AllAboutTheJourney

We have a couple of places and will be declining one of them (as one DC's plans have changed since we sent in the application) so hopefully someone on wait list gets that spot.

Usually when people say they have a 'full scholarship' they just mean they have got MDS funding (in my experience anyway!)

If you are over the threshold for MDS support then you would let the school know that and not apply for a funded place. It is a high threshold though (higher than for the DADA), and most people will be eligible for some amount of MDS support. As I say it is a sliding scale, so the amount of the MDS award may cover almost all of the amount of the fees or it may be only a few thousand pounds and the rest of the fees are paid by the parental contribution.

My understanding is that you either get an MDS or you don't. Whether or not you are allocated one is nothing to do with your income - the school won't know your income when they offer you a MDS funded place. Some schools have enough MDS awards for the full year group (i.e. WL and I believe Elmhurst) and others only have a few (i.e. Tring and Hammond), so they allocate them however they want to. Once you get an MDS funded place, you then submit all your financial information etc and the school will tell you how much the MDS award is and how much your parental contribution to the fees will be. This is a sliding scale - the more you earn, the less MDS you will get and vice versa. Nothing happens to the rest of it - the amount of the award is personal to you and solely dependant on your own financial position.

WL results are already out for boys, I imagine the girls will hear next week. Hopefully you get some movement soon once all the other schools' have made their offers.

Oh thank you - that looks great 🙂

Guessing you've seen the post about the RAD Project B event but I think it's 8 plus sadly. Sorry I haven't seen any others advertised recently but am always on the lookout too. @MissEmily can you possibly let me know where you saw the info about the boys' summer school with London Junior Ballet?

I think if she's keen then I wouldn't let her age put you off as she won't be at a disadvantage due to that - and as others have said, even if she doesn't get in this year it would be good to see what the audition is like with a view to trying again the year after if she wanted to. I've had 2 children go through the JA programme and I'm a big fan of it, but the posters above are spot on in terms of the technical detail of the classes etc and I guess it's a question of whether you think she would enjoy that type of class. One of my DC loved it from day 1 (and started as a very young Y4), the other enjoyed it but didn't quite love it in the same way as a Y4. Jump forward a bit though and as a Y6 its the highlight of the week - it just took a bit longer for that DC to enjoy the more technical aspects of ballet and realise why they were learning all about the muscle groups etc. They're all different. But if she's keen on ballet and you can get her to a JA centre then I would definitely say it's worth trying it.

Black cabs outside Richmond Station are fine for getting in but getting picked up at the school to come out again is often a nightmare. You’d need to pre-book for pick up and Ubers generally won’t come in. If you have the option to drive I’d take it, but also bear in mind that they might run a minibus for non-res students - I think they do but worth checking. The minibus goes between the school and Richmond Station so if you wanted to use public transport you could get to there easily and then have your DC use the minibus. If you want a budget option, the Travelodge in Richmond is basic but ok - rooms are v small but it’s pretty quiet in my experience and handy for Richmond Station.

We have a Yes and have to accept by 15 March. Have had an offer off the waitlist for a different child and it didn’t come until early June maybe? So it can be quite late, yes.

Boys’ finals for WL are at the end of next week and girls’ finals are a couple of weeks later I believe.

Was the closing date earlier than usual this year? I feel like the last few years we haven't heard until closer to the end of February/start of March, around finals time.

Thanks @coniger, that's really helpful. My DS sounds similar although he is better at box splits than side splits for some reason - he isn't flat yet in either left or right side splits.

We're not going to do it this year after all due to holiday plans (so hopefully someone on the wait list gets a nice email!) but generally with YBS you drop off in the afternoon of the first day, then there is a talk and welcome early evening by the director. Parents don't stay for the talk though. Dancing starts the next morning and there is generally a demo on the morning of the last day, then you leave around lunch time.

Thanks both. I agree with you @Beezie in terms of thinking that the overdone insta flexibility posts have had their day - hopefully! My previous experience of this whole process was with a DD who is naturally very flexible and it wasn’t even something that crossed my mind going into finals tbh - I was more concerned about other things. But yes, he is through to finals and it’s a good point that they are measuring for potential flexibility @MissEmily - I guess I just have no idea if he has that good potential or not, I’m just looking at where he is now (which compared to the girls he dances with is really not on a par and we don’t know that many boys around the same level/age). I suppose, though, that that means it’s out of my hands in a way, so no point overthinking it!

Without getting into specific schools (as I am very conscious of the rules in terms of talking about certain topics on this forum), can anyone give me an indication of the level of flexibility that may be required for a boy trying to get a place at vocational school for y7 entry? I am a little concerned that this might hold my DS back (although he is working hard to try and improve what he can) and I would like to be able to manage expectations if he simply isn't anywhere near where he would need to be at this point in time. Happy for people to DM if easier - I fully understand (and agree with) the restrictions on discussing certain vocational schools publicly on the forum but the inevitable side-effect of that is that it is harder for those going to finals etc to share experiences/the waiting game as there has been in previous years. So do feel free to DM if you're in that position!

Results for the Spring Intensive are out if anyone is waiting.

The one I know of is a JA, yes.

The majority of kids who started WL in Year 7 (over the last few years anyway) were JA's prior to that. Having said that, I don't think it makes any difference at all whether you have been a JA or not in terms of whether you will be selected for a full time place - they will select who they like on the day (although as others have said, the Y6 JAs are prepped for the audition and may know the teacher/be familiar with the studios etc so they may have an advantage in that respect). I think the majority as JAs simply because the majority of 9/10 year old children in this country who are serious about ballet and thinking about a vocational school will naturally also be interested in an associate scheme and RBS associates is one of the best known/has the biggest reach geographically.

We were at Bethany's final performance on Friday evening and it was a really beautiful evening. She performed as the Princess in Cinders (with a male Cinders - Bruno Micchiardi) and Christopher Hampson came on stage and gave a very moving speech after the curtain calls. Lots of beautiful bouquets and the company all threw roses as she took her final bow. There are several videos on Scottish Ballet's social media - she was evidently moved by the speech and the audience reaction. Lovely night.

I know of one offer from the wait list so there has been a bit of movement, yes. Hope you both get some good news.

Looking for one ticket for this performance if anyone is selling - standing or seated is fine.

Well that was just absolutely beautiful - I think just some of the loveliest ballet I have seen. Will & Fumi were stunning. Will post more later but what a fabulous afternoon. Hugh Grant and family seemed to enjoy it too 🙂

Having been scrambling around a few weeks ago trying to find any last minute tickets that I could for certain performances (once some of the student casting was confirmed!) I feel very lucky to be seeing both today's matinee cast and Friday evening's cast. I am so excited to see Fumi and Will today, and I am a big fan of Viola Pantuso so am very much looking forward to seeing her Clara on Friday. Gary Avis is, as others have said, always a treat, but we're also keen to see Aiden O'Brien's debut today. Obviously a certain party guest is going to be the star of the show for our family 😉 but what a treat to see this whole production again this year. Christmas starts now...!

I am also seeing this performance and felt a bit bad about it momentarily but after seeing all the comments about them on here, I confess I was quite excited to see the replacements!