Billyelliott

Thank you so much for sharing Kat09 - it’s so hard to listen to the realities of the vocational dance life and every experience shared helps us as parents to be prepared ....... even if we want them to live their dreams ........we have to keep our eyes and ears wide open!

DS has an audition for Birmingham !

We’ve also had an email saying they the school has some flooding and that they can’t be sure the school will operate normally on Sunday / Monday its usually the lower studio and the music rooms that are worst affected which worries me because the precious fiddle was left on the music room floor! Even though it’s a good case I’d be surprised if it is 100% floodproof...🙄

I had this problem and was also referred to NHS podiatry service quite fast and now have a splendid pair of orthotic insoles and all for free !

We have yet to hear if we even have an audition !! i keep refreshing his email but realistically I’m not expecting news till June

Birmingham - audition day 10 June can’t exactly remember when in May we applied ...probably the day before the deadline knowing my DS

We’re still waiting !

That’s just what I was wondering - or would it work If they transferred from another school doing the same a levels ?

I see for 6th form it’s year 13 they are particularly interested in !

It is if you have to make travel arrangements but fortunately he is only a short bus ride away!

Just had a ‘sorry to keep you waiting’ email with a promise that we will hear at least a week before the audition day!

No reply yet just an acknowledgment email !

We put up a tent in the garden and a lilo in the summer house a few times at the weekends and that seemed to help !

I was wondering what was wrong with the dates until I looked at the ones in Birmingham and realised they are all different so that they are manageable for us because they’re in September ! Although it will be difficult to promise to be available on eight occasions throuhout an entire year from July 18 through to September 19 when we don’t know exactly when that will be!! we did the Lord of the Flies a few years ago and it was well worth it !

You took the words out of my mouth! Dance and music exams ARE part of a well rounded education - why else would the government be funding children who are gifted via MDS and DADA schemes in both full time vocational and part time CAT schemes .....it is well recognised that even those who don’t go on to a career in the arts have an excellent base to continue to further education in many fields and music and dance are scientifically shown to enhance learning! I would love to see anyone show that time out of school for such exams and auditions are actually detrimental to any child’s educational progress. the only thing it might affect apart from our bank ballence are the schools statistics, which could easily be rectified if such exams were recognised universally as education off site!

Woodside Retreat is the only summer intensive my DS has ever insisted on returning to! Nicola is a super teacher and gave him not only great ballet instruction but boosted his self belief and determination! A holistic approach and lots of enjoyment too. He can’t wait to go back again in August - well worth attending these classes if you are in the Kent/Sussex area.

Thanks xx

Hope this is still the case CDR did it all work out ? Trying to decide if Elmhurst US counts as “non-advanced education” for my child benefit form that’s just popped through the door!

Sorry to hear that ... as we always say a no is really a not yet !

I thought I’d replied earlier but it’s gone missing.... It is impossible to calculate the odds but all I can say from my observations is that if they want someone enough in whatever year and there is funding available then they will find space!

And of course the number of MDS awards available (if you need funding) which again depends on the number giving theirs up ie leavers in current year 11 or leaving for other reasons!

I would think around 28 it’s a matter of how many beds they can find for the boarders so it will also depend on how many older children are staying or joining overall -so there is a little flexibility - for example this year the yr 11 boys are living in the 6th form block as there was room there this creating more space for those in lower years ...

Our post man has been as well and the postal version of the email Elmhurst letter has not come ... I suppose that means they were not ready in time for the post! we have one week to accept so you can expect some movement on waiting lists after a week as I’m sure several students have other offers to consider..... try to distract yourselves for the weekend it sounds like it will be Mondays post at the earliest....sorry to have gotten your hopes up for today! 😬

Summer schools can be a good way of looking at suitable upper schools for the future - especially if you choose a different one each year...it’s surprising how fast those 4 years go past and you are having to consider where next! Also although rest is extremely important some children just can’t bear the long summer holidays without some dancing and spending time with other dancers! My DS always wanted some kind of summer school experience as a birthday present .....

I think it’s because all the internal candidates ie those already in yr 11 Elmhurst have the choice of a face to face meeting to get their results and today was the last day of term! I'm sure the other results will be out very soon now - probably tommorow x