primrose

Oh dear poinyfeet, I am certain the teacher did not mean your dd was too big. She could have meant a lot of things. Its really hard to receive feed back like this. It is interesting that she was the right shape for associates but not the school.

I think RBS are looking for the full package both techinicaly and pysically for their style of training. It is the same with POB, Bolshoi, Vaganova and other big classical schools. Is this wrong? Does it push out other talented dancers? The dancing world is very, very selective and each genre has its own specifications. We all have a choice when our children audition for these schools, if they dont have at that time what the school is looking for then that is just the way it is. Dancing alongside many other sports is full of rejections. Sometimes our kids are actually not good enough for some establishments or companies. There will always be somebody better.

I must add this was when my daughter was at finals for year 7 and not upper school. She is now nearly 21 so some years ago.

I have to say that when my daughter auditioned for Elmhurst a few years back, they had to take their tops off or drop their leotards whilst I assume their spines were checked. I dont know if they still do this now.

For me I believe that ballet dancers do require a certain physique. A long torso, short neck and short legs just wont cut it for me. Ballet as we all know is very visual. I want to see a dancer who has the nice elegant neck and shoulder line, long legs, beautiful long arms, high arched feet. I also want to see a ballet dancer who can actually dance but also convey a story to the audience. I want to see the dancer show the love of their craft. However if I go to watch a Mathew Bourne production then I expect to see a different physique in his dancers. They tend to be more muscular (in a nice way). I love watching Mathew Bourne and his contemporary style of dance. Vocational schools are looking to train professional dancers. Purely classical schools do have to look at the physical requirements that elite ballet companies are looking for. If their students dont get jobs then they wont get funding. Other more rounded vocational schools can be more forgiving in their selection of students as not all styles of dance require a ballet physique. There are some fantastic associate schemes in this country, some as in RBS are purely classical. Others may offer other genres such as contempory, so in my opinion can include other body shapes. Associate schemes are looking to enhance the training of talented children who will benefit from their style of training. The likes of RBS can be very choosy as they have so many children wanting to train with them. They have an excellent reputation and offer wonderful training. It is always hard for children and parents when their child is not selected even though they have had many sucesses previously. However if you think its hard now wait until you get into the world of auditioning for jobs. Now that is brutal and often cruel. It would be wrong for schools to train a student who had no chance of getting work once the training was finished.

I do not believe that RBS over look children who do not have hyperflexity. I know several students in my daughters class who did not have sway back legs. RBS are looking for much more than this.

She attended the boarding school attatched to the school. She was also a RBS associate.

My daughter trained in Russia and I have to say the teachers were very kind. Their language makes them sound much harsher than they really are. They explain and work so hard with each student to get them to understand each move. They would often hug my daughter when she found things difficult. She enjoyed her training much better in Moscow than in England. Did you notice how supportive the children were of each other and my goodness they were super talented even at 11 years of age.

There is a saying that says You dont choose ballet, ballet chooses you. In other words if you are not born with the right body shape, musicality etc then professionaly ballet is not right for you.

What a refreshing idea.

Most children at vocational schools start pointe at 11 years of age, my daughter included with no problems.

Ballet4BOYZ, remind your son just how talented he is by being offered a final audition at WL especially if he isnt already a JA. Tell him to not think about Tring as there were so few funded places available. Onwards and upwards the cherry pie is still in the running.

There is life after dancing. My dd went all the way through vocational school from the age of 11. She then went off to the Bolshoi at 16 and did two years out in Moscow. Her dancing was unexpectantly cut short. She is now at a Russel Group university reading Russian and Czec languages and so far achieving firsts in her assignements.

Highly recommend young dancers academy. Their students get into excellent upper schools post 16 years.

I have spoken to my daughter this evening and it seems I have made a mistake in saying she was told to maintain a gap between her heels. Infact Royal and Bolshoi told her to keep her heels together, her other voc school told her to have a gap.

Children at Bolshoi and I think Vaganova are taught academics just the same as in English vocational schools. They also have to pass public exams. Great importance is placed on education in Russia.

