Anon2

Is your sister at vocational school in Wales? If at school in England she should be registered with GP local to school and therefore you can overcome this problem.

Hopefully one of the moderators will see your post soon and move it to Doing Dance so you get some advice. Long time since my children were that age but do know my Dd skipped primary exam. Does sound like your daughter being held back so I would be asking for an explanation. Often teachers busy between classes, sometimes better to email or call.

With the start of a new academic year I wish good luck to all those starting their vocational journeys and the returnees.

I didn’t know they run out unless you change employer and haven’t subscribed to the update service.

Students from RBS, Elmhurst and ENBS are routinely used by the companies to bolster the corps, taking class with the company and accompanying them on tour. But come audition time are suddenly ‘perceived as not company ready’. Or as was cynically explained to us by an ex BRB principal - graduate schemes are a good money maker for the company and they can use the students within the company hence giving them ‘experience’ and bolstering numbers on stage. The following year the students are back in the audition pool as there are another years worth of students who will take their places filling the short fall in the companies. They are expensive and we’ve encountered some students who’ve completed more than one grad scheme. Well done to all those grads, RBS et al, who have contracts for the coming year.

Can’t comment on this particular summer school but Dd attended a number of summer schools not knowing anyone both in UK and mainland Europe, she soon made friends. Is your Dd thinking of auditioning at Northern next year? If so attending the SS will give her a feel for the place but be aware classes may not be taught by regular staff.

Where she is living may make some classes easier than others. Multiple tube changes can get tiresome especially late in the evening.

Don’t all artistic directors tell prospective students and parents they treat the ‘dancers as individuals’? Once they’ve hooked you the reality is ‘you have to fit in’

We are not permitted to discuss this school on the forum.

Notice that Royal Ballet School has 3 short courses in Northern Ireland. Dates all in next academic year, didn’t notice closing date.

To add to my earlier comments don’t assume that the house staff will have communicated with the dance or academic staff that your Dd is have problems in house/socially. At the parent/teacher consultations at the end of my Dd first year I was horrified to discover (as were the two members of teaching staff) that they hadn’t been informed of what was happening in house. This was a good year before I escalated problems to the principal.

Sorry to hear your Dd is having issues. It is such a worry being at home feeling helpless, it dominated our lives for years and yet Dd refused to give up. I involved house parents and then the head of pastoral care with no success. Their reasons given for my Dd struggling included her being ‘from a stable family’ to ‘being more mature than her year group’. I eventually escalated the problems to the school principal and we had a group meeting including house parents, head of pastoral care. A number of truths came out at the meeting about who in house was instigating the behaviour towards my Dd as house parents were aware but not actively doing anything about it. Dd was given a mentor in year above and this helped tremendously. As did a written plan of action from the principal which highlighted what the house staff should and shouldn’t be doing rather than their empty promises. All the best for improving conditions for your Dd.

@Minoblade having read your posts on both threads I wonder if Emma Northmore can give an honest assessment of your Ds strengths and what would suit him best for sixth form. The audition rounds start very early in year 11 and you need to go into it with as much knowledge as possible as it’s such a difficult year. Is your son doing any summer schools this year to get a feel of the competition and a differing schools opinion?

Last year once the temperatures hit the mid 30s the climate control on the neonatal unit I work on stopped working so with the heat from the equipment the room temp rose quickly into the 40s. The investigation found the cooling unit on the roof couldn’t cope with the heat and it was suggested that in future if temps rise to same levels cooling unit will need to be sprayed with water. Imagine some hotels will use similar units.

Supposed to be 31 C where we’re heading today. Air conditioning common in cars but not homes in UK. Last year heat was relentless but summer has taken a while to arrive this year.

I know this not helpful to discussion but when my Dd was learning either grade 1 or 2 the teacher commented on how she had perfected one of the exercises by the second lesson to what she considered exam standard. She asked where she’d been practising - in the garden in her wellies!

I think Lin because she was entered by YBA (ie her mother) not her vocational school. Her coaching for the comp will have been privately arranged and nothing to do with school. The school enters pupils into only a few comps, Phyllis Bedells being one and will coach for those that decide to take part.

Expose as much as possible between now and the exam. She must know the exam work inside out so just run through the exercises in bare feet or flats until fully healed. She won’t do herself any favours trying to do work in shoes that are hurting her. Once healed dab her feet with surgical spirit to dry and harden skin. I’d bind each toe separately with micropore to stop future problems. Available in different widths in Boots but easy to rip to width. My new work shoes rubbed my little toes raw and I managed to wrap micropore round my little toes. Few months in still doing it as don’t trust shoes not to rub and shifts are 12.5 hrs long so can’t hobble around! My feet are tiny, size 2 and I manage to dress little toes with micropore. Also show feet to teacher and ask if they have any ideas or tricks. Edited to add - micropore wrapping every toe advice given to Dd when she used to see the BRB podiatrist

I have a hedgehog feeding station ( underbed plastic storage box with a small entrance cut in one end, food gets put at far end out of reach of cats and other predators, base lined with newspaper as they are messy things) and I’ve been wondering what they’ve been up to the last few days as the newspaper has been pulled out and shredded over garden. Turns out the magpies are to blame, a couple of them are working together to use the newspaper to drag the bowl towards the entrance so they can easily reach it. Lot of effort for a few crumbs of food especially as they are doing this feet from the bird feeders.

Do you have contact details of any other parents who could pass a message for you?

And I found the cause of my problems but not resolved. Where I work introduced new WiFi a few months ago which was initially fantastic as had no mobile signal but it typical NHS style have added various blocks to increasing number of websites - so my problems are not unique. Email from IT on Monday explaining the problems and how increasing numbers of us can no longer access WiFi from our mobile devices and the problems it’s causing and they are working to resolve it.

Did wonder but how do you check? Couldn’t even access my GMail and never log out.

I’ve just had the same with my gmail account and I’ve no idea why but unlike you mine is just a social account so no work deadlines looming.

I thought the DaDA/Student finance rule had stood for years. Trying to get them to confirm one way or the other is impossible.

I’m very cynical about it, I would love to be proved wrong but hope anyone looking at it does so with their eyes wide open.