I’ve seen how dance can transform lives. I urge the government to put it back where it belongs – at the heart of the curriculum

• Shirley Ballas is president of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing

The government has promised to put creativity back at the heart of school life, and people across the arts sector who have been campaigning for curriculum change for years will soon learn just how serious it is. For those of us working in dance, publication of the interim review report in the coming weeks will be a particularly big deal – or at least, it has the potential to be.

Every day we are lucky enough to see how dance changes lives – how it makes us fitter, healthier and more confident, how it takes us into new worlds, brings us together, and keeps us active, physically and mentally. The Social Value of Movement and Dance report found that participating in dance uplifted mental wellbeing for 1.2 million participants, and resulted in 2.7m fewer GP and psychotherapy visits – creating £430m in savings on physical and mental health. Crucially, movement and dance have been found to reach and retain girls, women, and disabled people equally or better than any other forms of activity.

Shirley Ballas is head judge on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing and president of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing