Eowyn

As a parent with a child in Y11 at The Hammond I have been reading this thread with interest. Communication has never been the school’s strong point and unfortunately current pupils haven’t been treated much better which has caused a lot of distress to families over the past few weeks. Funding Finals for upper school were cancelled due to the current situation and therefore awards were allocated based on results from the first audition. Those who were lucky enough to get an award received an email from the school to tell them the good news, but the rest of the year group have not received anything. No letter, no email, just an assumption that if they didn’t get a letter they haven’t been successful. Furthermore only a handful of awards have been given to the current Y11 and the rest to outside applicants. It therefore seems loyalty to their own pupils is no longer a priority either and most of the Y11’s who have trained at the school for 5 years will now be forced to take up places elsewhere. I am aware that this is no different to other vocational schools, but Hammond has always been so compassionate and felt more accessible than the other schools, especially with the generous bursaries they offered. Now I sadly feel it’s changed significantly and money is a big driver. To those of you who have not received funding please please don’t give up. Your child must be talented to have been offered a place at all and there are so many other paths to achieve their dream

Thanks richieN. Are they every week?

Can anyone tell me what time the MA classes take place in Manchester please? My dd has been offered a place from SWL and I’m just trying to work out if we can accept due to other commitments. Thank you 😊

I have two spare tickets for tomorrow night’s show if anyone on here wants them? Send me a message x

My dd is already a JA in Birmingham and will be going into Y6 in September. They haven’t told us the times yet but I think it may depend on how many sessions you are allocated (there are two classes). Well done to your dd!

I honestly don’t think there is any way you can guess what they are looking for. My dd has that classically tall ballet look, with long thin legs and at least a head taller than her peers. However there are a wide variety of body types in her JA class; some like her and others who are tiny with more athletic shapes. They are all lovely to watch whilst dancing but again have different strengths and qualities (some perfect technique, some very flexible and others just that certain something that makes you want to watch them) so I presume RBS see this and select those they like but who basically fit various criteria. Please don’t be disheartened if you have a ‘No’ this time. My other dd was never a JA (or an associate of anything) but is now at vocational school and doing very well 😊

Yes he auditioned in Birmingham.

Some Birmingham results are out as I’ve just heard from my friend that her ds didn’t get a place. Good luck to all of you waiting x

Have you still got the spare ticket Peanut? I have one already but rubbish seat as I left it too late

Thanks Balletmum55 that's really helpful. I will definitely go for age 7-8 then!

Can anyone tell me if the JA tracksuits come up big or small please? My dd is only 8 but tall for her age and skinny! Not sure if we should order 7-8 or 9-11?

I've just found out that my little dd has been offered a place. In complete shock!! Sorry for all the no's x

My dd is in Y8 and some of the children in her RAD class are also taking a mock exam this week. It is for the Teachers to assess if they are ready for their real exam, which I believe is taking place in November. My dd is not doing the mock as she only moved up to that class in the spring and therefore isn't ready yet. I'm sure it's the same for Y7 as well. Hope that helps.

My dd hasn't been ill yet (unbelievably!) but unless it is anything serious they stay at the boarding house and are looked after staff there.

Yes my 12 year old dd is attending the first week. She's excited!

I completely agree with you littleballerina. My dd is at a vocational school and surrounded by children who are ultra flexible and pushing their bodies into all sorts of strange positions. The teachers apparently tell them to stop and explain how it's not good for their development, but dd says they do it anyway when they are out of class and she sees it all over Instagram anyway! I don't like it but do feel that unless you are going down the classical route these kind of moves are becoming the norm and young dancers are expected to be more versatile than ever.

Totally agree with all of that Snape! My dd is one of those who suffers with homesickness and I must admit she is much better when we see her less.

They have breakfast in the boarding house as soon as they get up. Lunch and Tea are at school :-)

Just to also say you will get a pack in the post very soon with all of the boarding information, which will answer most of these questions. Good luck it's a very exciting and yet apprehensive time! x

With regards phones this has been the most difficult part for us. The Year 7s are not allowed their phones until they finish prep at around 8pm. Bedtime is at 8.45pm which is when they hand their phones in. So you only have a 45 minute window in which they can call you. They do not get their phones in the morning and are not allowed to take them to school, so for the first few weeks I found it extremely hard having to wait all day until I could speak to my dd, especially when I knew she was very homesick. As for the dorms my dd is extremely tidy as well but she seems to cope very well living with other girls who are less so and just keeps her own area tidy and organised. One piece of advice I would give is do not pack too much. They really do get a very small allocated space and very little storage. They are in uniform all week anyway, pyjamas as soon as they get in and so only need clothes for Saturday afternoons and Sunday. I ended up bringing a lot of the clothes we packed for dd home again when I saw the size of her wardrobe!

My dd started at The Hammond last September and there were no shorts mentioned on the uniform list. I bought her the outdoor coat but she has never worn it so that was a complete waste of money! If your dd is joining in September you should receive the full pack with uniform requirements very soon. We ordered/bought most of ours at the Induction day.

I have sent you a pm Piepie.

Well done to your ds ballet4boyz! I also agree that people should not get to hung up on the amount of classes children are taking. I think a lot of it is to do with raw talent and potential. My dd did not start proper ballet classes until she was 8 and we had offers from two of the top 4 vocational schools. She has only ever done 2 ballet classes a week, a weekly modern class and had just started Tap. She had NEVER done any associate schemes as we knew nothing about them at the time! Still hoping your dd gets an offer from the reserve list Lema. She would be in my dd's year at Hammond and sounds like she would fit in there perfectly

Well done to your dd Balletmum20!

I may be wrong but I have a feeling everyone who goes to finals at the Hammond gets put on the reserve list. Please don't lose hope just yet, as my dd was offered an MDS from the reserve pool last year a month after the final audition! We had already accepted a school scholarship by then so we declined, but it does happen. Good luck to everyone still waiting!