRC Rules, Freestyle Forms, the Freestyle Committee and the Freestyle Rules Committee. The BDC Rulebook states that Freestyle competitions and championships are covered by the FRC Rulebook. The wider formal relationship between the BDC, FRC and ADFP was not fully established through the reviewed public material.Terms of Use. The public Terms and Use page contains website-use terms, third-party-link wording, communications-service rules, submissions wording, copyright and trademark wording, liability disclaimers and refund information.The governing-law wording refers to the State of Washington and San Mateo County, California. The review did not establish how this governing-law wording applies to the BDC.Refund wording. The Terms and the Bank and Payment Details page state that fees are due in advance, yearly fees are non-refundable and refunds remain at BDC discretion.The reviewed material did not establish the refund terms applying to every individual application or payment route.Privacy wording. The Privacy Statement contains personal-data, cookie, retention and security wording.The wording also includes terms such as “ZIP code,” “favorites” and “customers.”The review did not establish the origin, date or version of this wording or how it relates to the separate GDPR Policy.

Question 4

Competitions and participation

Accepted Answer

Championship structure. The public Championships section identifies categories including Juvenile, Junior, Youth, Amateur, Senior, Over 50, Professional, Solo, Teacher/Student and Pro-Am, Freestyle, Formation, Classical Sequence and Inventive Dance.The BDC Rules also list Adults 60+, all-male couples, all-female couples, mixed-sex couples, open-to-all couples, Solo all-male, Solo all-female and Solo open to all.Category pages publicly list competitions using information such as reference number, organiser or promoter, date and championship title.The main page heading reviewed referred to “BDC Championships Approved 2024–2025,” while visible category lists included events taking place in 2026. The review did not establish whether the heading remained current or the current status of every individual entry.Championship recognition. The BDC states that it grants championship status, and a public application route for recognition of a championship is visible.The BDC Rules state that no competition may be entitled a championship without Council permission. They set out application and renewal arrangements and list championship categories for which applications may be considered, including Town or City, County, Area, National, Multi National and Commercial championships in specified open, closed or invitation forms.The reviewed material did not establish a separate published definition of the terms “recognised” and “approved” beyond the processes and requirements stated in the Rules and application material.BDC Championship League. The BDC Championship League page states that all registered BDC promoters are eligible for their events to be included in the League free of charge and are eligible to award BDC Championship League points.The public page includes sections for Event Eligibility, Points and Ranking Structure, Premier BDC Championship Events and Rankings. Its navigation also includes Couples Rankings, Solo Rankings, Sequence Rankings, Professional Rankings, Calendar, BDC Professional Charts, BDC Team GB National Training Squad and Promoters Information.The reviewed material did not confirm whether every eligible event is included automatically, whether a separate promoter application is required or whether additional terms apply beyond the public page wording.Points and rankings. The page states that rankings are calculated from each couple’s best eight results.Standard Competition or Event. The published structure awards 10 base points, plus one point for every couple or solo dancer defeated.BDC Championship Event. The published structure awards 20 base points, plus two points for every couple or solo dancer defeated.Premier BDC Championship Event. The published structure awards 30 base points, plus three points for every couple or solo dancer defeated.Full worked examples, full category coverage, the ranking data source, publication timetable, correction process and appeal process were not found in the reviewed public material.Premier BDC Championship Events. The page states that Premier BDC Championship Events are decided by the BDC Directorship.The events listed on the reviewed page were: UK Open Dance Festival incorporating BDC-granted ChampionshipsJunior Blackpool Dance Festival incorporating BDC-granted ChampionshipsOpen British Dance Festival incorporating BDC-granted ChampionshipsInternational Dance Festival incorporating BDC-granted ChampionshipsClosed British Championships incorporating BDC granted ChampionshipsBDC Gala Event incorporating a BDC-granted Championship.The public page did not show the criteria for Premier classification, the decision date, the process used, whether additional events may be added during the season or any review or appeal route.Uses of the rankings. The page states that rankings will be updated throughout the season and published on official BDC platforms. It states that they will be used for selection to the BDC Team GB National Training Squad, scholarship awards, international representation opportunities and annual recognition awards.The detailed selection criteria, scholarship criteria, international-representation criteria, award process, dates and review or appeal arrangements were not found in the reviewed public material.Tie-breaks and amendments. The page states that, where there is a tie in the rankings, the BDC reserves the right to apply tie-break criteria determined by the BDC Directorship.It also states that the Directorship may amend the League rules and event classifications in the best interests of the Championship League and its competitors.Published tie-break criteria, amendment notices, version history, consultation records, voting records and decision logs were not found in the reviewed public material.Pro-Am. Pro-Am is publicly visible through the BDC Rules, championship categories and the Pro-Am and Student-Teacher Committee. The Rules state that Pro-Am competitions and championships come under BDC jurisdiction and define Pro-Am competitions as couples consisting of an amateur dancing with a professional. They also publish registration requirements for professional competitors, professional teachers and amateur competitors taking part in Pro-Am competitions.Teacher/Student. Teacher/Student is identified separately within the reviewed rule and championship structure. The Rules state that Teacher/Student competitions come under BDC jurisdiction either as a normal competition or an experimental competition. They separately publish registration requirements for the teacher and student. Pro-Am and Teacher/Student are separately identified in the reviewed material.Solo. Solo is visible through the BDC Rules, championship categories, Championship League points wording and Solo Rankings. The Rules list Solo all-male, Solo all-female and Solo open to all.Formation. Formation appears in the BDC Rules, championship categories and the Formation Team Registration route. Registration is available for Ballroom, Latin and Sequence teams. The public route states that it is not for Freestyle teams.Freestyle. Freestyle is visible through the FRC Rules, Freestyle Forms, Freestyle Committee, Freestyle Rules Committee and championship listings. The BDC Rulebook states that Freestyle competitions and championships are covered by the FRC Rulebook.Sequence and Inventive Dance. Classical Sequence and Inventive Dance categories are publicly visible, together with application routes connected with Inventive Dance competitions.Events. The public Events page reviewed listed the 77th Annual British Dance Council Inventive Dance Competition, Let’s Dance 2026 and the BDC and WDC International Congress 2026.