It was when she was a RBS associate and then a private tutor who was a ballet mistress to BRB who first taught her to maintain a gap. This was also encouraged at the Bolshoi.

My daughter was told to maintain a gap between her heels. My daughters ability improved dramatically when she had a teacher who taught her how to work and improve her sway back legs. My daughter was always told that she had beautiful legs and feet, she was lucky in that they were also strong but did require a different approach to training.

May Park Primary School Eastville, Bristol Term Time and Fixed Term Contract Salary: £17633 - £19339 actual salary Start date: 11 April 2016 Job Ref: 624545 Application close date: 15 Februar. Sorry I know I am being boring and will now stop. Just making a point of what pay teaching assistants can expect.

This is the job description. Seems the candidate is required for academic support as well as evening pastrol support. 9DA www.royalballetschool.co.uk KLD/JTH/EG April 2015 Page 2 of 2 Safeguarding Duties and Responsibilities The School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. The following is expected of all staff:  to uphold the School’s policies relating to safeguarding & child protection, behaviour, Health & Safety and all other relevant policies  to promote and safeguard the welfare of children and young persons for whom you are responsible, and come into contact with  to ensure full compliance with all statutory regulations, in particular Keeping Children Safe in Education, (2015) communicating concerns to the Designated Safeguarding Lead, other relevant staff of The Royal Ballet School or local Children’s Services as appropriate. Main Duties (This list should be seen as illustrative of the responsibilities rather than prescriptive).  Ensuring The Royal Ballet School’s ‘Boarding Principles’ are effectively implemented in the day to day life of the House  Being a part of creating a structured, secure but enabling community in House where students can grow and flourish artistically, academically and as a human being  Delivering the procedures and policies required in the ‘Boarding Handbook’  Implementation of compliance checks for the House  Contributing to an effective trips & activities programme for students during boarding time  Being part of an effective, proactive and caring House team with student welfare at its’ heart  Care and support of boarders outside of the routine of the School day  Undertaking a day time role in support of the academic and broader life of the School that might include relevant administration, support of medical cover, mealtime registers and supervision, helping with special events etc. but will primarily be about delivering classroom- based assistance. Essential Criteria  Dance or Drama graduate with an interest in becoming a teacher or working in a related field  The ability to communicate clearly and effectively verbally and in writing  A positive outlook, good sense of humour and able to stay calm in a crisis  Good listener who can build effective relationships with students, staff and parents  Able to establish a strong rapport with students, assert authority when needed and maintain appropriate boundaries  Proactive in approach and able to seek advice and support in a timely fashion when appropriate  Able to cope effectively with high levels of stress from students and parents  Good administration skills and IT literate  Flexible attitude towards duties and working patterns in order to fulfill the requirements of the role  Empathy with the aims and ethos of the School  Professional but approachable demeanor  Full, clean driving licence preferred.

To be honest I have not looked at the job specification, if it is to support dance and drama only then post dance students would have experience and understanding of what these children go through every day.

This is the first job I came across for South Glos advertised on Eteach. Teaching Assistant (SEN) Temporary job New job Old Sodbury CE VC Primary School - Old Sodbury, South Gloucestershire Hours: 29 hours per week, term time only (Monday to Friday 9am3.15pm) Salary: Hay 9 (£13,578£15,377 per annum) This ... I promise I was not exagerating how much a teaching assistant is paid. However I do cover PPA, I do teach French, RE and Forest School. I do deliver maths, English, Social Skills and speech and language programmes every day. A lot of teaching assistants are aftually qualified teachers who choose this job for various reasons.

I work for South Glos as a TA and can say I recieve £11.50 per hour on a hay 9.I do get paid throughout all the school holidays. Those on a hay 8 are paid quite a bit more. When I lived in Cambridge a few years ago I was paid a similar amount. Alongfortheride you can check for jobs on ETeach. This is where most schools advertise posts in my area.

Minimum wage and excessive hours, I think RBS could do better than that. Sorry but if they want a qualified teaching assistant who can cover lessons and deliver quality education interventions then they should be offering a better wage packet.