Moneypenny

I know of a dd who had a very nasty hurdling accident so I'm glad it's something my dd has never had to do!

I don't think schools are very happy about kids pulling out of sport ... my dd had been encouraged to go for a sports scholarship at her previous school, but went for a dance one instead, much to the sports department's disappointment. At the end of the day though if ballet is the passion and a career ambition, why would you risk sustaining a nasty sport injury which sets you back months and could put an end to that ambition. I realise that accidents can happen in any walk of life and that sport is a wholly good thing, but for a potential dancer if you don't need to partake in activities where there is a bigger risk of injury, then don't. I remember when dd sustained a dance injury a few years ago and was laid up for weeks ... that was stressful enough, but we would have been even more gutted if it had happened on a sports field. I'm definitely in agreement though that good dancers do seem to excel in many sports too and are usually ahead of many others in their school year in terms of fitness and stamina!

We'd love to see this too ... My dd was also at RBS summer school a couple of times with one of the girls in the film and she is truly amazing. I'm sure dd mentioned that she's won YAGP before.

Before dd went to vocational school, fortunately she didn't have to do sport as she was able to substitute sport for dance, with the exception of house sports events and I have to say, I used to dread it when she occasionally took part in hockey. Dd also used to swim competitively, but gave it up as her thighs started to get a bit over developed. Ski-ing is now also out of the question! I (and dd) would have been devastated if she had sustained a sport injury that would have prevented her from dancing for months on end.

I may be wrong, but I think Elmhurst is the only one which offers A level maths.

My dd has always been very particular about how her pointe shoe ribbons are sewn on ... my poor needlework skills and clumsy fingers would never have done, so much to my delight she taught herself how to do them and thankfully I've never had to grapple with a pair or put up with subsequent complaints about them not being right! Result! Therefore, I'm afraid I can't offer any useful or meaningful advice on this one, but boy am I glad I don't have to do them!

Good luck to everyone for all the upcoming ja/associate auditions. I think it is important to just encourage all your dd/ds's to simply enjoy the class/experience. At 8 years old I'm sure they're not looking for wonderful technique ... more so an enjoyment of dance and potential. JAs is a good few years ago now for us, but when dd looks back at DVDs from when she was 8 years old, she always says how bad she was and wonders how she ever got in! So if your kids love ballet and to dance, just go for it. I remember dd really enjoyed the audition, which was conducted as a class, was made to feel very relaxed and they weren't asked to do anything technically difficult. I look back now and realize that JAs is only the beginning of a very long journey, and we still have a way to go!

I agree back Bankrupt mum ... and you're right about a lot not having a choice ... as I said, you do what you can within your own means/limits.

As parents of a committed dd, we have always tried to access as much training for her as we realistically can, with classes most days, associate class at the weekend and summer schools. However, given where we live, work commitments and another daughter to consider, it simply wasn't an option for us to do any more than we already were. Therefore, I'm personally happy that dd is now at vocational school as that's what works best for her and our family. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm not sure whether one is better than the other ... voc versus non-voc ... you just do what you can within your own means/limits and what feels right for your child.

Bluebell, I can't exactly remember, but I think she was doing around 10-12 hours a week at school, plus her ma class. Now she's doing around 20-22 hours a week, though not all ballet. She does academic lessons in the morning and dance lessons in the afternoon. Granted, the classes are much larger.

I would tend to disagree bluebell ... when my dd was an MA she was also fortunate enough to be at a senior school which offered a vocational programme in dance, was also able to forfeit sport for dance and had lessons every night after school. Even so, she still wasn't doing anywhere near as much dance training as she is now that she is at vocational school. I certainly don't feel that she needs to supplement an already intense training schedule. Just my opinion.

This is certainly a very interesting thread, which I have followed very closely, but the more I read the more it's making me a bit depressed about dd's future prospects. We all know that the ballet world is a very tough and competitive one and I for one try not to dwell on that too much now that we have taken the plunge into vocational school. Having said that, there are many careers that are over subscribed, tough and competitive. I think for my own sanity I'm not going to think too much about the future at the moment, but try to enjoy the journey she is on and celebrate her achievements along the way.

