Lema

I've just checked and it says 15th on line too x

Ah that's brilliant thanks sarahw just had a little panic that I should be searching for a new leotard ????

I was just going to send dd in the JA leotard or her RAD exam one or is that not ok?? Didn't even think of a different option??

Thanks CeliB it's great to hear about other options!! And how fantastic for your son to be over there but what a massive travel expense!! I won't moan about traveling around the uk again ????

Thank you Moka and I am sure you are absolutly right that's why out of the 4 offers my daughter had we only accepted two places in the end, it was a very tough decision to make but we knew that it was the right thing to do as we didn't want to take a place that we could not then commit 100% too knowing how few places there are available we felt it right to choose two and let someone else who could give the commitment get a shot too!! Although I swear a little piece of me died inside when I hit send on the rejection emails to two amazing schools!!

Well it turns out the scheduling gods were smiling down on me!! Just had the provisional schedule for the festivals and only one of dd's dances clashes with her JA class!! All her other dances are either really early or really late in the day, I am sooo happy we are not going to have to let anyone down or miss any classes. There will be a lot of back and forward driving between the two but it's very doable!! Now just fingers crossed that the schedule stays as it is!!

Hi Aballerina and welcome to the site, I can't help much as my daughter is only just starting her ballet journey but this year she auditioned and got accepted onto the JA's so I can tell you a little about her audition and hopefully it's not too much different from the mids. My daughter said it was just like a normal ballet class, they done some warm ups such as skipping around the room and some simple stretches including the splits on left and right leg and also straddle, then they lined up in rows of 4 and done some simple points and plié's, they done lots of barre work and some basic little routines including runs from a corner and finishing in arabesque, she said it was fun and felt more like a lesson than an audition. And from what I know yes it is seperate classes for each year group but someone will have to correct me if I am wrong on this. I hope this has helped a little and good luck for your audition and I hope you get some more replies from people with more info ????

Spooky it's nice to hear of another success story and congratulations to you dd for all the hard work she must have put in over the years, but I must admit your comment "sometimes wonder if we made the right decision all those years ago" has scared me a little, being someone only just about to step foot onto the rollercoaster?! ????

I thought that too but you know when you doubt your own logic ???? thanks dtadmin!

Please someone correct me if I'm wrong or explain what I've over looked, but is it me or is there no date for Birmingham combined WL+MA audition?? Thanks ????

Welcome Juliet and what a lovely story that just goes to show a no doesn't have to stay a no forever!! Congratulations to you dd and good look to her in upper school!! ????

Oh my goodness!!! That actually gave me butterfly's!!! ????

Yes Janet I tried a number of times between lunch and tea time and couldn't get on? Very odd!

I couldn't get on either but I'm not with BT I'm with Virgin

My hubby knows roughly but I doubt he's ever stopped to think what it all adds up to annually else he too would probably have a heart attack!! Again massive congratulations to your daughter I can imagine how happy she must be! We have only very recently heard of Tring and Hammond so been trying to research like mad to find out as much info about them as I can!

Really Pas de quatre? I suppose if you live there you would be used to it but as someone from a town crossing a big city at 11 seems a very scary prospect!! I couldn't imagine my dd crossing Birmingham alone let alone London, maybe I'm just over protective?!

Amanda-w I have added up roughly what I spend a year on dance and had a real shock!! And congratulations on your dd gaining a place where is she going? And you will have to let us know how she settles in when she starts too!

Wow billyelliott hats off to you and your ds it sounds like you are a well oiled machine when it comes to organising travel!! And that's a great idea to have the tracker on the phone too!!

Billyelliot £11:50 isn't too ba at all at petrol would cost nearly £20 from Birmingham to London I guess, my daughter is tiny and hardly grows from year to year either but knowing my luck if she ever got into a vocational school she would have a massive growth spurt does your son have to get a taxi to new street or does someone from the school take him?

Oh that doesn't seem too bad then, and great idea to get their own account and debit card set up!! Thanks for the reply's!!

Does anyone mind me asking what the going rate for pocket money is amongst children in vocational schools? Assuming they need a little more than the average live at home child incase they need to buy little extras if they run out of things??

Just looked on Tring's website and looks like you need to collect children four times per term for exeats and end of term/half term, but can't get on RBS website at the min so not sure if they are the same or not?

Wow cotes and I thought 260 mile round trip was a lot!! Would have to look into trains as I don't drive so if it was a Friday pick up it might be a case of me getting a train there and then train back with dd, gosh I can't believe there is so much to consider and we haven't even applied to audition I have a lot of respect for those of you that are living it week in week out, it sounds like such a massive commitment financially, mentally and physically!! Well done to all you parents!!!

I think distance is a big thing to consider we are 100-130 miles from three of the main schools we'd be looking at, which isn't 250 miles but still if we had to go to pick dd up every 3 weeks it's £90 fuel to go there and back twice!! That's a big financial commitment in itself!! Thanks Karen for your reply

Wow so much to take in!!! And pay out by the sounds of it!! Kind of wish the schools could just say....right on top of your fees it will cost you aprox £???? Per year plus travel to send your child here!! Make life easier for us all haha Thank you again for everyone's input, think I'm going to do a spreadsheet to try any get my head round it all!!