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I agree wholeheartedly with you cristalle. You do get a "feeling" as the school my dd chose was the one on paper we favoured least! Go and see/audition for them all.

DD auditioned today and was told that results should be out by Thursday this week! Blimey that's quick! Good luck to all nervously awaiting the results.

Just checked. You can rent it from Lovefilm if you have an account.

Suzyszoo. I think what I was trying to say was that the system stinks and particularly in this transition year no one is quite sure how DADAs work or quite how they are awarded. Both initial offers of DaDa funding were made before income declaration but one specific Dada audition was undertaken knowing very broad financial circumstances. Even though we have been offered one and accepted a DaDa there are still further hoops to jump through and things will not be confirmed for several months yet. We are just the guinea pigs. However I do know that some who were over the threshold were asked to attend DaDa auditions anyway. maybe there are hidden pots of money within the schools who knows. Perhaps this muddy pool may clear slightly once a full cycle of this new system has occurred. One thing is for sure it's stressful however you are or are not funded!

Congrats to you Discouraged, or I should now call you Encouraged as I see you are now called. We all go through the ups and downs of auditions etc and hopefully come out the other side still smiling. Really pleased for you both.

We were charged £25 to sign a form. The doctor did not ask to see DD and just wrote that she never attends surgery so must be fit enough! If I did this in my own professional life I would be struck off and have no clients! For your £100 + you could almost get one of those full body screenings privately! This highway robbery may be easier to swallow if I thought the fees paid were going back into the NHS to help those in need but I suspect it will be just to line the pockets of the medical practices!

Tutudesigner have you seen and signed the petition that is linked earlier on in this thread? Perhaps you could point your MP in its direction too. With pressure we may at least get a hearing. I am thrilled that your DD is considered talented enough to be awarded a DADA and then as you,horrified that it will not be of help. She should be proud of herself but I know this is of little comfort if she is not able to take up the place offered. It is a real shame. You both have my sympathy.

Just checked the link and by coincidence the sale of this was ending. You will never guess but it was unsold!! Nice try though. Tomorrow I shall be selling used pink ballet tights now a sort of greige colour for only £50 a pair!, Please feel free to DM me if you want to buy a pair!! LoL

Thank you everyone for your lovely support and comments. DD is happy and has now made her choice and hopefully her so called friend will get a place somewhere she is happy with too and can be happy in herself and then maybe for others in turn. Good luck to everyone with difficult choices to make over the coming weeks. Just to be offered a place at all is a major achievement.

Congrats Dancers Driver. It's lovely to have such a great choice but its a very difficult decision, so many different things to take into account and then there's the financial side of it too. Good luck deciding.

As you know not many of us on this forum are fans of this new DADA system and if you look back through my posts on this subject you will see that I am passionate that these should be awarded on merit not ability to pay. I still stand by this. My DD has been offered 2 DADAs one offered before our income was declared and the second afterwards. Naturally she is delighted. However one of her very close friends is also on the audition trail this year( no idea how she is doing or where she has applied) and word got out that DD had had 2 DaDa offers ( DD would never volunteer such info as she is very modest) Anyway this good friend turned to her and said that its only because you are poorer than me that you have got a DADA and I haven't . Appart from the fact that a close friend should not be so unsupportive /mean to my DD, it does leave the whole system open to this sort of comment. Last year she could have definitely held her head up high and know it was awarded on merit, but this year it is much less obvious either to us or to others it could be on merit but it could be that we fit into one of the income brackets. There is no solution to this I suppose other than perhaps changing this friend. Sorry rant over, but this new system is very flawed.

Back from the ballet run, and have found it: Registration Fees Registration fees could act as a barrier to students from low income families. Previously students who were offered an Award were not charged a registration fee. From 2013/14, as a condition of the DaDA, students who apply for an Award must not be charged a registration fee. Neither should providers charge potential DaDA students to hold a place. However, recognising that 2013/14 is the first year of the new DaDA arrangements, schools are permitted to use their discretion when determining their registration fees policy for the 2013 intake only – i.e. whether their criteria to ‘not charge’ is for applicants who “apply for” or who are “offered” Awards. Where a school chooses to charge a registration fee, they must refund any fees paid when a student accepts a DaDA. This is from http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/d/dada%20qa%202013-14%20-%20final.pdf Hope this helps, not sure it's totally clear cut though.

Hi my dd has been offered a DaDa for the coming year for 6th form at Tring. On balance I think this is where she will accept. We are on the list for a DaDa at Northern too but for my DD its the A levels that swing it in favour at Tring. We too are self employed and are trying desperately to sort out P60 s for the year end so that waiting game is still with us too. Dancer's Driver I thought I read somewhere that they are not permitted to ask for a deposit for DaDas as it may be a barrier to the less well off. Check the governments DaDa terms. Off out on ballet run now but DM me if you can't find the link through and I will try and find it later.

Optimistic is the word! Check out the prices of some of their other items on e-bay, second hand long johns for that price ? I think I'll pass. Do let us know if any of you decide to buy it!

The fee charged this year was described as an admin fee rather than as an audition fee! That gives them the leeway not to audition everyone! Not sure if that was the case though.

Keep up the good work Jaylou62. Your commitment to this does you credit. It may be too late for those of us still awaiting results for this year but hopefully those who are coming through in years to come may benefit. Just a thought have you contacted Dance UK who are supposed to support dancers and be advocates for them? Good luck and I will continue to garner support for the petition. Thanks x

Don't be disheartened Maria as there seem to be very few parts for the younger ones and it can be a lot of hanging around for not much stage/dancing time which can be hard for them. She could try again next year and you never know what will happen- don't give up. Most DCs get disappointments along the way it's just part of the ride we're all on. Good luck to her.

If you want retail therapy the avoid Aylesbury it's not great for that. You are not far from Whipsnade Zoo or Woburn Safari Park if that tickles your fancy! If you were on your own Champneys is very close for a day of spoiling yourself but not really the budget option!

Fascinating article. I'm under no illusions about how hard a career in ballet is and this just reinforces that. Thanks for posting Discouraged.

Was following this at work with interest. Glad it worked out so well and wasn't a double glazing circular or something equally mundane! Congrats to you and your DD.

Err not sure Website says the following: "Young Associates - entry class for children who are 8 years old and have gained Distinction in Grade 1/Standard 2 Junior - a good pass in either Grade 2 or Standard 2 or above in classical ballet. Senior - a good pass in Grade 4 or Standard 4" It doesn't specify that it has to be cecchetti whereas it does for scholars. You could try one of the contacts and ask.

Hi This is quite a competitive scheme. I hopefully have attached a link to it. http://www.cecchetti.co.uk/youngdancers/associates/index.php This scheme runs roughly once a month at Rambert Ballet School.There is a ballet lesson followed by another dance class which varies in style and is taught by visiting teachers. There is also a scholars scheme which is even more selective and this runs weekly at Arts Ed in Chiswick. Both are entry by audition.No idea what they look for sorry. Cecchetti are known for their port de bras. RAD developed from cecchetti method. It is a syllabus followed worldwide is all I sketchily know about it. Hope this helps.

I'm sad I can't go due to work and dance commitments. It sounds like a wonderful showcase and DD would love it. Good luck with your stand Just Ballet.

It's enough to make ones head explode!!

It would appear so. It will be a complete nightmare for both parents and providers......how thrilled are we to be the guinea pig year!