GabrielleDeV

2 hours ago, MrsKrabz said:

Hi @BalletmumH Just wondering what company you used as I'm really confused with it all, I don't have travel insurance included with my bank account

 

 

In case it helps, I also had to do this. I found that of the companies I looked at, Axa and LV both cover for being Covid positive, and for having to self-isolate (some don't cover for the latter, but it seemed to me pretty important). I had to buy a single trip policy for myself, even though I won't be on the trip, but naming the child as a traveller (a child obviously cannot be the policy holder). I spoke to both companies on the phone and explained exactly what I needed, and they were both really helpful. 

For those on the various waiting lists (and apologies for boring everyone else) does anyone else think this might be a hopeful sign?

BBC reporting that despite the delay to removing legal limits on group sizes/social distancing etc, there are some changes being brought in from 21 June including the following:

• Children can go on overnight trips in groups of 30 with, for example, the Scouts or Guides, or as part of summer residential schools

So possibly group sizes might be able to be larger, and open up more places?

🤞

12 hours ago, Tendu43 said:

I imagine existing JAs have been given a date by which they have to respond and confirm their place? Guessing audition results will be emailed out after?

London JA here - we got confirmation of next year's place on 23 May, and had to respond by 31st. Sounds like it varies from centre to centre, so probably not much help. Good luck to everyone applying!

14 hours ago, Waverley said:

We have one very happy child here tonight - was on SWL but we had an email today saying a place had become available so she's in! Week 3 🙂

Congratulations! As a parent to a fellow waiting-lister (for week 1), I'm so happy for your daughter and it's great to know that places do come up   Hope she has a wonderful time. 

1 minute ago, Lara Eschler said:

Below are the cancellation policies:  Days before the date of event (Summer Intensive start date 19th July) that notice of cancellation is received

60 days or more (10th May - May 20th) - 90% refund of the fees. A 10% handling fee will be retained by the School 59-30 days (May 21st - June 19th) - 50% refund of fees 29-21 days (June 20th – June 28th) - 30% refund of fees 20 days or less (after June 29th) - We regret that no refund can be made

Thanks for the inside info! That might absolutely play into people's decisions about taking up a place or not ....Perhaps I should have considered more that people might cancel (or be forced to by travel difficulties etc) after paying the full amount.

5 minutes ago, MissEmily said:

@GabrielleDeVif Europeans are unable to travel, a huge number of places will become available... That's our last hope!

It's a good point, and I was sort of hanging onto that for a bit. But my daughter is only 10, and it would make sense that places become available on a like-for-like basis with the people who withdraw. So this could be very relevant for the older age groups, but would people send their 10 year olds abroad for a summer school? Perhaps they do! (I guess if the whole family comes and makes it a holiday that would work)...

Thank you so much! That's really helpful. Sounds like we would probably have heard by now if she had a place from the waiting list, then. Never mind. At least I can go ahead and book something else with confidence.

Hello - just wondering if anyone with a place on the Summer intensive can please help out with any info re payment/confimring a place. Is there a deadline coming up soon for paying the balance for the course? Situation is that my daughter is on the waiting list for the week of the 19 July, but if she doesn't end up getting a place, she's keen to go to another course in the summer. Finances don't permit me to book anything else until I'm sure that she doesn't have a place, but I'm getting worried that we might miss the boat and lose out if I don't book something soon! I just thought that maybe if there was a deadline for payment, I could wait until a few days past that and then take the plunge with booking another course.

Thank you anyone for any insights 😀

Congratulations! Waiting list here too.

2 minutes ago, BalletBoyMumma said:

My DS was the same, the idea really made him nervous. Strangely it’s changed in the last few months and now he really wants to board (unfortunately we only applied to one school so his chances are extremely slim of being able to). I think I would struggle with the idea much more than he would now. 
 

I hope you get to do the tours and hopefully there’ll be summer fairs and open days to enjoy this year. We missed out on those. Those events and opportunities really help with turning those nerves into excitement.  

Oh that's interesting! Maybe that bit more maturity that comes in year 6 might help my daughter with her confidence. I really feel for the year 6s this year (and their parents too of course!) - must have been so hard making these big decisions without the open days, residentials etc. Really good luck to your DS for his application - you never know, you only need one place, after all!

1 minute ago, SJBallet said:

 

Moorland auditions are still open until the 2nd April. I think it’s a quirk of the system that we’ve found out already, as they said results would be after the closing date which is the 2nd April. 
 

There is also Malvern which isn’t by audition and which was definitely on our list too.  

Thank you! That's really helpful. I've just had a look at Moorland and it looks amazing! I am daunted by those video requirements - congratulations to your DD for being accepted (and before the closing date too - they must really want her!). I'll definitely look into Malvern too. That's of course assuming that all these will go ahead as planned.... 

My daughter is the opposite - desperate to go to ballet school, but nervous about leaving home to board.

5 minutes ago, TwirlyWhirly said:

Don't give up hope on RBS spring intensive! We gave up DSs place because too difficult to do PCR tests and travelling a long way...so may yet be some movement on wait lists. Also places from cancelled summer course last year aren't automatically rolled over. Our DS needed to reapply in spite of having a summer intensive place last year...still all possible!

Wow, I hadn't thought there would still be movement, I'd just assumed that waiting list basically means no. Sorry to hear you had to give up your place after the disappointment of last summer - that must have been really tough for your DS. Hope he gets a summer place this year to make up for that double disappointment.

