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Jewel

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Everything posted by Jewel

  1. Anyone running a class for children should have public liability insurance & preferably professional indemnity. It is fairly easy to obtain.
  2. What I’m trying to ask (obviously badly) is that had these kids not had an awful time in these earlier years would their later experiences have been better? Is the ballet cult described by Luke Jennings made worse by these very early selections of children? Is the boarding school experience part of this? Although my child witnessed some of the things shown in the programme second hand at Lower School on the whole her experience was good. She was also a day student at that point which probably helped and looking back she thinks her teachers did not subject her to some of the things others got. It was only part way through upper school following some changes in staffing, management and ethos that she was treated very badly.
  3. *I agree that more than all that would be extremely difficult. My personal opinion is that it would be better to take the Trinity Diploma out of the equation, and instead offer three A’ levels alongside the full time ballet training.* It's the Trinity diploma that gives access to the funding though.
  4. She went to one of the schools that offered A levels. Academic classes were mostly scheduled in the mornings.
  5. I sent a direct enquiry to a Cambridge college regarding entry to their degree courses as my child has 2 A levels which were taken alongside her dance diploma. The reply was helpful. They will not accept the dance diploma for entry to any of their courses. The options would be to go back to college or do an online course to study for a further A level or to study an Open University Certificate of Higher Education prior to applying for an undergraduate course.
  6. If, in the 21st century, Lower Schools do not understand that children’s bodies change during puberty, and support & reassure their students that everything happening to their body is normal, then nothing is going to change. My child was later diagnosed with a gynaecological condition that caused bloating. No amount of "I can see your lunch" type comments were ever going to help!
  7. My child attended a summer school at Tring. When we picked her up she declared that she was starving, there hadn't been enough food and the portions were really tiny & they were not allowed seconds, so could we please take her for something to eat. (she was already full time at another school by that point, the Tring SS was to see if she wanted to apply for Upper School)
  8. The lawyer is gathering evidence with regards to corroborating the stories of existing clients based around specific allegations (namely body shaming/eating disorders). If anyone new coming forward does have a strong enough case then it’s something they could potentially look at.
  9. I can only speak for my child’s school who do not have parent governers.
  10. Making abelist comments Refusing to allow a student the time/facilities to do their specific NIDMS clinic prescribed physio exercises Ridiculing anyone choosing to wear a face mask during autumn term 2020 Not informing students of timetable/room changes this making them late for classes or miss classes Punishing students for things outside of their control
  11. My child never wanted to be a classical ballet dancer, she just wanted to be a dancer. But it is drummed into you that the industry needs this, the industry needs that, this will happen to you if you don't do this. When actually she has found that the industry itself is far more inclusive. Yes, you need to be fit, athletic, have stamina etc etc. But you don't need to tell an already thin dancer that they are fat and should starve themselves, put up with being screamed at and worse.
  12. We sent our child because they found it very difficult to access high quality training locally and we were also able to facilitate them being a day student. We had a younger child with SEN who also took up a lot of our time. I do have to say that although lots of the things featured in the programme did go on at their school my child emerged relatively unscathed from lower school. Our other child had a horrendous time at our local school so we felt grateful that our dancing child was out of that and getting much better care. We had complaints, no school is perfect, but feIt that any issues were dealt with and taken seriously. It probably helped that our child was rubbish at picking up coded messages being a very literal person and so didn't realise some of the messages that were being given out by the dance teachers. Their problems began part way through upper school, they were living away from home at this point and there were some major changes at the school. I'm not going to go into it all here but my point on this thread is that being older doesn't always stop these things from happening.
  13. I hope that my child has not lost their love of dance although it was a close call. They are currently working as a performer/children's entertainer in a hotel and when their current contract ends will be performing in a schools/community venue panto tour. The kind of contract that these schools probably look down on, but as my child says. For some children, seeing them perform a panto at their school is the first encounter they have with theatre and it gives them immense satisfaction.
  14. I have emailed evidence of complsints policies not being followed. In fact part of my complaint was that a complaint had not been acknowledged within the published tike frame. Did you know that if you complain verbally, even if you have a meeting, or if your email does not contain certain phrases then it is not classed as a formal complaint? our issues were nothing to do with eating disorders although body shaming also happened I didn’t know about it. my child is currently considering their options as they kept a lot of evidence & a detailed log of various events.
  15. It works both ways too. Sometimes you can put up with these things if you know there is an involved, caring head who takes your complaints and issues seriously. But what happens when you get an involved head who is also a major part of the problem?
  16. I actually think the programme was quite conservative and didn't cover the half of what goes on. My child went to a school not featured. If you had asked me when they were in Year 7-11 then I'd have said, no way, not at their school, they have things in place, it's not like that now. I didn't know the half of it. It was normalised so much the children didn't even bother to mention it. When we did find out and when things got worse and tried to first resolve things with the school (things actually got worse not better due to staffing changes) we were accused of being malicious complainants and threatened legally. Not what you want during A levels/grad year. Our experience is very recent and although my child has now graduated I know that things are still ongoing from people who we are still in touch with.
  17. I've avoided contributing because my family is still unpicking the trauma caused by one such school. The culture was toxic for both staff and students but we have had to sign a legal thing not to talk about it. I doubt much will change, excuses will be made and they will all continue to make legal threats/get rid of anyone who tries to whistleblow.
  18. They are apparently, incredibly comfortable and supportive which is why professionals like them.
  19. LaDuca's are the elite of New Yorkers and tap shoes. Very expensive so generally only those in professional training or working wear them. They are also known for their boots. They supply the Rockettes and also shows such as Kinky Boots, Moulin Rouge, Wicked etc etc
  20. Be aware that faculty, can and do change very quickly so don't choose somewhere because of particular teachers. (Although it might be worth asking about staff turnover)
  21. A lot has changed recently but the only thing that has changed in terms of the college level courses offered is that the post 16 Level 3 drama course (Btec) has now changed to be called Theatre Arts and students choose either drama or music specialisms. This is for 16 year olds and there is no funding (there may be a few scholarships). As far as I aware it is still Level 3 A level equivalent and designed to prepare for entry to drama school/university/conservatoire. The DaDa funded courses in Dance or Musical Theatre which I guess are the courses most on here would be interested in have always been open to anyone aged 16-23. I think the fact that A levels are offered alongside perhaps have confused some people who assume it is 6th form education only. A levels were optional and when my child was there anyone who didn't opt for them did a fitness teaching qualification instead.
  22. Not at Hammond. Many apply age 18 after taking A levels.
  23. Congratulations. For what it’s worth I think you have made the right choice.
  24. My daughter stayed in a YHA hostel in central London and it was perfectly safe etc. Not sure she's have wanted to be there for two weeks though, the bed was not the comfiest.
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