theother51

Thank-you.  We are a little way from beginning the process for Upper School just yet but my daughter wants to go the musical theatre route and so a consideration will be whether potential colleges consider the level of dance first before they even get to see the acting/singing and vice versa.  If a college is stricter in cutting on the ballet then that may not be the place for her to audition.

One final question, was pointe work involved.  My daughter gets good marks in her exams and teacher feedback but pointe is a particular weakness and this is always reflected in her marks.

Do you have any idea approximately what proportion of candidates go through to the afternoon?  I appreciate that this may be slightly different than usual if as you said, that particular audition day was mostly internal candidates.

The funding situation sounds promising.

I was told something similar but that both parts of the audition were scored & also each component of the audition eg. ballet class, solo, modern class etc. Then as tutugirl said, I was led to believe everyone was put in rank order.

I also think the panel would be pretty much the same barring illness/other unavailability.

I believe that year 7,8 & 9 have mid year tests in January. Year 10 do not due to GCSE teaching time but will along with the other year groups have formal end of year exams in June. A revision & exam timetable is issued to students & via email to parents.

Year 11 have GCSE mocks in early January.

Those were my thoughts exactly. 

Where I live there are two very highly respected dance schools with an excellent track record of getting students into leading vocational schools and colleges.  Both have linked up with local FE colleges to offer vocational training with the Btec extended diploma - for free.

It may be that they are located in an area where the only other courses on offer are of a lower standard and not designed for aspiring professional performers.  In which case £2,000 per term is incredible cheap for full time education (I would be interested to know what the contact hours are).

Sorry, I thought you said the deadline was tomorrow but hadn't realised you had posted last night.

I would like to see American in Paris as I love the music but it would only be of interest to me, my husband and my daughter.  My son  would not enjoy it whereas he is (along with my daughter) totally obsessed with Hamilton.  it is something very new and different, groundbreaking within theatre and we "want to be in the room where it happens" to coin the lyrics.

American in Paris is probably a lot more specialist interest whereas Hamilton is appealing to a new generation of theatre goers. So instead of going on holiday next year, and in lieu of birthday presents for all of us, this is what, we as a family have decided to go and see.

If I had unlimited funds I think Dreamgirls would also be on my list of want to see.

Could she re-take them with an older student helping rather than someone from her year group.

On the other hand yesterday was a very good day for me (although my purse is £800 lighter).  I successfully managed to get very good, if expensive tickets for Hamiton.

There has been an awful virus going round that is taking ages to shake off.  I have heard of several participants in a recent workshop that happened over Christmas and all came down with the virus (nausea, blinding headache, bronchial cough). I know of several boarding and day students at vocational schools who have all been ill.

There have also been several of my work colleagues off with it and it seems to keep re-occurring.

That would be the parents choice to send them swimming unsupervised (& I would never send my 8 year old swimming unsupervised).

But schools, dance schools & youth groups have to have safeguarding measures in progress. Grooming often takes place between an adult & a child where the child looks up to that adult as they might do a teacher or in cases where they have got to know & trust someone (as they might do a fellow class member.

As a parent I may choose to send my 15 year old to a class where adults may also present such as the open ballet class she attends at our local leisure centre. But I may also choose not to send my more naive 12 year old into a similar situation.

I used to work on reception for a children's drama group. One day they held a charity parents take part day.

Extra safeguarding measures that were put in place were things like designated separate toilets for adult participants away from the children's. Extra DBS checked adults present in the building, the school owner did not teach any classes that day but was available as an extra person.

So it's possible but not automatic.

There are numerous reasons why a teacher may leave a group of older children (we are not talking pre-schoolers here) unsupervised.

At the start of class they may begin to warm up alone, there might be visits to the toilet, the teacher may have to pop out to de ch something etc etc.

You would have to ask the teacher. It may be that additional safeguarding measures would have to be put in place.

Is the grade 5 class definately teenagers as in some dance schools that would be 11/12 year olds so you would need to be prepared for a minute ch less mature attitude than you are used to.

They are certainly.....different?

I thought if you had RAD grade 8 you could teach up to that level but you had to have DDI/DDE to enter pupils for exams?

No - having RAD Grade 8 does not entitle you to teach or to call yourself an RAD teacher. There is of course nothing to stop anyone teaching RAD based syllabus lessons but they must not be advertised as RAD.

Only passing one or more of the RAD teaching certificates entitled you to teach.

The DDI/DDE is nothing to do with RAD. They are ISTD teaching qualifications & entitle you to teach & enter pupils for exams in the genre passed.

If ribbons are specified it has to be satin - canvas and leather would look odd unless with elastic. With soft blocks you don't have a choice, they only come in satin. Dd's teacher wanted those to be newish as well which is why I was in the garage the night before her intermediate exam, hitting them with a claw hammer as they had been deemed to be too clunky.

My daughter has always refused to do exams in new shoes. She always wants to wear well worn in & therefore comfortable shoes.

My daughter took her IF two years ago.

She wore split sole canvas ballet flats (no ribbons)

For her Intermediate exam a year ago she wore Soft Blocks with ribbons.