Macy1

The current level of employer contribution is 23.68% of teacher salary. The new % is more than a 20% increase to 26.68% of salary paid in by employer to pension. In state schools the govt pays that figure into pensions. Independent isn't gov funded so the school has to meet that increase.

Waitlist for us. First time it’s not been a no so she’s happy. Randomly. Ah welll fingers crossed!

Don’t believe results come out until april

White lodge finals results are out so maybe summer intensive emails next!

Try Fit The Mould- great variety of dance, fun activities. There’s a dance and a musical theatre option https://www.fitthemould.com/events

Hi. My daughter was offered a place year 7 which we didn’t end up taking as wasn’t right at the time. She auditioned again year 9 and got a place. We know plenty of people who’ve had ‘no’s’ so she absolutely didn’t get a place because she might pay - all the dancers are a great standard so don’t take away from the achievement of the offer. You also need to remember that they can’t offer to more people than they have room for as (though unlikely) what if everyone said yes?! Year 8 isn’t a main year entry either so even less spaces than say the year 7 intake. you need to do what’s right for you and your family but congrats for the offer and if she doesn’t take it this time then she’s clearly on the right track and if it’s right for her in one or two or more years time she’ll have offers then

I’d love to be able to ask some questions about school life at Tring. Daughter has been offered a place but I don’t feel I know enough about it. I’ve sent some questions to the school direct but would love a parent’s viewpoint. Anyone willing to let me ask them a few (hopefully easy!) questions pls message me. Also, if anyone knows the following: do students that get places in the year 7/8/9 stage automatically get a place to yrs 10/11 or do they all have to re-audition and no guarantee. If re-audition does anyone know roughly how many get to stay? many thanks

Just a question. Why do Yorkshire ballet seminars ask for child’s weight (and height) on application form? Seems a bit odd for a week’s residential scheme? I had hoped the ballet world had moved on from this a bit

Hi! 4Dance.co.uk (branches in Walton on Thames and Byfleet sell Russian pointe and you can buy on line

Ballet boost summer course at pineapple is great! My daughter did juniors for 2 yrs from the same age as yours, lovely teachers and variety of guest teachers etc

I think they’ve just changed the name for this year!

I tried adult ballet- briefly- and whilst I don’t have particularly wide feet or short toes they’re not slim and long either. Best ones for me were So Danca, they also did a ‘wide fit’ though that might be dependant on your definition of wide. The non-wide ones fitted me so there definitely were wider ones available. Not sure on vamp though sorry

Hi - left it too late to apply for Central associates this year, but their recent building move posts have reminded me to look for a bit more info. So I know I’ve missed this year’s application (I think!) but can’t find much info on here about the associates scheme as opposed the the school itself. So- any current associate families- I know lockdown/zoom will have given different experiences but (normally) how big are the classes? Is the teaching consistent ie same teacher each week so gets to know your child? Do you think your children have progressed- any first hand comparisons with other schemes also welcome! Thanks in advance!

My daughter did her first audition age 8. It was a lovely experience as we went with friends and made a day of it. We explained ahead that there were lots of people applying and the experience was the main thing. If she got it great but looking at the numbers there would be a lot more no’s than yes’s and to be honest by the time the results came she’d pretty much forgotten about it. But oh was she so much more confident for the next (and the next, and the next...). The issue of explaining about body shape etc comes much later and actually our daughter understands that, i think, in a very healthy way. She never thinks that she has the ‘wrong’ shape just that she wasn’t what those people were looking for on the day. At the next one she might be (and has been). It’s all in how you communicate it and don’t build it up too much or make too big a thing of it.

We’ve been back in studio since mid April after the Easter hols- are you talking about adult classes?

Noting that deadline for Mids acceptance is today, sending good luck wishes to all of us on swl x

I think that anyone that goes to the funding auditions for Tring has been offered a place. Sorry if not clear earlier. So after initial you might get a no, a yes but you’re not getting a chance at funding (so if you can pay you can just accept the place then) or a yes and we are inviting you to the funding audition. I assume the majority of those students do then wait to the funding audition and then to see if offered funding before accepting their offer (or not)

Tring give initial results sooner. 3 outcomes: no thank you yes if you can pay funding offer funding audition so some people get places after the initial results if they can pay fees. Otherwise they have to turn down as not invited to funding audition the funding audition was about a week before royal I think

What does anyone think the earliest is that they will contact SWL places assuming no one here has heard anything already....

