Physiotherapist

Organisation

The Royal Ballet School

Salary

£47,586.90 FTE

Location

White Lodge, Richmond Park, TW10 5HR

Contract type

Permanent (Part time)

Closing date

11 September 2026

Job Description

OVERALL PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced Physiotherapist to join the world-class Healthcare and Performance Support Team at the Royal Ballet School, working within a unique high-performance elite dance and boarding school environment.

Reporting to the Clinical Lead, the Physiotherapist will work as an integral member of a specialist multidisciplinary team dedicated to supporting the physical health, mental wellbeing and emotional welfare of students throughout their dance training.

SUMMARY OF THE ROLE

The postholder will provide high-quality, evidence-based musculoskeletal physiotherapy and contribute to a proactive approach to injury prevention, rehabilitation, physical development and performance. The Physiotherapist will use appropriate profiling, monitoring and athlete management systems to support their evidence informed clinical decision making.

Working collaboratively across healthcare, physical development and artistic teams, the role will use contemporary clinical practice and appropriate dance and sports science principles to inform decision-making, optimise student health and ensure safe return to dance and performance outcomes. The Physiotherapist will play an important role in ensuring long term dancer development, helping students remain healthy, resilient and able to fulfil their potential, while contributing to the School’s commitment to ‘setting the standard’ in dance education, healthcare and performance support.

This role provides an exceptional opportunity to gain and develop specialist experience within elite dance, working with talented young dancers in a supportive, collaborative and highly professional environment. The successful candidate will also benefit from comprehensive opportunities for continuing professional development and the opportunity to contribute to the ongoing development of healthcare and performance support provision at the Royal Ballet School.

CONTRACT TERMS

Start date: 4 January 2027
Location: White Lodge, Richmond Park, TW10 5HR
Salary: £47,586.90 FTE
Hours: 35 hours per week, Monday - Friday (0.875 FTE). This is a term time only position, with two weeks of work during the Summer Intensive Courses.

MAIN DUTIES

This list is intended to be illustrative rather than exhaustive and may be adapted in response to the evolving needs of the School and its’ students.

- Assess, diagnose, treat and rehabilitate musculoskeletal injuries sustained by students, including the provision of sports massage where clinically appropriate. Facilitate onward referral to the in-house Sports & Exercise Medicine (SEM) Consultant and/or appropriate external providers for imaging, specialist assessment and consultation as required
- Deliver high-quality, evidence-based physiotherapy care to students and establish appropriate longer-term rehabilitation pathways that align with individual student needs, physical development and artistic objectives
- Undertake regular profiling of all students to mitigate injury risk and support dancer development within clinic and studio settings
- Develop, implement and regularly review individualised rehabilitation programmes as part of a coordinated multidisciplinary approach, including consideration of growth and maturation and the identification and management of Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S), where appropriate and within professional scope of practice
- Support the delivery of a sports science-informed approach to injury prevention, monitoring and rehabilitation, making effective use of the School’s online athlete management system and VALD testing equipment to inform clinical decision-making and communication
- Maintain regular and proactive liaison with artistic staff, rehabilitation staff and other members of the wider multidisciplinary team regarding injury prevention, management, rehabilitation and safe return to dance
- Contribute to the effective administration and organisation of the White Lodge Healthcare service, including coordinating physiotherapy and other healthcare appointments, including during school holidays; maintaining accurate and timely clinical records; and facilitating communication with external specialists and healthcare providers
- Attend and actively contribute to relevant weekly White Lodge meetings, including Healthcare, RED-D, Rehabilitation planning and Performance Team meetings
- Work proactively with artistic and pastoral staff to support the physical health, welfare and wellbeing of students, ensuring appropriate communication and information-sharing in accordance with School policies, professional standards and confidentiality requirements
- Maintain appropriate, timely and professional communication with parents and guardians regarding students’ healthcare, treatment, rehabilitation and ongoing management
- Contribute actively to the development of the Healthcare Team through participation in team CPD, sharing clinical knowledge and demonstrating a proactive commitment to personal and professional development
- Ensure that all reasonable measures are taken to maintain the health, safety and wellbeing of students and staff using the gym, physiotherapy and healthcare facilities
- Practice in accordance with all relevant professional standards, regulatory requirements and codes of practice, including those of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) and Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
- Contribute to the development, implementation and maintenance of compliant healthcare policies and procedures in accordance with the National Minimum Standards for Boarding (NMS), working closely with colleagues across White Lodge
- Maintain effective communication and clinical liaison with the Upper School Healthcare Team, supporting continuity of care as students progress through the Royal Ballet School
- Maintain and evidence appropriate continuing professional development (CPD), aligned with CSP and HCPC requirements and the professional development priorities of the Healthcare Team
- Respond appropriately to healthcare emergencies outside normal working hours when reasonably required by the School
- Undertake any other duties that may reasonably be requested by the School and which fall within the general scope, responsibilities and level of the position.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential Criteria:

- A BSc (Hons) in Physiotherapy from a reputable institution including registration with HCPC and CSP
- Completed or working towards a relevant MSc or other comparative qualification in a related field
- Substantial professional practice in physiotherapy specialising in musculoskeletal sport &/or Dance Physiotherapy with solid experience in diagnosing and treating musculoskeletal injuries in a high performance or elite sport environment
- Proven rehabilitation competency in sport and/or dance with the ability to implement innovative ideas with an adolescent population
- Understanding of the biomechanics of classical ballet training
- Experience of working with young people
- Up to date knowledge of the implications of growth and maturation in a high-performance training environment
- Passionate about the delivery of an exceptional healthcare service to gifted and talented young people and the ability to support a high-performance culture and team ethic
- Commitment to maintaining own professional development
- Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary healthcare service
- Good verbal, numeric, IT and written communication skills
- Good organisational, time-management and administrative skills
- The ability to work well under-pressure and handle conflicting priorities
- Empathy with the aims and ethos of the Royal Ballet School
- Evidence of professional development with an emphasis on high-performance sport, dance or closely related disciplines
- Advantageous to have a full clean driving licence (White Lodge is not on a public transport network). There is a regular School minibus during the working day from Richmond station.

Desirable Criteria:

- Experience in writing/developing sports exercise medicine protocols to ensure excellence in practice
- A strong appreciation of dance or ballet as an art form
- Mat work Pilates &/or Reformer Pilates experience/qualification
- A relevant sports massage qualification
- Experience of working with young people in school or educational environment
- Experience of working with electronic athlete management software.

This job information cannot be all encompassing. It is inevitable over time that the emphasis of the job will change without changing the general character of the job or the level of duties and responsibilities entailed. Consequently, this information will be periodically reviewed, revised and updated in consultation with the post holder to reflect appropriate changes.

We are committed to creating an environment where all our employees feel part of our team and can flourish, regardless of their background. We’re proud to be an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity.

How to apply

Please submit an application via our website - https://www.royalballetschool.org.uk/information/work-with-us/current-vacancies/ We do not respond to speculative CV's or applications.

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