Question 5

Amateur, parents and youth routes

Accepted Answer

Amateur participation routes. Public routes for amateur competitors include Amateur Forms, Amateur Section rules, amateur championships, reinstatement to amateur status, an Amateur Membership Officer and a role-based amateur contact email.EADA and Dancesport Scotland are publicly listed as Amateur Organisations within the BDC corporate-member structure.Registration, competition and contact routes for amateur competitors were publicly visible in the reviewed material.Voting rights for individual amateur dancers were not confirmed through these routes. The BDC Rules state that a national amateur dancesport association can object on behalf of its members in relation to competitor eligibility.Amateur and competitor voice. The BDC publicly signposts a Live Forum for Competitors. A separate Online Forum for Promoters is also visible. Forum sign-up requires MyBDC login or registration.The reviewed public material did not show an individual amateur voting route, an elected individual amateur representative structure, public amateur consultation records, reports back to amateur competitors, forum minutes or decision records showing how amateur views affected BDC decisions.The Amateur Membership Officer and the Amateur Organisation corporate-member category were publicly visible. The BDC Rules also state that a national amateur dancesport association can object on behalf of its members in relation to competitor eligibility. The reviewed material did not establish how individual amateur dancers are represented through the Amateur Membership Officer or the wider corporate-member structure.Parent and guardian routes. Parent or guardian signature wording is visible on the Amateur Forms.The Teaching and Qualifications page advises members of the public, particularly parents seeking a teacher for their children, to establish that the teacher is professionally qualified through one of the teacher organisations recognised by the BDC.The page also states that professionally qualified teachers will be aware of matters including child-protection legislation, appropriate insurance, music licences and safe teaching practice. The reviewed page did not show individual verification of these matters for every teacher or school.The safeguarding pages also link to guidance for parents and carers concerning children in out-of-school settings.The BDC Rules state that, where a competitor is a Junior or Juvenile, a parent or guardian may raise an objection concerning an aspect of adjudication or organisation through the Council’s Complaints Procedure.A named parent representative, parent role description, parent contact route or parent election or appointment process was not found in the reviewed public material.Children and young people. Juvenile, Junior and Youth competition categories are publicly visible. Amateur Forms identify Juvenile competitors as under 12 and Junior competitors as aged 12 to 15 inclusive.The BDC Rules state that, from age 10, a Juvenile may request to be upgraded to Junior status in order to dance with a partner who is over 12 and under 16 and eligible to dance as a Junior. Once the competitor has competed in a Junior competition with the older partner, the Rules state that they cannot revert to Juvenile competition.The Rules also state that, from age 14, a Junior may request to be upgraded to Adult status with a partner who is at least 16. Once the competitor has competed in Adult competition, the Rules state that they cannot revert to Junior competition.The reviewed FRC amendment wording includes provisions relating to competitors aged 12 to 15 not dancing after midnight and under-12 adjacent age groups.Safeguarding material concerning children was publicly visible.A youth representative, youth advisory group, youth consultation route or other publicly identified route through which children or young people contribute to BDC decision-making was not found in the reviewed material.

