Farawaydancer

On 23/03/2024 at 09:06, Lissieloo said:

Nothing here either. I'm presuming there will be no staff in for the next three weeks with it being Easter so I'm not expecting to hear anything for a while now. It's proving to be a good lesson in learning patience. Although I'm proving to be a poor student! 

Admin staff at least are still in this week. 

You don’t have to leave your local school, but CAT programmes do generally expect you to prioritise their classes ahead of other ones if there’s a clash. 

8 hours ago, BalletChild said:

An old thread but felt I should update it as I did read this and wasn't sure my DD should go for it.

 

I believe the company had hired a nice venue for auditions to accommodate more dancers and my daughter really enjoyed the audition.

 

She also said the town was nice, with lots of outdoor cafes etc.  They stayed in an Airbnb v near the centre. 

 

Haven't been there myself but she had quite a different experience.

DS went too and also thought the town was lovely. 

Yes, £130 cash for us, and a long appointment to fill in the form.  GPs can set their own prices for private work. Some charge, some don’t. 

Both of my dc received mds from y7. 

Pineapple do one I think, it’s usually around the end of July. 

There’s always movement on the waiting lists. 
 

Your dd will be joining my dd’s year group from lower school (although she’s not actually staying), she’d have a lovely time if she does decide to choose Hammond, there are some fabulous kids in it. Well done her. 

1 hour ago, margarite said:

It depends. My daughter’s year 7 started off with 19 (18 dancers and one theatre arts) - by year 11 there were around 26-28 pupils in her year - still around 18 dancers, the rest theatre arts. I think the current year 7/8 are quite small - around 15 children?  I guess numbers depend on the amount of families each year who can afford to pay full fees once the MDS spots are taken.

This has been the pattern in my dd’s year group too. 

1 hour ago, lorna1 said:

I think that's good news! Fingers crossed! I'm stuck now as to whether or not to pay the £160 deposit, because if she doesnt get the mds my girl can't go. So could do with knowing about the funding before I accept the place 🤔 

When dd was auditioning we had to pay the deposit before they would send us details and add us to the list for the mds/funding audition, but they’re not doing that audition any longer, yet still requesting the ‘deposit’?

My younger girl Young Dancer didn’t make finals either time she applied for Elmhurst but got/had an MDS elsewhere.  
 

However my boy Young Dancer did end up at Elmhurst and I think all but one of his class had been Young Dancers and/or JAs.  

We found this tricky to negotiate, mainly because the CAT programme ran on days when she’d usually be having lessons at her ‘home’ school. But ultimately her teacher understood that she needed things that her school couldn’t provide. 

2 minutes ago, taxi4ballet said:

There's one big difference though, isn't there?

Students at vocational school can be afraid to speak up because they are scared stiff of losing their place at the school and having to kiss goodbye to any chance of a career. Having the courage to complain about a teacher at a vocational school is a whole different kettle of fish compared with complaining about one at the local comprehensive.

I agree, really difficult to do. But not impossible to do, and without it nothing will change. In our case, there was no way I was sacrificing my ds’s mental health for a school place and possible future career. 
 

But the point I was making was that it’s naive to think this is an issue that only affects our vocational students. Cruel and inappropriate people are in positions of power throughout our lives, in schools, workplaces, churches, sports clubs…and they need dealing with. 

I do think it’s important to remember too, that bullying, abuse, inappropriate comments, disregard for mental health etc. all happen in every school across the country. This is not limited in any way to vocational schools (although the higher rate of eating disorders is different)  I work in ‘normal’ mainstream schools and I hear these complaints from parents and students far too often. The difference is that the parents and students speak up, it’s not a secret to be hidden. The number of teachers removed from teaching for misconduct is staggering, and the records are public.  It of course doesn’t make it in any way ok or something to be normalised, but it really isn’t just a dance specific issue (or sport, or other vocational route). 

38 minutes ago, Kerfuffle said:

It’s awkward making complaints about specific teachers, we had this experience at a regular primary school too. It takes a lot of courage. 

My ds attended one of the schools in the programme for eight years and experienced bullying behaviour from a teacher in his second year there. The teacher didn’t believe ds should be there, that he wasn’t good enough, and would never have a career in dance, and made classes completely miserable for him and excluded him for example, from the choreography for the summer show . However, we addressed it with the school quite robustly, recorded concerns in emails (so they know we had ‘evidence’ of concerns raised) had meetings etc, and school dealt with it entirely appropriately and changes were made.  This included us (and other supportive staff in senior management) challenging the teacher’s notion that, “This is just the industry he’s in.” He was firmly reminded that he was a 12 year old at school, and not a professional, and that it wouldn’t be ok to treat a professional in that way either!  DS stayed, very happily and successfully, for another six years, with no negative consequences from other staff. There is nothing to be gained for us going to the press or lawyers, because we asked the school to make changes and they did, and that’s all that we wanted. The teacher concerned was sidelined and then left entirely a number of years ago. Ds was cared for exceptionally well in the rest of the time he was there. They also provided mental health support over the years, as and when needed. 
 

Dd is also at a different school and the same thing there when dealing with staff - neither school has been defensive when I’ve asked them to address issues, they’ve just got on and done it. 
 

I suppose what I’m saying is that if a parent/child has an issue then bring it up with the school and keep written records so that you can hold them to account when they say they will do things. They can’t deal with it if they don’t know about it. 

