Neverdancedjustamum

1 hour ago, Balletbuds80 said:

Been reading this thread as my current Year 5 DD may be embarking on this journey in the Autumn. We/I cannot decide on what to do. Did you and your DC’s know that the vocational route was what they definitely wanted to do or were any of you undecided? Have you go e with what your child wants? I think some might like the idea of it and then the reality of going away might be a different story. Were any of you dead set against vocational at year 7 and went along with the ride anyway and have now changed your mind at the offer of a place? I know i have a few months before this all starts but i have been back and forth and am worried that once things are in motion, it will be hard to go back. Do we go with it and just see what happens? I know there will be a lot of mixed opinions on this. 

I don’t think you’ll know for sure until the time comes. I know numerous parents who, up until the time their DCs got an offer/s, were either undecided or against the idea of letting their DCs board/go full time at age 11. Once offers come in, and I do believe this very much depends on which school offers too, they either make up their mind fairly quickly or suddenly change their mind (from “they seem too young to be going away” to “it will be good experience for them and I can’t stand in the way of their dreams”). Perhaps it’s just my DCs but I know for sure when they were 11 they really didn’t know what their dream careers are! A few years on and they still don’t (neither are in dance). You will definitely get mixed opinions on this query depending on each one’s personal experiences. 

10 hours ago, Ballet Power said:

Does anyone know when we will get more info? the handbook or dates/times

 

If it helps, current MAs (London centre anyway) received info last Wednesday so I assume it will be pretty soon for new associates. 

17 minutes ago, Jewel said:

It's strange how different people find things isn't it.  I stopped buying Silky tights for dd as they didn't last 5 minutes

Same here. They were the very first tights I got for DD as it was the only brand available from the school shop. I found they turned a bit grey after only a few washes. Certainly for the convertible style, I didn’t find them much cheaper than other brands either (Amazon or otherwise). I remember buying about 5-6 different brands of tights and having DD use them same number of times so they were washed more or less the same number of times too. I then lined them all up to check for colour, shrinkage, bobbling and general softness.  Silky was definitely greyest, Bloch was thinnest and most worn looking, Capezio showed a bit of shrinkage. I clearly had too much time in my hands to be doing such experiments! What did pain me was the price increase from child sizes to adult sizes - ouch! 
 

Just to say that as a point of reference, when we tried half a dozen brands at the same time, they were just washed in the washing machine with the rest of our clothes (with the pinks/purples/brown/reds/nudes). I’ve never handwashed or scrubbed tights. 

Never tried Merlet but my DD is probably the fussiest person ever when it comes to tights.  I kid you not when I say that we must have tried pretty much every brand there is (apart from Merlet, ironically). Her absolute favourite is So Danca. The light pink is lovely and classical but we tend to buy the ballet pink because the colour lasts longer. It’s brighter and almost more salmon in colour straight out of the pack but once worn it’s not as bright and looks amazing with the So Danca SD16 split sole canvas shoes and takes ages to fade. None of her ballet pink So Dancas turned into that horrid greyish pink hue that a lot of tights do. The waistband is also super soft and remains that way. Amazingly comfortable and soft all over. Just our opinion and I’m sure others would have their own recommendations too.
 

(Post not sponsored by So Danca though that would be amazing given the number of pairs we go through.)

I am very interested in the responses you get to this too. Unfortunately, whilst @Jewel’s advice makes perfect sense, it’s often not an option for my DD as she has very long, curly hair (with lots of baby hair and wisps and layers) and using water alone to “tame” it doesn’t work for long.  She doesn’t have classes every day but on the few days she does, we definitely need to use hair gel at the very least to make her bun look halfway neat. I too am very worried about hair damage but also I’ve seen quite a few dancers (from young to more mature, from hobby dancers to full timers, students to professionals) who appear to have either receding hairlines - presumably from hair being constantly scraped back into a bun - or with middle parts that seem to progressively grow wider through the years. I’m so paranoid about this that I always try to vary my DD’s bun - middle part one day, scraped back another, side part the next. Perhaps luckily, DD hates having her hair in a bun anyway so as soon as class is over she gets her hair down asap. She’s not a full time student and none of her classes prescribe a specific style so we do have the leeway to do whatever bun as long as it’s neat.  On an interesting slightly different note, it does seem like her use of hair gel more often than her non-dancing school mates has helped her avoid getting head lice through her primary schools years (and up to now). Even when there was a rise in head lice cases when she was younger in school, lice seem to avoid her hair like the plague and we’ve never had to deal with them. Not sure if it’s related to use to hair gel spray but strange in any case. 

Current London Mids (MA1) had until 28th March to decline their offer of another year’s training. However, I think other centres had their assessments later and so that might have pushed back their deadline to respond a bit later too.