Tring did some really useful virtual open days for this year, videos with interviews with teachers and students and a look around- might be worth checking their website to see if still up. As someone that has just come out the other side of year 7 applications my top tips are 1) be open with your dance teachers about wanting to apply. Worst case they’ll ignore you (not us but saw it happen to others, teachers just weren’t interested). Best case you will get honest feedback on what to work on and some help to do it including taking time to make sure your application pics are as good as they can be. As year6 progresses you should keep regular contact with teachers to see how doing. I know some that did private lessons to work on different aspects. Private lessons and extra tuition are not a guarantee of a space so don’t feel you need to do that and don’t be intimidated by those that are- but a couple of sessions to get ‘things to work on’ and ‘progress’ are a great motivator. Arranging a private lesson with your associates teacher can also be good to get a different viewpoint to say normal weekly teacher who will no doubt have their own views on aspects to work on. Pilates or strengthening should be considered - just getting a few mins of that a day into their daily routine at home makes a huge difference over a year and the students do need to have that self drive to keep practicing at home. As a parent you can only do the logistics- apply on time with the right photos and get them to the audition on time. All the work for the year before that has to come from the student wanting to do it. 2)all the schools seem to have varying application deadlines and processes- Tring for example ask you to send screening info BEFORE inviting you to apply. We made a list with info for each school so that we knew what we had to do and by when 3) be honest with yourselves about funding. Not all places are funded, and therefore some people get offered places only to have to turn them down as they can’t afford without funding. You need to prepare your child for how it works if this would be an issue for you. 4) finally never beat yourself up if it’s a ‘not yet’ - there are simply too many people applying for too few places. After all that work, they might not have a place but on reflection they’ll be proud of their progress so far. good luck with it all!

Check junk folder- they also do it in batches I think so you might just be on a later email?

Short wait list for us which I think is an achievement in itself..... anyone know how short the short list is and any chance of a place?

Good lord this is so sad. Your daughter should do what makes her happy and not feel pressured into either staying or going. But as others have said, just because she’s first to develop doesn’t mean she’ll be the last- all the girls will go through it and the teachers attitude seems very blinkered and if this was my daughter I would be fuming and moving her to a more enlightened school. If your daughter loves dancing then celebrate her love of it and support her- tell her that she dances beautifully- not that she dances beautifully ‘despite’ her shape. Some of the most impactful dancers I’ve ever seen are not sylph like. Ultimately it’s a child’s class. They’re there to have fun because realistically a tiny % will ever be professional on stage dancers but there are so many other routes. Body shape is no reason to restrict training if someone has passion and talent. I hope you find the strength to support her in whatever you choose.

I have a private insta account and set up a separate profile- though it’s MY account for my 12yr old for dancing. This means that I get to see all the notifications that come in, I get to see and approve who wants to follow her- and mostly it’s her dance friends or others from her associate scheme. Made very clear it’s for dance only and She understands that until she’s older she has to get our ok before she posts anything. Other than her dancing friends, she follows professional dancers and companies, dancewear companies she likes, her dance school account and associates account. She finds it inspiring to see what everyone is doing and in lockdown particularly because she has seen how hard even the ‘professionals who have made it’ have had to work and diversify, the resilience they have had to show etc and has found it a very supportive community of like minded people. We need to give these youngsters more credit sometimes I think, this is the world they are operating in -like it or not- and having had some frank discussions with her and her friends they are under no illusions that for the most part the ‘wow’ images are an edited snapshot. They know the move was done 30 odd times to get that shot - and not that the dancer pulls it off perfectly every time. They know it’s been edited. They know. Totally appreciate the flip side and huge respect for those that manage/choose to avoid social media altogether, but certainly we took the view that we would start early- when it was easier for us to control it and we’ve found insta a really useful way of teaching about social media and online safety, marketing etc.

Maybe though the way to look at it is if they keep the same rules, those August children will get one more chance at the upper age range than their friends in same school year as they will still be ‘young’ enough