National Centre for Circus Arts

What National Centre for Circus Arts does

The National Centre for Circus Arts (NCCA), formerly Circus Space, is a UK-registered charity (No. 1001839) and company limited by guarantee founded in 1990. It operates from a 1896 Victorian electricity generating station in Shoreditch, London, repurposed into six specialised training spaces equipped with rigging points, sprung floors, crash mats, and apparatus for aerial silks, static trapeze, tightwire, Chinese pole, Cyr wheel, and acrobatic work. NCCA trains over 900 people per week across a full progression pipeline: recreational adult and youth courses, taster sessions and workshops, the London Youth Circus and Centre for Advanced Training, a BA (Hons) in Circus Arts degree, and Open Training memberships for professional artists.

The revenue model is a hybrid charity structure drawing roughly equally from three streams: Higher Education grants and tuition fees (34%), charitable grants and donations from trusts, foundations, and individuals (35%), and commercial activities such as venue hire, corporate events, casting, and course fees (31%). Approximately 55 of the BA (Hons) students are funded annually through the Leverhulme Trust, and Garfield Weston Foundation has committed to a multi-year core grant covering FY2025/26 and 2026/27. Distribution is direct via on-site training at the Coronet Street facility, online course booking, and a separate venue-hire site (shoreditchelectric.com); outreach programmes extend into Islington, Hackney, and Tower Hamlets.

The organisation lost National Portfolio Organisation funding from Arts Council England in April 2023, eliminating over £1 million (nearly 20% of operating income) and removing any realistic re-entry until Spring 2028. In response, NCCA has diversified its funder base across trusts (BBC Children in Need, Jack Petchey, Rayne, Chapman) and expanded its commercial venue and casting operations through wholly owned subsidiaries (Circus Space Events Ltd and Circus Space Events Property Company Ltd). NCCA positions itself as one of only 11 institutions in Europe and two in the UK offering circus arts as a higher education qualification.

Name

National Centre for Circus Arts

Legal name

National Centre for Circus Arts

Website

https://nationalcircus.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The National Centre for Circus Arts is a UK charity that delivers circus arts education from a Victorian power station in Shoreditch, London, serving adults, young people, higher education students, professional artists, and community outreach participants through recreational courses, a BA (Hons) degree, and professional training facilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts Education and Training

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (611610), Fine Arts Schools (61161), Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394), Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Circus & Physical Theatre (MPAGABAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Theatre Education, Training & Conservatories (MPAGABAN), Theater & Drama Education (Acting, Improvisation, Musical Theater) (EDAMAAAG)

Keywords

• Circus arts education
• Higher education training
• Recreational courses
• Youth performing arts
• Venue hire events

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Higher Education Grants and Fees: Revenue from BA (Hons) in Circus Arts degree programme including tuition fees and Higher Education grants. Constitutes approximately 34% of annual income.
2. Non-Higher Education Grants and Donations: Income from charitable trusts, foundations, individual donors, and fundraising activities. Represents approximately 35% of annual income. The Centre lost its NPO funding from Arts Council England in April 2023, a loss of over £1 million.
3. Commercial Activities: Revenue from venue hire, corporate events, casting services, open training memberships, course fees for recreational classes, and gift vouchers. Constitutes approximately 31% of annual income.
4. Course Fees: Recreational courses for adults and youth, taster sessions, workshops, and summer school programmes. Prices vary by course type and duration.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The National Centre for Circus Arts is a registered charity that provides professional and recreational circus arts training, including a BA (Hons) in Circus Arts degree programme, termly adult and youth recreational courses, taster sessions, workshops, youth development programmes, and community outreach schemes. It also operates commercial venue hire (Shoreditch Electric), casting services, open training memberships, and creation studio hire for professional circus artists.

