The School was founded in 1988 by then director Peter Schaufuss of English National Ballet as a feeder school for the company. It began with just 12 students, sharing premises with the company. The School grew rapidly, and in 1995
Diana, Princess of Wales opened its new premises in Chelsea, enabling it to train many more dancers. Today the School exists as a separate entity but maintains strong links with its parent company, around a third of whose dancers are graduates of the School. Students perform in ENB's touring productions of My First Ballet as well as in the company's main stage productions and those of other leading UK companies. The School's own performances are widely noted, with Dance Europe describing the Winter 2019 performance as 'a terrific show...both entertaining and thoughtful.' English National Ballet School has an associate programme, ENBS Juniors, for girls and boys aged 3 and up. In 2020, the School initiated a Graduate Trainee Programme as a response to the global pandemic. ==Notable alumni==