7 minutes ago, balletmum20 said:

Do you have any left? 

Hi! Yes, I still have 9, 10, 11, 12, 16 and 21.

48 minutes ago, Julsgalaxy said:

I must say as a parent of a DC in yr6 who has just been offered a yr7 place at WL , this thread has been very good to read for the reality of it but also fills me with dread and anxiety about accepting the place as it’s filled with worry about what the next 3 years could bring at the end of it .

I think it’s good to go into it with eyes wide open but it doesn’t feel like the joyous achievement that it should be knowing that it doesn’t mean a smooth ride all the way through to yr 11 and worry about the psychological affects of it all. 
it feels a bit like taking a chance accepting the place in the hope that your DC “makes it” passed the next 3 years.

Congratulation to your DC! Despite all the things on this thread it’s a major feat and achievement being offered a place at the RBS. It’s such a high profile school internationally that I must admit it’s very very rare that a DC and parents opt to go elsewhere given the chance. But as you said, it’s good to go into these things with eyes open and be able to weigh the pros and cons (and prioritising the child’s well-being).  It’s a huge commitment of a child’s life and it’s always tricky to know what they want at that age and at the same time even if you see them every week, that’s still a lot of your DC’s life that will be spent away from you during his/her formative years (if DC is to board). In addition to the number of Y9s getting places at Y10, do also consider the number of Y11s who get an upper school place, bearing in mind how many of those have been there since Y7. The story might be quite telling. Finally check the stats on the second year uppers who get offered the final year at upper school and then final year on to Company. Again, check how many have been there from Y7. And remember there’s always lots of roads learning to a DC’s goal and the one that’s most obvious might not always be the best.

9 hours ago, Coffeemum said:

OK, so, a little bit of first hand info here. And I'll be brief, but happy to answer any DMs. 7 year 9 girls have not been offered a place for year 10. 2 boys, I think. That leaves 4 from the original cohort of girls, though some of those left before year 9. I won't put anything else up here other than saying that system still has a long way to go in terms of pastoral care for this particular situation. 

That does seem quite a lot of girls compared to previous years. I must admit that as an outsider with no first hand experience, when I heard about the new structure the first thing that came to mind was that it will give the school more leeway and justification to let a lot more students go at the end of Y9. Cynical I know but that’s really what came to mind immediately. You can see from the numbers the previous poster mentioned - the number of girls is significantly more than previous years. Could be coincidence, I don’t know, but the next few years will tell. I just saw on social media a 12 year old international (summer birthday too so very young in the year if she were in the U.K.) has just been offered a Y10 place. That’s almost skipping 2 years, I do wonder how she will cope academically if she were to take up the offer. As a side note, when things like this are discussed, boys are often a slightly separate matter as you can see from the numbers the previous poster mentioned. It’s the same when talking about auditions and offers. I remember one year the odds of a boy getting in after finals was almost 50% and the girls about 15% (if not less). Not to deter from the fact that it’s still extremely difficult for boys to get in but I don’t think it’s an equal comparison. It’s just the nature of ballet. I remember seeing a Vaganova documentary once and a young boy talking about this - how they know full well it’s an entirely different matter for girls who want a place.  The odds are more stacked against girls overall just because of the numbers.

2 hours ago, Alybalybee said:

Sorry to jump on an old post - I wasn't sure where best to put it! Anyone heard anything yet for MA this year? 

Last year results came out 7th May 

Last year WL results came out 24th March. MA results came out 7th May. 

10 minutes ago, Harwel said:

 

To the new parents whose children are just starting this journey. I hope your children continue to love their journey and you as parents have the strength to make the right decisions on behalf of your child - you need to be their advocate, you need to see the unhealthy signs and you have to stand up to the established view for the sake of your child’s health - it will be required at some point along the path.  Have your eyes 100% open - the only person that has your child’s best interests at heart is you.  Do not believe the hype, the very smooth perfectly scripted sales pitch, trust your instincts. 
 

 

Exactly this, 100%. I think this is the one that will be quite difficult to do and keep in mind when you’re just starting out, and it’s also hard to see beyond a school’s name I’m sure once you’re in. I am not in that situation but I would hold my hand up and say that if I was, I do worry that if my child told me s/he wants to leave, I think I’ll be tempted to say “are you sure? You do know hundreds of kids would love your place”.  I think that will be the instinctive thought. I notice a very marked difference in the conversations I have with mums of those just about to start/in Year 7 to those whose DCs are in the latter years (years 10-11 and even upper school). This in itself is very telling, that after the sales pitch and the initial cosy bubble, the other things become more evident through the years.