Question 6

Safeguarding, complaints and governance

Accepted Answer

Safeguarding responsibilities. The BDC publishes a Safeguarding Home Page stating that it recognises safeguarding responsibilities towards children and adults at risk.The page provides a named Safeguarding Officer, a role-based safeguarding email address, immediate-risk guidance, links to the Child Protection in Sport Unit, NSPCC and Ann Craft Trust, and safeguarding helpline information.It states that safeguarding concerns reported to the BDC will be taken seriously, handled sensitively and referred to appropriate agencies for investigation.Safeguarding reporting route. A publicly visible reporting route directs contact to the Safeguarding Officer. The Safeguarding Home Page also displays safeguarding resources for adults and children, including easy-read material.The reviewed material did not confirm whether there is a downloadable report-a-concern form, detailed parent or carer reporting guidance, an urgent or out-of-hours BDC contact route or a separate step-by-step public reporting procedure.The page also states that the BDC works with partner agencies and local authorities on safeguarding concerns and collaborates with awarding organisations represented on its board in relation to safeguarding standards.DBS checking. The BDC website states that the Council is a registered DBS checking service and that licence holders, dance teachers and other eligible people may apply for a DBS check through the Council.Contact with the Secretary is required to use this route. The BDC’s status as a DBS registered body was not independently verified during this review.The reviewed material did not establish the DBS requirements applying to every licence or role.Safeguarding training. The website states that the BDC offers discounted online safeguarding and child-protection training through the NSPCC at £24. The page describes the training as “purely voluntary.” Contact with the Safeguarding Officer is required for access.The BDC Rules state that applicants for an adjudicator licence must fulfil the criteria outlined in the BDC Safeguarding Policy. The reviewed public material did not establish that the particular NSPCC training offered through the BDC is mandatory for an adjudicator licence or for every other licence or role.Safeguarding Committee. The public website lists a Safeguarding Committee and states that it was established to investigate safeguarding complaints involving children and vulnerable adults and to advise the Council on best practice.Public terms of reference, meeting minutes and decision records for the committee were not found in the reviewed material.Safeguarding documents. The policy list includes the Safeguarding Policy, Procedure for Managing Allegations of Harm Against Children, Procedure for Managing Allegations Involving Adults and Safeguarding Adults Policy.The reviewed material did not establish the current date, version, scope or review arrangements of every individual safeguarding document.General complaints. The Contact Us page provides a public complaints route. It states that users may request full details of the BDC complaints procedure by emailing the Secretary or may download the complaints procedure document.The public wording states that correspondence will be considered where the writer provides a full name and address. It states that signed complaints will be taken seriously, matters of concern will be investigated and a writer may request to remain anonymous where legally possible. It also states that the BDC does not accept anonymous letters as normal practice.The BDC Rules state that a complaint alleging a breach of the Rules is to be made and determined in accordance with the Council’s Complaints Procedure. They also state that objections concerning competitor eligibility use that procedure and that, for a Junior or Juvenile competitor, a parent or guardian may raise an objection concerning an aspect of adjudication or organisation through the Complaints Procedure.The reviewed material did not establish the procedure’s full stages, timescales, independence or relationship with safeguarding procedures in every circumstance.Published complaint outcomes, complaint statistics, an annual complaints report and a public complaints decision log were not found in the reviewed material.Board, officers and role holders. The website publicly lists the Board of Directors, President and Chair, Vice-President and Vice-Chair, honorary members, patrons, Secretary and Treasurer, Assistant Secretary and Treasurer, Amateur Membership Officer, Safeguarding Officer and other role-based contacts.The reviewed material did not confirm the appointment process, term lengths, election arrangements, voting rights, meeting attendance or published conflicts-of-interest declarations for these roles.Committees. Publicly listed committees include Teachers, Equity Diversity and Inclusivity, Safeguarding, Sequence Advisory, Freestyle, Emergency Executive Decisions, International Professional Affairs, Finance and General Purposes, Public Relations, Rules, Freestyle Rules, Competitions and Championships, American Smooth and Rhythm, Future Development, and Pro-Am and Student-Teacher.The BDC Rules give the Rules Committee a stated role in considering proposed changes to the Rulebook and in the procedure for an immediate rule change.Committee members are publicly listed. Public terms of reference, meeting minutes, attendance records, voting records, decision logs and appointment processes were not found in the reviewed material.Governance and decision-making. The BDC publicly lists its Articles of Association, Board and committee structures, BDC Rules and a Conflict of Interest and Conflict of Loyalty Policy.The Championship League page states that the BDC Directorship decides Premier Championship Event status and may determine tie-break criteria and amend League rules or event classifications.The reviewed public material did not contain public AGM papers, minutes, vote counts, general voting records, committee terms of reference, attendance records, decision logs, Championship League classification records or published tie-break criteria.The BDC Rules state that proposals for changes to the Rulebook may be submitted by Corporate members and the Rules Committee. They set out a process involving consideration by the Rules Committee and a Council vote, with a two-thirds majority of those present and voting required for adoption. The Rules also provide a separate procedure for an immediate rule change.The reviewed material did not establish the full voting rights of the different corporate-member categories, their appointment rights, or how each category participates in decisions outside the rule-change procedures described in the Rules.nt corporate-member categories participate in rule-making, voting, appointments or decisions affecting particular areas of DanceSport.