We're in a similar boat, @SJBallet. Yr 5 daughter on waiting list for Spring Intensive, and applied for summer. I'm not hopeful after reading here that there will be fewer places and perhaps more people who weren't able to attend last year going straight in this year (which is fair, but disappointing for those only old enough to apply this year). She may also wish to apply for vocational school next year, so I'd really love her to have some sort of residential dance experience before that decision is made. Not sure of any alternatives - I think Elmhurst summer school is only from age 11? I didn't know about the Moorlands one (hadn't heard of that institution - off to google, though sounds like it might be too late to apply!).

Just 'waiting list' here.

Another one for the waiting list here! Congratulations to those who got a yes, especially those who were disappointed last year. I wonder if there might have been more pressure on places this year for that reason, which might explain the looooong waiting list this year!

Congratulations to your daughter, @Yellowbutterfly! Mine is currently a yr 5 London JA, and we made the skirt for her when she joined last year. I say we... actually my clever mother-in-law. The associates team sent out the instructions on request, and they were pretty simple to follow. If you know what you're doing and have a sewing machine, it'll be fine! It took us an afternoon from cutting out to finished skirt.

Ooh, thank you to everybody for the sock info! Maybe the answer is to do one foot on, one foot off! 🤣 

Or more likely, it's reassuring that it sounds that actually it doesn't really matter one way or the other and I should just take a deep breath and relax about it!

@Crazylifecrazykids best of luck to you and your daughter for the video submission. It's difficult for everyone - parents who have to learn how to do the technical side of things as well as the poor children trying to show what they can do in such an artificial context. At least everyone applying will be in the same position. Fingers crossed!

😀 Ah, thanks, that's reassuring to know that others have similar thoughts! Sockless and JA uniform it is then!

Hello! Another parent of a yr 5 JA here, very grateful to the person who first mentioned that applications were open as the email reminder didn't come through until several days later - well caught @Crazylifecrazykids!

I am going to ask my daughter's ballet teacher to take the photographs, but I also noticed that there appeared to be no mention of sock wearing. It struck me as odd to have ballet shoes and nothing else on their feet, so I wondered if there was a mistake in the instructions. 

Are your children wearing their JA uniform in the photos? I'm not sure whether this will help, hinder or make absolutely no difference 😀  I may be obsessing unduly about these photos though....

Good luck to everyone applying - I'm approaching the process with trepidation as it sounds quite complicated, but grateful to hear about experiences of others and realise that I'm not alone in finding it so.

28 minutes ago, BalletBoyMumma said:

JA1? If so, my DS is in that class too. 🙂 Their teacher is wonderful. 

 

I guess the upside is your DD won’t be alone - I can imagine others will change over too and she will still know some classmates (really considering it for my DS - he is also ‘new’ but a yr5 in the class so we’d be changing for yr6).  And I’m sure the other teacher must be just as lovely too. 🙂 

I emailed to query the session options and apparently it’s up to us and our family schedules (and I guess it must be down to places available too, I’m sure but sounds like they are open to people switching to more or less sessions). 

Ah, yes! We are also in JA1. You're absolutely right, of course - I'm sure all the other teachers (and children) are equally lovely no matter which class they're in. I'll talk to my daughter and see what she wants to do - but will certainly be good to reassure her that others consider the switch! 🙂

Hello I was just coming on to see if anyone else was thinking about changing from the 24 to the 32 sessions. We went for 24 initially to see how things went (of course when you apply for the programme the whole possibility of being accepted seems so unlikely anyway!). But my daughter is absolutely loving it and misses it on the days that she doesn't go. On the other hand, she has made lots of friends in her current class, and she adores her teacher. It's a tricky one. Just wondering how common it is for people to change classes, particularly between year 4 and year 5, which is our situation.

10 hours ago, Balletmummy18 said:

My dd did LJB as well as JAs. yes she was totally shattered but three of her year at LJB gained places at WL...strangely  LJB prepared her far better for the rigours and feel of WL then JAs . 

Thank you, that's good to know! We were considering dropping LJB once we heard about the JAs (only applied for both because it seemed so unlikely that she might get a place at JAs, still can't believe how lucky she has been), but it sounds like doing both might actually be a good thing - if she can manage it. We applied for the 24 sessions for JAs and the way the term dates are distributed it seems that the commitment is greater in the autumn term than the rest of the year (10 sessions, then 8 sessions in the spring term and 6 in the summer if I remember rightly). So if we can cope with the first term, the rest of the year should be fine.

Thank you @sunrise81 for your response - I'll do that.

Hello! Reading this thread has been so useful - thanks everyone who has posted about sizes for the uniform. In case it helps anyone else, my daughter will be 9 in September, 126.5cm tall. We've gone with the size 1 leotard and the 7-8 tracksuit top/bottoms and all fit fine (well, perhaps the tracksuit is slightly on the baggy side, but perfectly wearable). Has anyone dared to cut the belt/hair ribbons yet?! 

My daughter will be attending JA1 in London (yr4). She's also got a place at London Junior Ballet, which we accepted before we heard the result of JA audition (deadline was early June). Does anyone know the etiquette re doing two lots of associate classes? She's desperate to do both (assuming she doesn't get too tired with both Saturday and Sunday sessions), but do the RBS like to know if they're doing other associate classes too? The RBS approach seems so holistic, what with having to send school report, making sure that you have local dance teacher's permission to attend etc,  it made me wonder whether we should ask/tell them that she'd like to do LJB as well? Anyone else in this position? Thanks for any insights!