3 minutes ago, The red shoes said:

Yes true but a lot may have had false hope for 5 years and then realising they aren’t cut out for a career in classical ballet. Hard pill to swallow at any age . 
My ds has a choice between RBS and another school which promised 5 years. 
I laid it all out to him and he still wanted to go to RBS as wanted to at least “ try” to get through to the end. His words and kudos to him. 
 

I think this has now gone way off track of what the original poster was looking for so will leave it there 🙂 

I agree, no DC should ever live in false hope. Even up until year 11, they are still very young. Entering at year 7, there is a lot of uncertainties - physiques change, injuries happen, passions fade - BUT if schools really carefully consider their recruitment, monitoring, and feedback to these students, then no one should live in false hope for 3 or 5 years. What to me is harsher is being assessed out/not being offered the next stage after 3 years sometimes out of the blue, with very little or no clue of what’s to come. If schools give regular, honest, thorough and realistic feedback to students as they progress through the years, then these students and their parents can make informed decisions out of their own accord without having to be assessed out. And I always did wonder too whether being assured 3 or 5 years is a top consideration of any parent or child when faced with a choice between RBS and another school. If it were between two other schools perhaps but let’s face it, RBS is RBS and it’s easier to remember those who turned down places because it happens so rarely.  To answer the original poster’s question, I have read of and heard of lots of success stories of dancers who have been assessed out or were told they weren’t good enough etc. It does depend on the student’s personality and constitution - are they the type so determined to want to to prove others wrong and still succeed and will they find excellent and nurturing training after or will the system affect or worse. ‘break’ them to the point that they would just want to quit dancing entirely. 

8 minutes ago, The red shoes said:

Of course.. and everything you say is true.

They have a wonderful counsellor available every day and will see many students on a weekly basis for a variety of issues. 
The pastoral care is very good and has helped my DS no end through ups and downs with moving away etc. 
 

My point was that they have a reputation to uphold and so they have to find a way of choosing the best. Yes harsh but true. And actually my 11 year old is very aware of the year 9 process. They are all so supportive of the ones who won’t be continuing on.. he is witnessing the process now and will know what to expect. As a parent you can prepare them as much as possible but it’s inevitable it will cause heartbreak. So does getting an injury, so does not getting the part you wasn’t, or not getting into upper school after 5 years training at any of the top schools in the UK. Heartbreak, disappointment..  it’s all part of it. 
I feel for those at other Vocational schools who have 5 years training because that is what the school sold them, and then are unsuccessful in all their upper school auditions . Again bitter disappointment. The school promised them 5 years and that’s what they got.. but now nothing . 
There is plenty of support for the students leaving and yes it’s horrendous but most stages of a ballet career are . 

However, those 5 years aren’t purely training, there is academics too as these vocational  schools like to emphasise . 5 years is fairly normal in any other school and I would think that a disruption after 3 years has more impact than one after 5 years when they’ve done their GCSE’s and are more mature age-wise. A lot of kids in non-vocational schools would change educational institutions after year 11 whether it’s to go to upper school/6th form/college. I would say there’s a much smaller percentage having to move after year 9 and no matter how prepared you think a child is, it must take some adjustment to go from a boarding school “bubble” to a “normal” school. It must feel like a massive change from studying and living with say, 30 or less other kids in your year group to going to school where you’re one of maybe 150-200 in your year group. You also go from almost having this single focused goal to having to contend with thinking of more than one option. 

12 minutes ago, Kerfuffle said:

Anecdotally I think you’re correct @Neverdancedjustamum. Perhaps the teaching goes up a gear or two in those final two years at WL? I guess it would have to or else it would be very frustrating for those international students who are used to so much more (plus the excitement of performing in major competitions) ! 

I did wonder this myself.  Oddly enough, I’m pretty sure I saw some internationals who seem to have visited WL not so long ago, outside usual audition dates. Perhaps they were international scholars as it looked like they stayed a few days. But then I saw some of the same ones in different schools the week after, sure I saw one at APG and one at Cranko. It must be quite disconcerting for the actual students of the school having new people in their classes come and go. 

13 minutes ago, Kerfuffle said:

I guess that even if they find another school they might still have problems getting the funding, which adds to the upset. I suppose that from the moment a child starts at vocational parents have to plan for this. I wonder if it will lead to more places in year 10 for those who haven’t gone to vocational at y7? 

I’m sure I might be mistaken because I don’t have first hand experience but I assume at Y10 some of the main contenders would be from overseas. They’re at that age where their families would probably be more comfortable with their DCs boarding far from home and I’ve seen some exquisitely trained international dancers(who often come over for SIs here). I look at competitors at say YAGP, Prix de Lausanne, AGP, etc similar age to my DD but seem on a different level all together. If I were to hazard a guess, the ratio of UK vs international DCs inviter to a certain school’s finals for entry to Years 9/10/11 would be heavily skewed towards internationals. Correct me if I’m wrong, as I said, this is simply a guess. Perhaps the UK is slowly going that way and I’m noticing that every year, DCs who seem very extensively and intensively trained get those highly coveted Y7 places. 

