Huddsballetmum

There are so many more choices now for Higher Apprenticeships at degree level which might just satisfy your daughters wish to go to work whilst gaining her degree at the same time. If you look on the apprenticeship website there might be something that takes her fancy. I don't envy young people nowadays as there are so many options and if you are not sure what you want to do it's hard. Saying that I never imagined when I left university with my Media degree that I would ever end up working in a Further Education College managing funding and exams. Life is a series of twists and turns and I think young people need to be made aware of that these days, rather than feeling that their first decision is their end destination which is preached at schools around the country.

Please can I add men who feel that it's appropriate to wander around the streets topless as soon as the sun comes out! I really don't want to see someone's hairy chest and beer gut whilst I go about my day (invariably they never have the physique of the diet coke ad man), especially as I walk into the supermarket. Why do certain men feel the need to remove their shirts??

I'm not one to criticise other people's parenting skills as I am not a perfect parent, but really - some people have no idea!!

I loved Butterflies and Bread. Can' remember the liver birds very well (too young for once!!). I so hope that the repeat some of the series as a tribute.

Depends on what type of dancer you want to be I think. Contemporary Schools such as Rambert and Laban prefer students to be older (i.e.18) as they require the strength and maturity. I know most ballet schools take at 16, though there are exceptions to both rules and I think it is dependent on the individual as already stated. Your DD should follow her dreams and not worry about what other people say though.

Not sure about associate scheme's but there are a number of Centre for Advanced Training schemes around the country which concentrate on contemporary dance. Only problem is that they don't usually take students until 12 or 13 as contemporary is a more mature dance type. Some of the centres might have an associate scheme for modern though if you get in touch with them. Good luck!

I watch "Room" this weekend which is a rather disturbing tale of a young girl abducted age 17 and kept in a shed for 7 years, during which time she has a child. I expected it to be very depressing at the start and uplifting after she gets free, but found it oddly the other way round. Very much worth the watch though.

That's all I get to do Legseleven. Test her after she has learned all she needs to know. She spends hours and hours in her room and then will come downstairs and ask to be put through her paces. Think that the majority of dancers are very organised and self-contained where academics are concerned as they have always fir them around dance.

Capezio nude thong in our house, pricy but they get worn for so many other things than dance and they wash well. mind you DD is a teenager but the xs is definitely xs!

BTEc's are an excellent qualification and the Level 3 extended diploma is equivalent to 3 A levels. Be aware that the BTEC is changing and will be come exam based over the next 2 years dependant on which subject, it may be exam based by September 2016. I don't believe that it is an easier option to A levels, however it is more suited to those learners who learn best by engaging and undertaking a role rather that purely academic study. There is funding available for those learners who already have a full level 3 and if your daughter passes 3 AS levels then she will have a full level 3. I would talk to your local colleges. They tend to give better career advice and guidance than schools. (biased as I work in FE!!)

More GCSE revision for me this weekend. 7 exams down and 16 to go!! Got to say that my biology, physics and chemistry O levels have not helped in the slightest Have a great weekend everyone!!

I would suggest dropping one ballet class for a contemporary class. The dd is the right age to appreciate contemporary and as Taxi4ballet stated, there are no pure classical schools from 16 onwards and all teach contemporary to some degree. The themes and performance element may well help with the stiffness as well. I know it has worked for a girl in my DD's CAT programme. Sounds to me as if this DD is very talented , but sometimes we have to just realise that in dance, particularly ballet, not everyone is going to become a professional dancer!

My daughter (16 next month) loved "Into the Woods". I personally wanted to strangle every single character!!!

Congratulations to your daughter JulieW. A first in Veterinary Science is a real achievement. Hope the next two years go as well for her!

Well done JulieW on the dog show wins. What a lovely way to spend the weekend. Hope your dad is settling in well to his new home.

Thanks for the kind thoughts about mum. She is frail but at home and now has a sparkly clean house, stocked food cupboards and plenty of meals ready to take out of the Fridge/freezer and reheat. Hopefully that will keep both her and my dad going until next weekend. Its times like this I wish they lived nearer!!

I believe from my dd's older friends that A level dance has quite a lot of academic work particularly regarding appreciate and interpretation of dance - I am assuming a more detailed and in depth version of the GCSE work. With regard to validity as a university subject I'm sure that it is dependent on the university, the degree and the individual. It is always best to check with a number of universities regarding their entry requirement for your chosen course as they can differ wildly. With regard to GCSE dance there is another thread on here where GCSE and the quality in schools has been widely debated. Not sure how to attach a link yet but I am sure that if you search the threads it will be available.

Haven't been to the Savoy for afternoon tea for a couple of years but it was lovely last time I was there. A nice treat. Enjoy!

Well it's Friday again, and after a long and very tiring week at work I shall be dashing the 45 miles to my parents for the weekend to look after them as mum has got pneumonia and she is my dad's carer. In between I shall be dashing backwards and forwards to Leeds for my DD's CAT lessons. At some point I will have to do my own food shopping online, clean my own house and wash and iron school uniform for Monday. Is it only me that find's the weekends as tiring as the weekdays? I think that if I ever get a day to sit and relax I might just go to sleep and never wake up! Oh well! Roll on Monday!

I hope that you are able to make the right decision for both your DD and your family. What is right for one child is not right for another. It's true that academics can be done at a later stage as many have said, and ballet is a short term career, but be aware that due to government funding, the only GCSE's left available to most adults are Maths & English, and with luck Science. A levels are more available, however anyone over the age of 24 has to take out a learning loan to achieve them. If your DD ends up with a funded dance degree, then she will have to pay in full for an academic degree should she want to change path. We chose to go down the academic route first with CAT programme and excellent ballet lessons as my dd is very bright and expected to get all A* - B in her 10 GCSE's. I wanted her to have a good education to support whatever she chose to do in life. It's not easy though. Dancing 4 nights per week and all day Saturday means we never get home before 9.30 during the week and therefore homework and now revision is a regimented procedure. Luckily my dd is quite dedicated to studies as well as her dance, and she also has a very good and supportive secondary school. With GCSE's looming (start in 13 days) it is still quite stressful and we will end up dropping a couple of dance classes just to cope. Plus the running around as a working mum is tiring and takes over your life with little time for anything else but work, dance and bed. Whichever way you go there is a cost. I'm know that the CAT programme is much cheaper than vocational school, but if I add up the lessons, the cost of petrol and the time out of work, I don't think it would be amazingly cheaper. You don't say whether you have other children at home. I only have one and it's a good job as any other child would have to fend for themselves as my dd keeps me fully occupied all week. We both live for Wednesday nights when we can sit down for 5 minutes and eat a leisurely meal before starting homework/housework etc. Sorry if this post seems long and rambling. I just wanted you to have a viewpoint from someone who is on the other side of the coin to you to perhaps give some perspective. And welcome to the forum!!

35 celebrities have died in 2016 so far this year. Shocking news. I loved Prince. His music was a big part of my life.

Fab news CeiliaB. I'm so glad your DS is enjoying his new school and big congratulations to him on his results

But then the increase in banking staff in call centres must account for some of staff. I just don't have the time to spend my lunch hour queuing up at the bank and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

I love online banking - couldn't manage without it. I haven't been in a bank in years!!

Last weekend of the Easter holidays (CAT) so my dd and I had a lovely day shopping on Saturday and a pj day on Sunday. The bliss! back to the hum drum of dancing runs this week so I will have no life again until the summer!!