Nana Lily

Thanks Stirrups! Yes it is, the review from 2009. I especially remember the comments by the "professionals" towards the end of the report. Thank you for finding. NL

Moneypenny, I have a number of friends in the same situation as yours. In fact we too would have been potentially the same, if DADA's had continued on the current system and I have two DD's at vocational school on MDS funding. I am going to make a comment (though often when I make a comment a thread then ends....but I'm not paranoid so here goes!!). The threshold of £50,000 came from a comment made at a meeting at one vocational school. Right now no one has any factual evidence of how the new scheme will work, what will be funded at what levels and who will benefit and who wont. All that said I really feel for those families with children applying for places to start in September 2013....such uncertainty is horrid and they will be searching for any little bit of evidence out there as to what will happen with funding for 2013. There was a report on DADA funding a couple of years ago. In that report it was suggesting that MDS would be extended to sixth form for classical ballet (aka the RBS), and establishments offering dance and MT courses would be under scrutiny as to their performance on getting children into employment. It was recommended that the number of DADA awards may not change, but that the schools receiving funding may change depending on their outcome measures. So the most successful school with employment may receive additional awards and those school with poor employment records would receive fewer places or non at all. I no longer have a copy of the report, but someone of the forum may have. Like everyone else on the forum, I am waiting with anticipation to see what happens. I am also looking out to the US and other European countries for sixth form training for my girls.....for our circumstances, they may be our only option. NL

Not that I am usually into conspiracy theories, but could be what the government is after? To delay vocational training to the age of 18, when some children may then decide to no follow a performance route? For quite a few of the MT courses now you have to be 18 anyway. However for dance students (especially ballet students) daily vocational training between 16 to 18 is surely essential?

Hi Rachaelballet 12! Sorry no one has replied to your post. A number of dancers from my DDs' old ballet school have been to the Northern Ballet Schools SS. They have really enjoyed it, found the level of teaching excellent and the programme varied. They do a show at the end of the week for family to watch in their theatre. A number of these dancers were or were about to start at vocational school the following September, so the standard was good. Can't comment on accommodation as they all commuted by train. If "Flowerdew" sees this post she will be able to give you more information. NL

I find it interesting that no one has mentioned HYPO-extended knees....those that stick out and no matter what you do they never look straight! I am sure that Dr Dance can add value to this discussion. NL

What a shame, just missed it!

Thanks Kathy,nothing on their twitter of facebook accounts yet, but will look out for that. NL

Thanks for posting the link, it took an age to down load, but finally got there and looking forward to watching it over the weekend. NL

Same with my elder DD, she likes Graze boxes, younger DD doesn't!! Horses for Courses!'!

Pepticstat (sorry if i have the name wrong), if your DD is at vocational school they usually have access to professional tutus?. Do speak with them, if they have suggested or are suggesting she enter this competition, they will have access to tutus. I did notice that when collecting my DD's (year 8 and 9) from vocational school at half term there were older girls leaving school with fabulous tutu's, they were entering the Molly Lake award, so do ask your DD's school, it may save time and trauma! X

We had the same issue with my eldest DD. When she was in key stage 1 it would take her an hour to eat two small squares of a sandwich. Over the years it has got better and there seemed to be an acceleration in speed of eating around 11, a few months before she went to vocational school. They all get there in the end "in their own time"! However on a family Sunday lunch my mother at 70 is still finishing of her main course when we have finished washing up and having a coffee, she was the same as a young girl apparently and that was during "rationing".... she or we just get on with things. We are all different aren't we? edited...forgot how to spell. as usual. x

Yes we have it on DVD, rather dark!

It's interesting of our children's perception of quality food. My DDs are at the same school as celeb and I hear similar wingeing of school food. However I recently he'd the opportunity to try it! Had to collect my younger DD as she wasn't well and as I arrived at tea time to collect her at the med centre. They had brought over a selection of the tea menu for those children in the 'sick bay'. I was also encourage to eat so I sampled want was on offer and the quality and taste of the food was very good, veg was not overlooked, chicken stir fry was good, sausages were tasty and not fatty and the salad was crisp and varied. whole meal rolls were fresh nd the selection of yogurts good. We did receive an email last term about nutritional value of 'tuck'. We need to reinforce our family values of food which are generally in line with school values. At the end of the day though the kids put into their mouths what they want to.......so we need to reinforce and take as much responsibility as the school. It is more difficult for those who can't get home each weekend, parental influence does wain if they are only coming home at exeat weekends. Also not all families have the same approach to nutrition and so there is also peer pressure. Keep up the god work celb, good sense will prevail, as you say your DD looks good and healthy!

Does anyone know how many student entered the compeition?

Bless you both C4D and big hugs. You can cherish every minute you have with her at home. You know from others here there are different routes to her dreams and she had the opportunity to try one of those, better to have had that chance. All the best. NL

Of course! As an August baby myself I should have remembered that!

The Molly Lake Award is now for ages 14 to 16. It used to be up to 18, so for this comp sixth forms not relevant. NL

This thread was about "hot ballet". No references to sex.

The degas leotards are beautiful, but do size up, they are tiny. If you contact then they will send you a few swatches of material and colours, very helpfull. Just to give you an idea of how small the leotards are, I ordered one for my then very tiny 10 year old, (she was 4' 7" and 4st 7 lbs) after spending £70 and having been back and forward with swatches, the age 10 was too small and it's never been worn. Didnt send it back as to ship back to the US was expensive. NL

If your child's vocation school accepts CCV'S and you pay full fees there is no issue, where it becomes more complex is if your child has an MDS award. CCV's as others have pointed out are for care outside normal school hours up to the age of 15. The schools publish fees for day and boarders. It's very transparent. Since the boarding aspect of the fees are minimal incomparison to the total fees, the amount of funding a child receives would generally be more than the fees for boarding. If the parental contribution is so great that the funding received from MDS was less than the fees for boarding, potentially CCV's could be used. However on the MDS forms you have to declare all salary sacrifice schemes you have or are participating in (yes including the one for bikes!) If you are a higher rate tax payer, under the revised conditions of the CCV'S scheme you will only benefit from the basic rate tax. If you were purchasing vouchers before the changes you are still eligible for higher rate benefits. It's easy to see why's some schools are reluctant to implement the scheme, since they will have to pay for the service for very little benefit for the majority of parents. That said of course very little helps!

Pointytoes, Simon Harper on Twitter says its at 14 minutes. Enjoy!

In some of the schools there is better availability of beds as you move up through the years, so a place offered in year 10 is not necessarily because someone has been assessed out. In my eldest daughter's year, when they moved into year 9 three extra girls arrived in September. We have seen other reasons for children leaving other than being assessed out. One girl left after a few weeks because she decided she didn't want to follow the vocational route, another left after a year as she didn't want to board. A different girl had moved to the Uk from abroad, then the family went abroad again. As theThirdMan says, children to get injuries and then don't continue with vocational training. That all said, there are very few places available for year 10 in any of the schools. NL

The Quays....its the 3rd year of the sixth form, so those students who will graduate in the summer of 2013. Sadly it really only was a small snippet, but here is the iplayer link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/bigscreen/tv/episode/b01ndxl7/ On after about 10 minutes regarding a hospital charity in Birmingham

See BBC 1 at 7.00 pm to see Robeert Parker and Upper School students from Elmhurst oon The One Show. NL

Toomuchtalent, you have to be resident in the UK for 3 years to be eligible for MDS. So if you are British living abroad and return to the UK you have to live here for 3 years before qualifying. MDS is available for all the UK, England, NI, Scotland and Wales