Paquita

My dd is a current student. We can't speak highly enough about Kings...exceptional teaching and they really do get the very best out of every single dancer there, in a way suited to each one as an individual. Our dd has never been happier. Miss T and Miss C really care about the students. Individual teaching is part of the weekly timetable, and they are given many opportunities - more recently YAGP. As mentioned in a previous comment, training is intense, but that's how my dd likes it. Their results speak for themselves. We can't speak highly enough of Kings. Feel free to dm me if you want further info. Our dd's progress has been quite remarkable since being there.

A couple of yrs ago, my dd was offered a place for yr 9, and offered a percentage of financial assistance from the school. We had to decline as it was beyond our means. She was on the waiting list for an MDS, and we got a phone call on the last day of the summer term offering her one! I phoned and explained, at the time, that we couldn't afford the £160 registration fee, and they said not to worry about it. Dd has since moved onto a vocational ballet school, with a focus purely on ballet, as this is the route she wishes to pursue. Her MDS was handed to another student in her year group when she left (we weren't told this by the school, but it wasn't hard to work out, as it was a friend!). There is movement all of the time in these schools, so keep hope.

Kings International Ballet School in Leicestershire. An incredible ballet Academy. They only take a small number of students, so the teaching is individual and amazing.

Depending on age, Kings International Ballet Academy is exceptional. They take students from year 10 upwards. Training is incredible (as well as the focus on student wellbeing). Our dd LOVES it there. Limited places per year group (about 5), but no MDS financial assistance unfortunately. A gem of a school.

Kings International Ballet Academy is outstanding. Our dd is loving it there and living her dream. Incredible training and wonderful staff. It's definitely the place if you want to pursue ballet.

We had our MDS offer the last week of the summer term (after declining the bursary for financial reasons and asking to be put on thr MDS waitlist as we were still VERY interested). Also, a couple of students joined on MDS's a term into the new school year because of movement.

We had a yes for my 14 yr old DD off the wait list. However, we've turned it down due to accepting Kings and Central some time ago. So hopefully another wait list senior will be happy by being offered the place 🙂

We have some girl's Hammond uniform for sale, most of it never worn and all in impeccable condition. Would suit new starters in years 7 - 9. Feel free to send me a private message if anyone is interested. I remember how expensive all the uniform was to buy so it may help someone out to buy 2nd hand (even though its all brand new!).

My dd is doing the summer school.

They offer returned MDS's very quickly (to both current students or new students). There is always a lot of movement on the wait list also, so if you're near the top, don't lose hope as you could even be offered one as late as the end of the summer term.

My dd is yr 9 there and although she is a boarder, she has mentioned 3 or 4 of her year group that are day pupils - I think there are a couple more too. I know one lives half an hour drive away but not sure about the others.

I know it's a long time since discussions have taken place on here. However, we've only recently heard about KIBA through our daughter's home ballet teacher. Our DD is yr 9 and just done her first term at a well known full time vocational dance school a long way from where we live. Although she is incredibly happy there and loves boarding life and school life, she is a ballet dancer and the school doesn't quite live up to her expectations with the ballet and she feels it isn't ballet focused enough and she'd like to be challenged more. I must say their focus, although they have daily ballet classes, seems to be the other dance genres, especially for performances and showcasing their work. She is there on a MDS award - and here comes my question - do King's offer financial assistance, MDS's or scholarships?? Also, how much is private tutoring and accommodation on top of the £10,000 a term fees? She'd so love to be somewhere where she's studying far more classical ballet and having more hours of it a week too and KIBA offers, what seems like, and excellent timetable of this. Her home ballet teacher has just finished performing in The Nutcracker in Brecon and said that KIBA students were in his production too and they are the best classical ballet dancers he has seen outside of the RBS in the UK. He advised our dd to audition, but if we can't afford it all i'm not sure if it's worth starting the ball rolling in this direction. Any information at all would be greatly received. Thank you.

My dd used 1 min of her ballet solo. However, they just want to see your child dance so anything is fine.....a syllabus dance or her own choreography would be fine. Good luck! My dd loves it there and they made her audition experience so lovely.

Our DD started as a yr 9 boarder on lower school dance at another well known school, we chose it because it's less prestigious than one or two others so we felt she'd be more nurtured with less pressures put on her, thus allowing her love of ballet to remain. The school have been amazing with every aspect of her care and always respond promptly to my e mails and phone calls and endeavour to do whatever they can to keep her happy and challenged in her vocational training. There have been a few hiccups with boarding....mainly teenage girls just finding their way with friendship groups as there are a few strong characters, but nothing out of the ordinary. My daughter had a couple of poorly days and the house parent offered her a hug and told her to go back to bed and rest...she was checked on throughout the 2 days she was off school ill. We live 7 hours from the school so it's a HUGE deal that she's happy, not pressured, and well cared for. Ask curfue times (bed times) and how they ensure these are adhered to, ask if sleepovers can happen in the boarding house between rooms (we had one time my daughter was left alone in her room as her room mate decided to sleep over in another room), ask if they are supervised for trips into town at weekends etc, what the eating arrangements are at weekends etc. This particular school sort out taxis for the students to and from the station for exeats and holidays. They are open to requests of pupils leaving a bit earlier on exeat weekends if they have a long way to travel home (some pupils have 8 hour train journeys). Ask what the MDS includes...ours includes medical insurance, £500 towards dance uniform, £550 towards instrumental or singing lessons and also includes travel on public transport but only if on very low income. 11 would have been too young for us to send our daughter away, but every child and family circumstance is different. She had just turned 13 when she started at vocational school and its been the perfect age for her (we are missing her dreadfully though!!).

Yes I will do. Do I pm you my phone number to be added to the yr 7 group?x