Interested Parent Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 Ok this is my understanding please correct me if I'm wrong at any point: - the government had greatly reduced the DaDa money given to each school. However the schools can still financially award roughly as many awards because of the much greater contribution that parents now have to make. - in the past MOST parents paid only £1,750 ish towards the cost plus accommodation. Which meant that schools had to pay the rest for each child out of their fund - from last year ALL parents are means tested and pay between nil and just over £7k pa plus accommodation. However if your total income is more than £70k you have to pay FULL fees cutting many dancers and family out of the scheme entirely but reducing the schools contribution. - those who still apply for DADAs over the £70k cliff-edge are doing so because they are not entirely sure whether they will go over the cliff-edge until final P60s, P11ds, self employed accs are totted up. Could go over by £1.01 and lose out on their child being able to take up the offer. Imagine that after being offered the award fair and square that a few quid could mean not going anywhere, at all. - the accommodation with DaDa is means tested separately and is an even lower threshold by comparison so even those who can scrape the DaDa may find it prohibitive because of the accommodation costs. - the schools rank each dancer, review their contribution from the pot for each child and when the money runs out... well the money runs out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sugarplumsmum Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 So IP they have you all ways Fingers crossed for everyone looks like were all in for a long road of heartaches and battle's. Think I'm going to have to slip into the budget a bottle of hair dye and 'cheap' bottle of wine x 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lala Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 Does anyone know the exact figure for accommodation? Is it really around 12k !!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad house Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 Good luck to all auditioning for the dada funding next Tuesday My dd got the dreaded no letter on Friday . However after reading this page most of the weekend I can say it's probably for the best. I simply don't think my nerves could take anymore . Fingers crossed for you all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecarte Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 Hi Not an expert but went through the DADA system last year. We were all invited back to a funding audition and before the audition we were asked to fill in a brief form indicating our income. It is only at that stage that the school knows how much, if any, funding may be required by each auditionee. So some attended the funding audition knowing they were outside the parameters for funding, not sure why- but is there a possibility of a scholarship??! (Not dada funded?)I suppose you could always ask Tring. After the audition,if successful, there is a more comprehensive income form needed to be filled in with evidence of income, savings etc, it is only after this has been submitted correctly that you can relax! ( however we never received a definite confirmation of final funding figures just a school bill so took this as good news as it was in line with our declaration!) Boarding is indeed approaching £12,000. However there are more places available than boarding spots. I know some of DD's contemporaries at Tring live out with local families and this is much cheaper if you are willing to consider this. I think school has a list of these. We lived too near (25-35 mins drive away) to be considered for a boarding spot so were offered a day place. I remember how stressful it all was, the uncertainty and managing expectations of DD. We were lucky it worked out for her but know of others who were dreadfully disappointed. You have my sympathies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afab Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 (edited) We lived too near (25-35 mins drive away) to be considered for a boarding spot so were offered a day place. I'm not sure they take the location you live in into account as we live in France and the same year one DD was offered a boarding place while the other one (the youngest) a day place!!! Commuting everyday on the Shuttle would have been a bit of a pickle... Edited February 17, 2014 by afab 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecarte Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 I'm not sure they take the location you live in into account as we live in France and the same year one DD was offered a boarding place while the other one (the youngest) a day place!!! Commuting everyday on the Shuttle would have been a bit of a pickle... How ridiculous!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzpaws Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 Here are DADA figures for the coming year : National Income Bands - Student Fee Contribution - DaDA Maintenance Rates http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/i/final%20income%20bands%20-%20new%20students%2013-14.pdf I think a lot won't be able to cough up the boarding fees. If someone is earning under £21,000, around £7,000 will have to be found, which is a very tall order ! Similar problems for other figures too Wonder how anyone can afford it. We are going along, hoping that there is a better outcome and I suspect others are doing the same ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2dancersmum Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 Interestedparent - I think your understanding is almost correct but it may be me in the wrong, simply because I thought the DADA was government funding, not schools contribution. Previously a school was given a set number of awards - so the school would award those 13 DADAs to students. Most parents would then pay £1750 contribution to the school and the government would make up the difference between parental contribution and school fees. For the new DADA system, the administration has been passed to the schools themselves and they receive the money equivalent for those 13 places. But now parental contribution is based on the sliding scale of family income so as they list the students in order of preference and start awarding DADAs, each student will receive an award/parental contribution based on their own circumstances and as far as I am aware they keep working their way down the list until all the money is allocated. Thus the number of students funded by DADA will vary each year as some years it might fund those 13 students and others (when all parents have greater contributions) it could be more. Please note that I use the number 13 because someone mentioned it earlier in the thread and not because I have any inside knowledge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lildancer96 Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 Yes Tring boarding is about £1000 a month - we rent a room from a family in Tring for our dd and it is about half of the cost. Tring have a list of such alternative accommodation. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carriecrafts Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 cross-posted from DaDA thread, does anyone have the DaDA scale for the coming academic year (14-15) as the ones posted are for 13-14? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dramascientist Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 Well I don't think we can even go to the funding audition! Because they have given us a weeks notice the cost of flights is astronomical and this combined with the fact that she might not even get the funding, I think we will have to go with one of the other options. I have written to the school but of course there is nobody there this week, why did they not think of this when they planned the day. Luckily it is not DDs favourite choice! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzpaws Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 Yes Tring boarding is about £1000 a month - we rent a room from a family in Tring for our dd and it is about half of the cost. Tring have a list of such alternative accommodation. Do many do this,does more than one stay with a family - would worry that DD would feel isolated if everyone else was at the school BUT it does sound do-able 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lildancer96 Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 Last year and this year my dd has lived with a host family who have 2 students pm me if you want any further info x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Autumn days Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 That is an interesting idea but what if the student doesn't get on with the family or others staying there? I think it would be much harder than being at the school where there will always be more people around and 'places to hide'. and it wold also be harder for a parent who perhaps wasn't happy with the care being offerd to talk to an individual rather than the school. Not sure that would be an option for us! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Picturesinthefirelight Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 I thought it was normal for upper school students to live with landladies/host families rather than in a boarding house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2dancersmum Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 Accommodation varies depending on the school (I think most do not have boarding houses) but to give the opposite view to mum in a spin - having your own room in a family house where you can talk to the landlady and make sure everything is ok could well be easier than sharing a room in a boarding house with someone you don't particularly get on with and where one house parent looks after all the house occupants. Different accommodation will suit different people. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulieW Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 As 2dancersmum says, it varies from school to school - some have boarding houses where all the students are together eg RBS, Elmhurst, some live in hostels or own (rented) accommodation eg Central, ENBS, and then others have students living with host families. My personal preference was for a school with a boarding house, especially as ds was a young 16 when he moved up to upper school and we were lucky to have a choice of school. Everyone's different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Autumn days Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 2dancers mum, I can see it from that point of view too but do think it could go both ways! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Interested Parent Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 Interestedparent - I think your understanding is almost correct but it may be me in the wrong, simply because I thought the DADA was government funding, not schools contribution. Previously a school was given a set number of awards - so the school would award those 13 DADAs to students. Most parents would then pay £1750 contribution to the school and the government would make up the difference between parental contribution and school fees. For the new DADA system, the administration has been passed to the schools themselves and they receive the money equivalent for those 13 places. But now parental contribution is based on the sliding scale of family income so as they list the students in order of preference and start awarding DADAs, each student will receive an award/parental contribution based on their own circumstances and as far as I am aware they keep working their way down the list until all the money is allocated. Thus the number of students funded by DADA will vary each year as some years it might fund those 13 students and others (when all parents have greater contributions) it could be more. Please note that I use the number 13 because someone mentioned it earlier in the thread and not because I have any inside knowledge. Sorry didn't mean to give the impression that the school paid the difference. I meant that the school administered the government-funded difference. Hope that clarifies ???? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lildancer96 Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 "That is an interesting idea but what if the student doesn't get on with the family or others staying there? I think it would be much harder than being at the school where there will always be more people around and 'places to hide'. and it wold also be harder for a parent who perhaps wasn't happy with the care being offerd to talk to an individual rather than the school. Not sure that would be an option for us!" Can't say this had ever been an issue for us - she is at school all day and only goes back to her lodgings for evening meal and bed. I guess it depends on individual personalities but I have never worried about her not getting on with anyone. We also find she gets more 'wrap around ' care - lifts to the station , flexibility on when she leaves or if she leaves for exeat and she loves the privacy of her own room 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Autumn days Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 I didn't want anyone to take my comments personally nd I am pleased hat your dd is happy. I am just saying that if a student is places with a family that, for whatever reason, they don't get in with, then it could be more stressful than being at school where there are far more people around. I do see the advantage of having a privte room but i would hate my dd to feel that she had to spend lots of time in t because she didnt otherwise feel at home. Obviously, it depends on the individual personalities involved! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lildancer96 Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 It is all down to individual personality and preference - boarding was full two years ago and we didn't have a choice but it has worked for us Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Its her Life Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 Boarding is all onsite for the lower sixth at Tring. They stay in a boarding house called New Block. There are lots of twin rooms, a couple of triple rooms and five quad rooms. So a lot of the girls therefore share with several girls rather than just one. There are Housemothers who live onsite to look after them. In the upper sixth, they are then divided up. Some live off site in two boarding houses approx 20 mins walk away, some in a boarding house just down the bottom of the lane leading up to the school & a handful stay living in New Block. Wherever they are, they still have a houseparent though. It's then in their final third year that the students find their own accommodation, ie flats etc & are regarded as day pupils. As stated in the above post however, some students can opt to stay with host families in Tring. This is certainly cheaper, as yes the boarding costs for Tring are just on £4,000 per term. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lildancer96 Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 That is my understanding too but there isn't enough boarding places for all of Lower 6th; so some will have to find alternative accommodation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 has anyone actually recieved a 'no' from tring for 6th form dance - from waht ive heard everyones got finals but ive heard nothing about people who didnt apply for dadas or who didnt get places, or is it just that noone is posting that ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lildancer96 Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 We know of people who have had a no Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balletmadgirl Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 My DD got a no 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad house Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 And mine Does anyone know How many people were invited back ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dance2013 Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 Mine got put on the waiting list, does anyone know how many they have on the list and what the chances are of her getting offered a place? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 Sorry to hear that Lildancer96, balletmadgirl and Mad house - I'm not sure how many get places out of finals but if I remember correctly they said that the dance course was the smallest out of al the courses so not many such as shame that people can't get training because of the such small intake Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dramascientist Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Dance2013 I think my DD will not be going to Tring or to the funding audition because we just cant get there due to the short notice between the results and funding audition. One place closer for your DD on the waiting list! Hope you have good news soon! Dramascientist Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afab Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 I'm really sorry about that Dramascientist... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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