1 hour ago, Lifeafterballet said:

Ofsted should interview pupils and parents who have left a school. 

Parents can complete an OFSTED Parentview questionnaire at any time, they don’t need to wait until it’s being inspected. 

1 hour ago, LyndseyJ said:

 

a quick question, do all the pupils at the Hammond have Saturday classes? 

My DD have just applied and got our audition in Jan. 

 

Yes they do. 

3 minutes ago, margarite said:

My DD attended Hammond Lower school from year 7 and really enjoyed weekends. The benefit of having the boarding houses within walking distance of Chester city centre was great - with shops, cafes and the lovely surroundings within easy reach. HPs escorted younger years and year 9 and upwards could go by themselves when they wanted. There was also swimming, cinema trips plus outings to the beach. Things weren’t so great during the Covid years, but picked up again and they have activities and trips every weekend. Hammond also has Saturday school until 12.30’ so there isn’t much time to get bored. I also think because students live away from the school site, weekends feel different and more of a change than if they were still seeing classrooms and studios during their downtime! 

Agree with all of this. It’s a very different (more positive) experience than the ‘self-contained’ school sites. 

11 hours ago, Ruby Foo said:

I think an attitude of ‘ I’ve no idea how to sing but I’m going to give it my very best shot’ and performing with a sense of fearlessness and confidence counts for a lot. It probably counts for more than having a magnificent voice because having a fearless and ‘ I’m happy to come out of my comfort zone once in a while’ is a wonderful transferable trait that is immensely helpful in the dance world where adapting to new styles, choreography, ideas, teaching styles is all important. 

This is exactly what they’re looking for. My dd was very much NOT a singer when she auditioned, but she used a song she knew very well and was confident and had a go, and that’s all they want to see. 

I’m not sure, I think not wanting to ‘fail’ is a valid reason for avoiding something, especially in an industry where they would be told over and over in auditions that they’ve ‘failed’. Maybe they’ve just decided that dealing with the constant rejection isn’t for them. 
 

I’ve got one dc who has the resilience/temperament to deal with it and another dc who has decided she’d rather try something else where she’s constantly being compared to other people. I’ve absolutely left them to make their own decisions about it, and just made it clear that I’ll support whatever path they choose. 

My dd is currently there. 
 

1. Only regret is that the school’s lack of organisation drives me mad, but other than that dd is so very happy there that we’ve never regretted it. 
 

2. Dd is also very academic and has had excellent support and teaching, is on track to achieve the highest grades. 
 

3. MT is the plan for many Hammond students and the broad dance curriculum supports those aims well. In y10&11 they can choose either a ‘classical/contemporary’ or ‘MT/jazz/commercial’ route, to support them applying to appropriate schools. It’s the upper school destination that is the really crucial part when it comes to careers. 

16 minutes ago, bridiem said:

 

I simply don't understand how this article and the experiences described in this thread, some of which are quite recent, are in any way reconcilable.

Because none of it is changing what happens in the room with the teacher. I sit in lessons in mainstream schools on a daily basis and regularly see teachers who just don’t think the policies of the school apply to them. If I see anything inappropriate I report it to senior management before I leave the school, and on some occasions I’ve left the classroom immediately to find someone to deal with it. I’d love to know whether any other adults ‘in the room’ in ballet classes ever do the same, I’m thinking of the pianists in particular, who could support the students’ accounts of what is happening. 

30 minutes ago, Swanwings said:

Thank you for your reply @Peanut68 and I understand where you are coming from, but really, my daughter is well aware of what can go on and she has never experienced or witnessed anything at her school, which is vocational.  They are extremely careful over body image and that the students eat well, they have really taken the best care of her and her peers. I know this is not everyones experience at other institutions, but it is certainly hers. 

This is my dd’s experience too. 

Our experience of Elmhurst is that the teaching was excellent, although some students get on better with certain teachers than other ones, and progress was in line with their peers elsewhere. Upper school offers for DC’s class were again consistent with their peers in other schools. 

Regarding performance opportunities, it really only is a tiny number of students at any of the schools who get to perform with professional companies. This wasn’t even a consideration when I was choosing schools. We chose based on “will they be happy here” because no child will make progress unless the environment is supportive and right for them. 

5 hours ago, Peanut68 said:

A shoot out for Hammond - certainly provided a great all round education for academics, all forms of dance & music & drama experience also through whole school musical theatre productions & very slick annual Xmas Carol concert. I know there have been lots of changes to courses/staff & to boarding (big improvements there I imagine!). I felt it had the benefits of ‘normal school’ too as they did trips like normal schools (one to Conway with coast steering eyc) & another to include war graves in France 

I think the more defined courses now can only be a good thing. 
Hammond Shows were all incredibly high standard, great content & by far the best I saw from any vocational school/college. 
In our day I did feel some members of staff & classical requirements were not rated or given the priorities as they should’ve been…. Again, this may have been improved.

But I do think it was a great place for our early school years  with lots of varied performance  experience & exams across genres which may well be beneficial down the line for any move into teaching/UCAS points for uni etc. 

Also, city centre proximity was also good giving a ‘normal’ weekend of going into town shopping/swimming etc with friends…..

And they have MDS & possibly bursary funding too.

Good luck! 

Completely agree with all of this, and the new classical or MT elective routes in years 10&11 seem to have been a success, in terms of providing more ballet for those who want it.