If you're thinking about moving your dance school onto Class Manager, the feature list only tells you so much. What you really want to know is what a normal term looks like once you've switched.
So here's one. We've followed a typical dance school through a term, from setting up the timetable in August to the end-of-term show, and shown where Class Manager picks up the admin at each step.
That’s exactly where dance studio software comes in. Modern dance school management software like Class Manager centralizes everything- scheduling, automated billing, attendance tracking, and client communication, into one platform built specifically for dance schools, not generic gyms or fitness centers.
Before term starts: setting up your timetable
Most schools start by adding their classes. Each one gets a name, a description, an age range, a teacher and a class limit. You can add your own photos and colours so the timetable looks like your school, not like a spreadsheet.
If a class has two teachers, such as a big Saturday baby ballet group, you can add both. Each teacher sees their own classes and registers when they log in.
Once your classes are in, your class scheduling is done for the term. Changes later on take a few clicks, and families see the update straight away.
Enrolment and trials
When bookings open, families sign up through your own enrolment pages. They choose a class, add their child's details and pay, without you typing anything in.
When a class fills up, new families join the waiting list instead of messaging you to ask. When a space opens, you can offer it to the next family in line.
Trials work the same way. A parent books a trial class online, and Class Manager sends the follow-up emails for you: a reminder before the class, and a nudge to enrol afterwards. That second email is where most trials turn into regular students, and it goes out even in your busiest week. (We've written more on turning trials into full-time students.)
Fees, without the chasing
This is the part most schools switch for. With automated billing, Class Manager works out what each family owes based on the classes they're booked into, takes the payment and sends reminders when one is due.
You can bundle classes into packages, so a student doing ballet, tap and modern pays one price rather than three. Exam fees, show fees and one-off charges sit alongside term fees in the same place.
Payments go straight into your bank account, and you can see who has paid and who hasn't without opening a spreadsheet.
Weeks 1 to 10: registers, progress and notes
Each week, teachers take the register on their phone or tablet. Attendance tracking shows you patterns over the term, so you can spot a student who has missed three weeks in a row before they quietly drop out.
If you run grades or award badges, skill tracking lets teachers record progress against each skill as students work through it. Parents can see how their child is getting on, which saves a lot of "how is she doing?" conversations at the door.
Teachers can also add notes to a student's record, such as an injury to work around or a costume size, so the whole team has the same information.
Keeping families in the loop
Parents log in to the parent portal to check the timetable, update their details, pay fees and book more classes. Most of the questions that used to land in your inbox get answered there.
For everything else, you have communication tools built in:
Emails to the whole school, one class or one family, with your logo and colours. You can schedule these ahead of time.
Chats for quick messages, whether that's one parent, a group or a broadcast to everyone. Broadcasts send straight away, so a common pattern is to schedule the full email in advance and send a short broadcast reminder on the day.
Spotlight, your school's own social feed inside the app, for photos from class and news you want families to see.
It all happens in one place, so you can stop keeping parents in WhatsApp groups.
End of term: reports, re-enrolment and the show
As term wraps up, reports show you how the term went: income, outstanding balances, class numbers and attendance. It's the quickest way to see which classes are full, which need a push next term, and whether a new class is worth adding.
Re-enrolment for next term runs through the same booking pages, so returning families can secure their place in a few clicks.
And if you're putting on a show, you can sell uniform and merchandise through the built-in shop and run tickets through our sister platform, Stage Stubs, which is free for studios.
What it costs
Class Manager has no monthly subscription, and we don't charge you more as your school grows. You can see exactly how it works on our prices page.
If you're still comparing options and want the full overview of what to look for, start with our guide to dance studio software.
Running a dance studio is busy enough without drowning in daily tasks and administrative chaos. Class Manager gives you all the tools to run efficiently, keep families happy, and focus on what you actually love, teaching dance
Ready to make life easier? Book a demo with our team or create your free account and see why studios across the UK, Ireland, the US, and Australia trust Class Manager for their business growth.
