meadowblythe

Regarding Hammond, my understanding is that the assessment situation is now akin to Tring: although you may not be asked to leave, MDS funding can be withdrawn. Dance teaching at Hammond is wider than at other schools - they have students who choose to specialise in jazz, tap, musical theatre as well as ballet. An indication of this is the detailed assessments cover ballet, jazz, tap and singing - students are graded on each, and open class covers all 3 dance disciplines. MDS pays for one set of peripatetic lessons, the residue can be put towards a second set (so the parent makes a reduced contribution for a second instrument) but if starting higher up the school, parents are advised to consider carefully whether this is appropriate. Boys boarding is similar to the girls - the buildings are not as smart as you will see as other vocational schools but the staff are genuinely caring and provide a relaxed and homely atmosphere. Many students like the fact they are not on site - they get to "go home", and change out of their uniform. Being in a central position pays dividends at the weekend when the older ones can walk to town, the park, the swimming pool etc in small groups.

Last year the Hammond letters for older students arrived on the last day of term so hopefully not to much longer now ....

Not entirely related but the school I work in is encouraging students to consider studying abroad - generous funding is available from many US universities, and we recently discovered the tuition fees in the Netherlands are only 1000 euros per year - and all lectures are in English. One student is applying to the Sorbonne as a backup to Cambridge. Additional help is also available from the Dutch government if you are working 5 hours per week. Maybe the same is true for ballet? Meadowblythe

This is an interesting thread particularly with the uncertainty over post 16 funding - as I understand it this is the last year of the DaDa scheme .. Has anyone any experience of training either in Paris or Germany - I know of one Elmhurst student who went to Germany for 6.3 but would be very interested to hear more. Anyone any knowledge of gap year type schemes, including more far flung places? And how would this fit in with applications to British dance schools on the student's return? Meadowblythe

Does anyone know if all students being offered a place on a CAT scheme get MDS funding? Or is it just some? My DD is actually applying for places on music CAT schemes but I have yet to find the equivalent to this forum in the music world! Meadowblythe edited to add MDS

Agree with Regattah - the academics are fantastic and show my DS's previous school in a very poor light. Also the care on the boarding. I was particularly impressed watching each child being individually greeted and asked about their day as they returned to the house of an evening. I think the fact that there is a range of specialities reduces some of the tension as they can appreciate each others qualities without being in such direct "competition" (for want of a better word) with everyone else in the year. I think there is a little flexibility regarding dance: as with all things the awesome Janet Starmer is the person to ask, but I think there are non dancers taking class with the dancers to a greater or lesser extent. Of course, as far as I know (and I stand to be corrected by more experienced Hammondites) the school production thing works both ways - there are specialist drama productions as well as specialist dance.

We were told only years 7 and 8 go back for funding finals on 19th March. All years 9 and 10 places will receive letter today confirming if they have been offered a school place and then have to wait until end of March to be told if there are any Mds places remaining plus of course bursury offers. This is certainly how it worked last year (regarding funding) although we had to wait for our letter to know about a place. But keep in touch with Janet Starmer, she is very helpful and understanding. Meadowblythe

Elmhurst too. I think the situation is slightly different at Tring and Hammond, others would be able to offer better advice.

Likewise - as you may have guessed, being assessed out was, for my son, definitely a new beginning rather than an end. It's not an experience any of us would chose to have, but having got it, please do make use of us! meadowblythe

Three that spring to mind: Chance to meet a wide range of students - from different schools, those not in vocational training, different stages of training Chance to dance with different teachers - what may not make sense with one teacher may with another, and different teachers stress different things Chance to experience different dance styles outside the curriculum of the vocational school However, don't forget you will need the vocational school's agreement for the student to attend. Meadowblythe

This struck a chord with me as we, for year 7, were in the fortunate position of having a choice of schools offering an MDS. We chose the more prestigious school, despite a gut instinct we should have chosen another. We lived to regret the decision every day for the next three years. My DS is now at a different school altogether, and although it may be regarded as less prestigious, he has never been happier, and his dancing has never been better. He feels he gets the attention that he needs and the style of teaching certainly seems to suit him. They are also a very nice bunch of students to be around and so he is not dealing with social issues that tended to get in the way of any dancing progress he may have made. So although I absolutely take your point about the CV needing to look good I would suggest a well trained, happy and confident dancer may well shine more than an unhappy, poorly motivated student from a more prestigious school. As with all things, your mileage may vary ..... meadowblythe

I waded through the report at one point - from what I recall (and I am willing to be corrected) as far as Hammond, Tring,Elmhurst were concerned, the suggestion was that they should follow the RBS model and use MDS funding for 6th form as well as lower school. I think the other model they liked was the Central model, and the schools in the Conservatoire were heading in that direction (foundation degrees from 16, funding as per a degree). As my DS, and possibly my elder DS (studying production arts), will hopefully be looking for funding next year it is a subject dear to my heart ... The report is much wider than just ballet - it focussed on the inconsistencies in some strands (musical theatre springs to mind) and also discussed at length the likely destination of recipients of funding. One phrase which sticks in my mind is that Cruise Ships are the new Rep. Theatre! I did read this a few months ago. My recall is not perfect at the best of times, so I may not be correct in all details ... meadowblythe

DS auditioned for Y10 at both Hammond and Tring last year. Rachel Rist specifically said she was looking for the solo piece to show enthusiasm, passion, and personality. I personally think that its personality more than anything else that they are looking to see. Yes, all dancers need to be versatile and if your daughter(s) are comfortable doing a dance if a different genre to ballet then great, but no point doing a tap solo or street dance and looking miserable and nervous .... My son choreographed his own piece, so it wasn't technically brilliant but it did show off what he perceived to be his strong points (flexibility, acting ability) and apparently it seemed to go well. I wouldn't like to pin a style label on it. I think its personality that needs to stand out more than the dance style - certainly at Hammond every part of the day was marked, and it was the overall score that counted rather than one individual bit. Happy to answer any questions meadowblythe

could someone post a link to where it describes the levels, course content etc? All I can see is the links to the dates. I have already started alluding to my long standing desire to visit this part of Wales. Of course any courses running would be purely incidental

Thank you for highlighting this school - I hadn't heard of before, but having another non dancing son who hopes to study production arts it's an interesting option! Do you happen to know what the entrance arrangements and funding arrangements are for English students? Meadowblythe

Many thanks for the useful and insightful comments. We were particularly interested in the Central Summer School programme - does any one have any experience of this? We've not done the London summer schools before but have realised that having a MIL in commuting distance of London does have its advantages!

Looking for advice regarding how to choose which summer school to attend .. DS is now (gulp) in year 10 - thoroughly enjoying his new school, but obviously we're all keenly aware we are only a year away from having to go through the dreaded audition rounds again. With this in mind, is it worth focussing on summer schools (it is only going to be 1, premium bond win not withstanding) where he may apply for 6th form, or are the two so separate the experience could be, at worst, misleading? And within these establishments, would it be better to go for the aspirational choice or to take a more pragmatic route? What should the main considerations be when picking a summer school? Your advice, as ever, much appreciated. Meadowblythe