I tend to agree that associate classes should be for students who are not at vocational schools ... after all, I thought that was the purpose ... to be an outreach programme allowing students with potential to access specialist training alongside their local weekly classes. We gave up my dd's RBS MA place this year when she took up a vocational place and whilst we did find it emotionally difficult to give it up after going since she was 8, she wouldn't have been able to fit it in as she has lessons on a Saturday morning and I'm pretty sure dd's school would certainly not have allowed her to continue anyway! I also agree about the downtime for full time students ... let's not under estimate the sheer physical demands of dancing six days a week on top of fitting in all the academics and homework every night.

Many congratulations to everyone who received good news today and sorry to those who got a no this time round. Lala, huge well done to your dd, year 10 places are very few and far between, what a fantastic achievement.

Coming at this topic from a completely different angle ... irrespective of whether or not these exams are necessary, I know my dd certainly feels a great sense of personal achievement when she takes an exam and achieves the desired result. As flowerdew said, at vocational level these exams take a lot of hard work ... and a good result is a great personal achievement and a big confidence booster.

Have you checked out the info on this site: http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/toolsandinitiatives/b0068711/mds I can't speak for Tring or Hammond, but the auditions for Royal and Elmhurst are purely ballet.

Good luck and best wishes to everyone for this week's finals. Hope everyone has a lovely day. x

Afab ... I can't really remember and the letter was just 'date as postmark', however, the deadline for accepting the place was mid April ... and they don't generally give you long to reply, so I think it will have been around the end of March ... I'm sure it came towards the beginning of the Easter holidays, so it's quite a wait after finals.

Congratulations to all those who have seen successful in being offered a place at Royal ... Very well done. Sorry to those who weren't successful this time ... Stay focussed, stay driven and keep working super hard. x

JA and MA letters for my dd were both small thin envelopes, one sheet of paper with an acceptance slip initially. The mountain of forms follow later. In fact, I seem to have spent half my life filling in forms since dd took up ballet!

So .... is hyper mobility a good thing? My dd is hyper mobile and also has very arched feet (which are also pretty strong). All we have ever been told is that it can be a good thing as long as you have muscle strength and can control it ... i.e. the sway back legs. Would actually love to know more about hyper mobility.

I'm not sure I wholly agree with the comment that associate classes are full of children who have a talent for dance but lack flexibility, hence that's why they are not in the full time school. There are several other reasons why students stay on associate programmes post age 11 ... not all want to go into full time training at 11, or are indeed ready emotionally. Also there are those who are offered places but cannot take them up for financial reasons and parents who prefer their children not to apply until 16. Also, let's not forget that post year 7, full time places are like gold dust no matter how talented and flexible one is.

Thankyou Sniffymum ... yes, things have worked out. We were very fortunate to have access to excellent local training for the last couple of years and as of this year dd is now at vocational school. 'Yes' letter for dd's school was a thick large envelope. I do so wish everyone the best of luck ... those few days between final audition and getting the letter are just the longest days! x

There are also occasions where a place is offered and despite mds you just can't make it happen! That's what happened to us a few years ago ... total excitement at being offered a place, followed by total devastation a few months later when we had to give up that place and tell dd that she couldn't go after all. I'll never forget how utterly horrible it was when we had to break the news to dd ... that still makes me shudder and I think it always will. The highs and lows are quite extreme!

I don't think they are discouraging dancers from applying, I personally think they are being upfront by saying that they currently have no space in a particular year group at the present time, however, you are welcome to go along for audition as they like to see future potential talent ... at least you then go to the audition knowing how it is and are not full of false hope. By going to the final audition one or two children may get on to a wait list and then ultimately get offered a place ... as children do occasionally leave a vocational school part way through a school year or decide to leave at the end of the year, many months after the normal audition process has come and gone.