Question 7

Not found, not confirmed and supporting evidence

Accepted Answer

Public role and recognition. BDC public material contains wording describing its role, rule-making functions and championship-status functions.The reviewed material did not independently establish how the terms “accepted,” “recognised” or “approved” are defined or applied outside the processes shown on the BDC website.Access and applications. Routes into MyBDC, licences, registrations and applications are publicly signposted.The full forms, checks, assessment processes and decisions operating behind login or office contact were not reviewed as publicly accessible material.Adjudicator licensing. Public wording refers to qualifications, qualification levels, current-year teacher-organisation membership, Equality and Unconscious Bias training and Enhanced DBS documentation.The BDC Rules separately state qualification requirements for competition and championship adjudication and state that adjudicator licences are issued only to persons holding qualifications with an approved British Teacher Organisation. They also state that applicants must fulfil the criteria outlined in the BDC Safeguarding Policy.The reviewed material did not establish the full checking, renewal, refusal, review or appeal processes, or how all requirements shown across the Rules and application material operate together.Membership and representation. The BDC publicly lists corporate-member categories and individual registration routes.The BDC Rules state that Corporate members may submit proposals for changes to the Rulebook. The reviewed material did not establish the full voting, governance or appointment rights of the different corporate-member categories outside the rule-change procedures described in the Rules. An individual amateur voting route or elected individual amateur representative structure was not found.Parents and young people. Parent and guardian wording, parent-facing guidance and age-specific competition categories are publicly visible. The BDC Rules also include provisions allowing a Juvenile from age 10 to request an upgrade to Junior status in specified circumstances and a Junior from age 14 to request an upgrade to Adult status in specified circumstances. They also provide for a parent or guardian of a Junior or Juvenile competitor to raise an objection concerning adjudication or organisation through the Complaints Procedure.A named parent representative, parent appointment process, youth representative or youth consultation structure was not found in the reviewed material.Safeguarding and complaints. A named safeguarding route, safeguarding policies, DBS route, training route and Safeguarding Committee are publicly visible.The review did not assess the operation of these arrangements in practice. Public Safeguarding Committee records, complaint outcomes, complaint statistics and public decision records were not found.Governance. Articles of Association, Board and committee listings, rules and policies are publicly visible. The BDC Rules also publish procedures for changes to the Rulebook, including submission of proposals by Corporate members and the Rules Committee, consideration by the Rules Committee and a Council vote.Public AGM papers, minutes, general vote counts or voting records, committee terms of reference, attendance records and decision logs were not found in the reviewed material.Championship League. The public Championship League page contains event-eligibility wording, rankings, points levels, Premier events and stated uses of the rankings.Full worked examples, full category coverage, data-source details, correction and appeal processes, published tie-break criteria, Premier-classification criteria, selection criteria for squads or international representation, scholarship criteria, award criteria and public decision records were not found in the reviewed public material.Relationships with other organisations. The BDC publicly lists corporate members and states relationships with the World Dance Council, the Dance and Movement Division of the Sport and Recreation Alliance and the Music Users Council.These relationships were recorded as BDC website wording. They were not independently verified through external official membership sources in the completed review.Documents and website currency. The review did not establish the current date and version of every individual rule or policy. The downloaded BDC Rulebook made available through the public Rules route was reviewed. Rule 3(a) within that document refers to proposals being considered in 2020 and to a Rulebook for the period 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2023. The reviewed material did not establish a complete amendment history or explain how that wording relates to the rulebook currently made available by the BDC.The Contact Us page and Publications and Statements page display different addresses. Reviewed Scrutineer material contained differing fee wording of £5 plus postage and £6 plus postage. The reviewed Championships page contained a “BDC Championships Approved 2024–2025” heading while visible listings included events taking place in 2026.The Terms and Use page contains governing-law wording referring to the State of Washington and San Mateo County, California. The Privacy Statement contains terms including “ZIP code,” “favorites” and “customers.”The review did not establish the current status or intended application of these differing or dated items beyond the pages on which they appeared.

British Dance Council

Public Information Snapshot

Full Public-Access Profile