AllAboutTheJourney

They will say if they have a preference at the first session, yes. Different teachers prefer different hairstyles and in some centres it varies by year group as well. At the centre we were at, the teacher preferred the crossed plaits and did a demonstration for anyone who wasn’t sure how to do it.

I think by direct entry they mean direct entry to the summer intensive next year, not full time. I am aware that that sometimes happens but if it's the same post that I've seen then I think it's referring to next year's summer intensive.

Another email has just come out for week 3 and it includes the parks pass.

The link to order t-shirts was in the same email sending out the SI handbook. Sorry I can't remember seeing the park pass this year yet - maybe it's still to come out.

Hi - yes the easiest way to get there from Central London is to take the tube to Richmond and then get a taxi from there into the park. There are usually taxis waiting in the rank outside the front entrance of Richmond Station, and if not then just stand there for a few minutes and one will likely turn up. It will cost around £15 and takes around 15 mins max. We have done that journey maybe 6/7 times now and we've never had any bother with showing a park pass, but if you want to be organised you can ask RBS to email one to you and then print it off so you have it with you if needed. In terms of getting back again, that's the slightly trickier bit as you never quite know the exact timings. Last year there was a LOT of hanging around while they did all the covid tests but this year I imagine drop off will take a lot less time. The best firm I have found for pick-up is Riverside Cars - 020 8878 7777 - but I don't know how long it would take them to come and get you if you were just to call when ready. I'm guessing at least 20 mins or so even if they had a car available right away. You might be better to phone them in advance and book a car to pick you up say 30 mins or so after your daughter's drop off time. The other option for getting back is to walk back out through the park to Richmond station (maybe 50 mins or so) or to walk to the closer park entrance at Sheen Gate and arrange a taxi to meet you there. It's a slightly awkward place to get to and from without a car - we are in the same situation!

@Graceful I'm not disputing for one minute that there are other opportunities for training other than RBS - no-one is - and to be honest I have personally received excellent advice to that effect both in public on these boards and in very helpful DMs from parents who have gone down various different routes with their children. But that doesn't make anyone who chooses to go down the RBS route (or indeed any other vocational school) wrong or naïve or incapable or unwilling to do research on this subject.

This is unfair, and untrue.

I have tried not to get involved in this discussion again because – let’s face it – no one should have to justify their own family’s decision to anyone else but the tone of some posts is getting a bit condescending. I have said many times that this is a very useful forum (and this discussion is a great example of it) because parents of younger children can learn from those who have been through things before – and my opinion on that hasn’t changed. But just because a particular school or pathway isn’t right for a particular child doesn’t mean it won’t be right for another. Perhaps we could just bear that in mind. Whether to accept any vocational place (for people who are personally in that position and not just speculating about it) is a very personal decision based on a huge range of family/financial/geographic/personality and other factors (and certainly not one which will be made lightly or naively by anyone who has ever read any of the threads here!). While I do not doubt that things may have been different in the past (even the very recent past), anyone who has been involved in the vocational audition process this year will be fully aware that what RBS is offering for any incoming Y7 is a 3 year course. Like it or not, at least they are being transparent about that now.

I have 2 pairs for sale - they are the ‘Fruit of the Loom’ brand which matches the JA tracksuit top - £10 (plus postage) each. 1 x age 7/8 1 x age 9/11 Both brand new, never worn - my kids both found them quite a wide fit and ended up preferring leggings with the tracksuit top.

Royal blue, excellent condition. I can send pics if interested - £20 (plus postage). It’s an age 10 officially but these leos are v v small made.

We are a different week but we got an email last week confirming the times. They are slightly staggered so it might be worth asking them direct if you've not heard anything yet. For pick up though, the parent demonstration is scheduled to start at 9.30am on our week, which I mention in case you have to travel any distance. We do, so I have just had to change my 5.40am train to one the night before and book (yet another) night in a hotel to make sure I can be there on time.

Great thanks Astrid - will look out for it. We will have dropped off the MA emails now and you're right maybe the JAs haven't heard yet.

Hmm I haven’t had an email - is this from RBS? Or the uniform stockist? Maybe the boys aren’t changing.