Product overview

The National Centre for Circus Arts offers a comprehensive portfolio of circus arts education and training programs. The organization operates as a single unified institution with multiple interconnected programs: a BA (Hons) in Circus Arts degree program for higher education students; adult recreational courses ranging from taster sessions and short workshops to full-term courses across various disciplines; youth programs including London Youth Circus, Centre for Advanced Training, and Summer School for children; and outreach initiatives such as Sensory Circus for autistic young people and CircuSpire for underrepresented communities. Professional services include Open Training memberships, Creation Studio hire for artists, Casting and Circus Consultancy for corporate events, and Venue Hire for external events. Additional offerings include a student video library and gift vouchers. All programs are delivered from their Victorian power station facility in Shoreditch, London.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BA (Hons) in Circus Arts
• Adult Recreational Courses
• Short Courses and Workshops
• Try Circus Taster Sessions Three-hour introductory workshop sessions for adults aged 16+ covering static trapeze, aerial silks, acrobatics, tightwire, and juggling. Priced at £48.50 per person including booking fee; non-refundable or exchangeable; run on selected Saturdays.
• London Youth Circus
• Centre for Advanced Training
• Summer School
• Sensory Circus
• CircuSpire
• Open Training
• Creation Studio Hire
• Casting and Circus Consultancy
• Venue Hire (Shoreditch Electric)
• Gift Vouchers Digital gift vouchers redeemable for circus taster sessions, workshops, and adult or youth recreational courses, available in variable amounts.
• Scholarships and Bursaries Financial bursary and scholarship funding for higher education and youth programme students to support accessibility, including Leverhulme Trust funding for approximately 55 HE students per academic year and UBS-supported youth bursaries.

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• The Conservatoire for Dance and DramacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a supporter alongside other trusts and foundations, contributing to the Centre's educational mission.
• JiscsupportingTechnology or IntegrationFor HE programme students, data is shared with Jisc, the agency which collects, processes and shares data relating to higher education, as part of statutory obligations as a Higher Education Provider.
• GraeaesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerTheatre company conducted an accessibility audit of the building and provided advice and suggestions for improving accessibility for all users.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Greentop Circus Centre (Sheffield): UK-based circus centre offering recreational classes, youth programmes and professional training in Sheffield. Domestic peer competing for UK grant funding and participant interest, although without a degree-granting pathway.
• National Institute of Circus Arts (NICA, Australia): Australia's national circus school delivering a Bachelor of Circus Arts, recreational programmes and youth pathways. Closest Anglosphere comparison outside the UK for degree-granting circus education and integrated community outreach.
• Codarts Circus Arts (Rotterdam): Rotterdam-based university of the arts delivering a Bachelor in Circus Arts alongside dance and music. Direct European peer offering accredited HE circus training within a multi-arts conservatory structure.
• Fontys Academy of Circus and Performance Art (Netherlands): Tilburg-based higher education institution offering a BA in Circus and Performance Art. Direct European peer operating under comparable conservatory/fine-arts HE structure and competing for international student intake.
• Skylight Circus Arts (London): East London-based circus charity delivering youth programmes, community outreach and accessible training for underserved communities. Local peer competing for outreach grants and borough-level partnerships in London.
• ENC – École de Cirque de Bruxelles (Belgium): Belgian professional circus school offering training pathways and recreational classes. Another of the small set of European HE-recognised circus schools, with a comparable curriculum and outreach model.
• CNAC – Centre National des Arts du Cirque (Châlons-en-Champagne): France's national higher education circus school, training professional circus artists and delivering training for trainers. A direct European peer and one of the institutions counted within the "11 schools in Europe" comparison cited by the Centre.
• Circomedia (Bristol): UK-based circus training and performance school in Bristol offering recreational classes, professional training and community programmes. Closest direct domestic peer to the National Centre, competing for the same UK participant pool and grant funding.
• École Nationale de Cirque (Montreal): Leading Canadian national circus school offering DEC-level professional training, recreational courses and outreach. Highly comparable as one of the ~11 European/North American HE-granting circus schools operating under a similar conservatory-style model.

Broad incumbents

• Royal Central School of Speech and Drama: Major London conservatoire within the University of London offering HE performing arts degrees. Comparable as a UK higher-education performing-arts institution competing for similar arts council, trust and student funding pools, though it does not specialise in circus.

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CircusSpaceLondon
• Facebookfacebook.com/NationalCentreforCircusArts
• Instagraminstagram.com/nationalcircus
• Xx.com/nationalcircus
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/circus-space

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles22 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about National Centre for Circus Arts