Anon2

Are you asking about summer school or a full time place? Applications for both are closed for this year or have you already applied? Both are highly selective and out of the vast numbers that apply only a handful get selected. If it is summer school you are thinking about then possibly depending on his DOB your son might be of an age for the Covent Garden course next year. Someone will correct me if I'm wrong but I believe that is from 15. For entry into the school as a full time pupil the applications open n the Autumn term and the first round of auditions is January with finals/recalls in February. It would be unusual to get into year 11 as a UK student because of disruption to academic studies but have known of them taking overseas pupils into this year (age 15/16). From 16 you are looking at upper school based in Covent Garden.

I'm not knowledgable about these books but have you looked at Wordery? We buy lots of books of differing genre and recently they have been cheapest with free delivery.

We know of girls that have got in to both years 9 and 10 at WL from the auditions. It does happen. And whatever the outcome enjoy the day - your dc has done well to get a recall.

Sad news indeed. Condolences to his family. RIP

We've had Merlet Diva from the three shops mentioned. I'll ask next time I'm getting more shoes but out of interest does anyone know if any of them stock any of the other Merlet styles?

I've noticed on the Move dance wear site they have a range of Merlet pointe shoes. I don't know if any have a short vamp or even where you can go to try them. DD a big fan of Merlet Diva and so am I as they last a few weeks. When dd had problems with her shoes she emailed the company and they were very helpful so might be worth asking their advice regarding vamp. We did have a special order of Grishko with a slightly longer vamp, 5mm I think. I'm sure it cost about £10/15 extra and dd didn't like them when she tried them on! So another pair added to the collection in her wardrobe, unworn.

At least your solar panels are clean now Melody! We were told the best and safest way to keep them clean was a good snow fall on them that will slide off with dust and debris, rain just doesn't do it. Ours have been up for 4 years and we haven't had a decent snow fall in that time so might have to pay to have them cleaned this spring.

I am hoping I'm wrong but I have the same reservations as Alison. It is so easy for someone to find out so much about you if you are active on social media. And as I've found you don't need to be a computer whizz to do so. When you are talking to someone on line you can't read them as you can when meeting face to face. Go slowly and carefully Lisa.

Your dd needs to apply for a DaDA school, be accepted and offered a DaDA funded place. Whatever the fees are you will pay the student/parental contribution for your income and the DaDA makes up the rest. With an income of £70,000 you will not get any help towards maintaince cr boarding so will have to find this yourself on top of your contribution towards fees, unless you are lucky enough to live a stones throw from the school. If you search the other threads you will see that DaDA funding requirements have changed twice over the last three years. Hopefully there won't be any further changes but who knows.

Hope you are warm and safe Melody. Our relatives have resigned themselves to a weekend of snow clearing from the drive in the hope life is back to normal for Monday. This panda is obviously enjoying the weather. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-35392623

Camden market to Euston walkable.

Harwel looking through the audition requirements possibly 80% were stating minimum age 20 and/or 2 years post graduate experience. It made us think even more about all of this especially as most European schools only have a 2 year training so their pupils will be looking for jobs aged 18 where as most of ours will be 19.

Another benefit of the Northern course must also be the students are nearer 20 when they finish which seems to be a prerequisite of some of the company auditions we have seen. Do the students get much opportunity to do PDD?

Details on Elmhurst website of a boy's dance day.

Dd used micropore. The squares are not very big - 2.5cm square. Don't think our pot has been touched for ages as dd worked out her problem areas and hardened them with spirit.

Dd was given them by school medical when had bruised toe nails. Don't know if they worked any better than a gel tip protector. We topped up from Amazon. Mostly seem to be used by runners.

Stirrups I regularly get the question 'what does she want to do when she leaves school?' from friends, relatives and colleagues. As dd is in her second year of sixth form and has been at vocational school since 11 I'm sort of hoping there might be a clue there. Edited to add one of my work colleagues asked even though she is starring the musical theatre round this year with her own daughter.

https://uk-offers.timeout.com/deals/entertainment-rhapsody-the-two-pigeons-january-2016 Time Out offer for tickets. .

Tulip, we had noticed the two or three years experience required by some companies before they will consider you for audition and also with some the minimum age of 20. It is a worry. Would you be happy to share details about the Northern Graduate scheme? For example numbers in class, ratio of boys to girls and opportunities to do PDD, hours of teaching and styles?

Saddened and shocked by this news. My thoughts are with his family and friends. Lazarus all the more poignant this morning.

Ah I think that is the one ds did with his martial art. Need to investigate to find him a new group as he enjoyed it and would spend hours in the garden practising - luckily we are not overlooked.

Sad news indeed. Condolences to his family and friends. I listened to Junior Choice on Christmas morning which was a live broadcast and he sounded as bubbly as ever. RIP Stewpot.

Colman I'm being nosey and I hope you don't mind me asking but swordsmanship? Do you fence or re-enact or is it something else?

On the question of the auditions cost for vocational school you have to appreciate that there may be four or five members of dancing staff on the panel plus a ballet teacher leading the class. So on each audition day the school has to juggle around their current pupils who often have guest teachers as their own teacher is sat on the panel - someone has to pay for that. If they make it to finals and have a physio assessment the physios time needs paying for. Pupils at the schools have medical insurance to cover any physio they may require it is not included in the fees. Now why some schools have such high fees for summer school applications I cannot understand, a few staff looking through the photos can't take more than a day.

Thanks Pictures that confirmed what I hoped and believed. Mumofthree the criteria for funding is a changing commodity so I think you can make plans but the goal posts change and you have to adapt or otherwise with them. For example my dd received a MDS for lower school at the time funding for DaDA was very simple. Everyone got the same for their sixth form training as long as they meet residency criteria regardless of parental income. The year before my dd auditioned for sixth form DaDA funding became means tested with the parental income cap being £70000, the year following my dd being accepted into sixth form the cap was increased to £90000 and the bands for parental income were much greater. So if she had been a year younger our termly contribution would easily cover the current yearly contribution for our income band. At the beginning of her vicational school journey we believed sixth form would be more financially manageable but the powers that be changed the funding. It could all change a number of times before your dd is old enough to audition. At the age your dd is it never crossed my mind dd would end up following this route. She did her various dance and drama classes because she enjoyed them, they were a good social opportunity and they used up some of her endless amounts of energy. I don't think at 6 you can look at the financial/time input at anything other than what she is gaining now.