I’m sure I remember us both posting on the JA thread when they were in y4 - so glad your DD got a place! So many kids join in y5 or y6, honestly if you don’t get the news you want this year then try again 🙂

I honestly think it’s going to be so different for every child. For a start, I would say to be led by your DD/DS – if they want to try then let them try and see how it pans out, but stress the fact that auditions are fun and all good experience and treat it all as an adventure/a lovely night in a hotel/a change to go out for dinner or get an ice cream after etc. It’s a long year and their opinion on what they want to do may well change over the course of that year. We know so many people who thought they wanted a particular school or to go down a particular route this time last year and their experiences at the auditions (or their reactions to the results) have really changed things. If you don’t try, then you’ll never know if vocational school was an option or not. Having said that, I personally didn’t want to let DD try for any schools that she didn’t particularly want to go to, not least because I didn’t want to incur any unnecessary audition fees or travel costs. Maybe she would have got offers elsewhere – I don’t know – but it doesn’t really matter as it was her decision not to apply. In terms of the bigger question of whether vocational school at 11 is the ‘best’ route or not, I think it depends on a multitude of things, including: The personality of your child Your financial position – if you get a large MDS grant then vocational school may cost less than current dance fees (and on the contrary, if you would be liable to pay a hefty parental contribution then is it financially viable?) Where you live and what access you have to vocational level teaching (if that’s what they want) and if you can afford regular private lessons etc Whether you want to (or are able to) drive around to various classes/associates schemes/performance opportunities through the week and at weekends Whether you have other children, how old they are, how much time or attention they need (and potentially how much time is spent away from them if you’re doing the dance runs all the time) Whether they would need to board (and if so, if you and they are ok with that) or whether they could be a day pupil What ‘normal’ schools you have nearby and what the academic provision is like there Whether your child has been generally happy at school or whether being with like-minded kids in a different environment could be a positive thing Whether both you and your child are comfortable that even if they get an offer, they may well not get back in after the initial 3 year programme (in the case of WL) or that they may be assessed out etc at various points at the other schools Whether you and your child feel like you’d be able to enjoy the journey without being crushed if it doesn’t work out the way they might want it to. For most children who go to vocational school even, the chances of ending up with a career in dance are miniscule, whether that’s by their own choice or not, and that’s ok if you go into it all with your eyes open and try and enjoy the experience for what it is. Just some thoughts – there is never going to be one right answer for everyone. Good luck with it all, whatever you decide to do, and enjoy the ride.

Yes in my experience there's no set numbers and also it really varies from centre to centre. Some centres have different groups split by age/sex and others are all combined. At the centre we have experience of, there is only one class and it's a mix of y4/5/6 and boys/girls. Each year there has been a different make-up of ages - a few years ago there was only one y4, for example, the next year there were 3 y4s. A lot of children join in y5 or in y6 so it's not a case that every year a set number move up a year and the same number come in and take those places.

Yes they stay that first night after they register (i.e the Sunday night if the course starts from the Monday)

Does anyone have any idea what time the presentation might start on the final morning? DD did SI last year but parents' weren't able to come in and watch of course so we just picked them up around mid-afternoon from memory. Trying to book trains and wondering how early I would need to get there, roughly...

I'd be inclined to agree with this - and the other thing to note is that they don't have set numbers of kids who they will take into each centre, in the sense that they won't fill a place if they don't see someone who they want to fill it.

Good luck to everyone auditioning for JAs this year - its a fantastic programme in my experience and both my kids have got a lot out of it. It's a few years ago now but if it helps, when DD applied the auditions ran from the end of April right up until 2 or 3 June I believe, then results came out gradually, centre by centre, from mid June to end of June (and that followed the pattern of previous years). It may of course have changed now - the few years since then were all a bit different to the norm due to covid amendments/video auditions etc.

Keen to know this too, as very much hoping someone we know gets a place off the MA waitlist 🤞

In Scotland the school year age band runs from 1 March to 28 February officially so it’s quite out of sync with the English system.

As others have said, in our experience RBS at least will only look at children within the ‘correct’ English school year dates on their website for entry into each year - we had the same issue being Scottish and if had DD got a place she would have had to skip her last year of primary school as the age bands for y6/p7 don’t match up exactly. No knowledge of the other vocational schools as DD only applied to RBS.

Well done guys - that’s been a long haul from start to finish of all the rounds of auditions for some of you! Lovely to hear some happy news from Elmhurst 😍

DD got a yes for Week 1 - she's really happy. Anyone else going the first week?