Freed does a stunning cap sleeve leotard, with adjustable pinch front. Very similar style  to the RBS upper school uniform leotard. I can’t remember the style number but if you ask in-store in their shop in St Martin’s Lane, they usually have it in stock. Last time I purchased, it was only about £27. Very simple but an amazing fit and flattering leg line (definitely not too high like Degas).

On 10/03/2022 at 10:18, valentina said:

It is extremely rare for students to be assessed out. It does happen occasionally, but I think it's usually because a student hasn't been able to attend classes for whatever reason, maybe illness or injury or discipline issues, rather than they are not meeting the standards generally.

Cant remember how we heard, but I think it was a couple of lines in an email. Nothing detailed.

London MA and SA assessment results are out now. You’re right @valentina, it was a brief email just saying they passed the assessment and that they’re invited for another year. 

My DD loves Grishko, the Classic Excellence collection has a lot of styles that have an adjustable leg line. Attitude Diffusion is really good too and is often stocked in Freed (they had a lot on sale recently and most were only £20). Repetto and Wear Moi are also great.

47 minutes ago, margarite said:

Fair point, but someone did report a ‘no’ further up the thread 👆

That’s true. I do wonder (and this is just me doing my usual overthinking) if they put quite a few more on the waitlist this year from UK based applicants as a precautionary measure should travel restrictions somehow come into place again which will make it harder for international ones to travel over. They would then have a larger than usual pool of UK-based waitlist DCs to offer places to should overseas students be unable to take up their place. Business-wise, it makes sense although I assume RBS always had more DCs on waitlists anyway than can be offered places even in previous years regardless of travel situation. I don’t expect them to ever have places that won’t be filled even at short notice. Is this also the first year the intensives are under a new Head? 

43 minutes ago, Dancing.shoes said:

Waiting list here too. Can I just ask - does anyone just get a straight no?! It seems everyone has yes or wait list - in which case nigh on impossible to get a place from WL if everyone has it?! 

That’s what I was wondering too (though not personally involved in the matter). In previous years I’ve heard of quite a lot of no’s but this year, I haven’t seen nor heard of a single “no”, everyone seems (to me) to have been placed on the waitlist. In past years by this stage I’ve heard/seen of some no’s (even on this forum), a lot of waitlist and some yes’s. Just based on what I’ve personally seen and heard, that wait list seems especially long this year. The travel situation seems to have stabilised with restrictions either completely eased or being eased continually which means all those overseas offers should be fine to travel to the UK in the summer.  I don’t think there will be a lot of movement in that list, certainly not to the extent of last year’s. 

23 minutes ago, NotadanceMa said:

I’ve never known an MA to be assessed out in classes over the last 3 yrs. I found the assessments a somewhat paper exercise that meant very little. There was no paper work or marks just an email saying your child is through to the next year.

It is independently assessed usually by Mr Annear for boys not sure for girls. 
It’s not in my experience ‘a thing’ to fret about in anyway whatsoever.

Thank you, that’s very interesting to know. I suppose with centres with more than one MA class it can also determine which class they’ll be placed in next year? 

2 hours ago, valentina said:

It is extremely rare for students to be assessed out. It does happen occasionally, but I think it's usually because a student hasn't been able to attend classes for whatever reason, maybe illness or injury or discipline issues, rather than they are not meeting the standards generally.

Cant remember how we heard, but I think it was a couple of lines in an email. Nothing detailed.

Okay, I thought there might be a report at least. We all received a phone call from the teacher before Christmas as a means of feedback but it was very early days then, they haven’t even finished the first term yet. 

Sorry to revive this old thread but I didn’t want to start a new one when my query fits broadly under this. I was just wondering what happens after the MA assessment? First timer with any kind of  RBS associates here. The emails regarding the assessment sound sufficiently ominous - like the offer of another year’s training is dependent on the assessment. I was just wondering, for those who have experience of MA:

- how soon after the assessment do you usually get the results? 
- is it in the form of a detailed report? Are there marks? 
- do they generally assess out?

4 minutes ago, BalletBoysDad said:

Thank goodness that one’s over indeed 😂 Time for my ds to hang up his audition shoes. Now the agonising wait…. I think if you ticked ‘MAs’ only, you wouldn’t have gone to finals. Though I’d assume a number of boys who don’t get WL places will be amongst those being considered for and offered MA places. Good luck to everyone 🤞

I think that’s usually the case. In my DD’s MA class there is a very small minority of students who weren’t JAs previously (off the top of my head I can only think of 3), but all 3 were at WL finals.