mum5678

Thank you!

Mine is! Second year CF... happy to answer any questions.

Just to reassure you, it's SUPER easy to pop between the flats and visit each other... even between the properties as they are SO close. Also, things do change... one person dropped out just before they started in my DS's first year so they had a space in their flat. It was never filled but it could have easily been if another under 18 yr old or NBS student had been out on a limb. Xx

Thank you, that's all really helpful.... and I'm really glad your daughter is getting such good support in building her confidence - long may that continue! Xx

Hi all, Just wondering if anybody has experience of the GradPro summer schools and or competition that they'd be willing to share? TIA! Xx

DS hasn't worked during term time (mainly because they're quite busy, but also because it would be harder to come home in the hols) but he does work as much as he can when he's home in the hols. Their schedule is pretty full on, often not getting home till well after 6pm, plus it takes some time to get their heads around spending time to cook, do laundry, clean, and of course spend time speaking to friends and family from home, alongside spending time with new friends. It's certainly possible, but they REALLY work hard and do get very tired!

Pretty sure you'll need to look at one of the Unite properties for under 18s, so that's New Medlock, Parkway Gate, Artisan Heights and there are a couple a little further out, 15-20 mins walk away. We used New Medlock in y1 and are now in Parkway for year 2, both have been fine... not perfect, but good overall. I'd say New Medlock was slightly more personal in that they got to know our 16 yr olds and often chatted to them on the way in and out. Parkway is fine and smarter looking (and the lifts don't break as often!) but it's a little less personal. Congratulations on the offer!

I believe they changed the rules during last year (on the back of a change to the law in safeguarding for under 18s) so there has been an element of letting those who were already signed up work through their contract. My understanding is that they didn't take any new 16 yr olds last year, but I might be misinformed! I'm not sure if there's an exception for 17 yr olds... I do know there were 17 yr olds that moved in there for this academic year (23/24) who had signed up before the rule change and have turned 18 during the year. It's definitely worth contacting them directly to ask... I'm sure they prefer ballet students too, like balletbean said regarding Unite, they are certainly easier, friendlier tenants for them! Most of the current 2rd year are booked in to Dwell next year for their 3rd yr, so if you can get them in there, there will definitely be other NBS students around and about. Our communications with Dwell have been through this email address: studentcare@dwellstudent.co.uk but I'm pretty sure that's a generic booking one and not linked directly to the property.

Last year Dwell had stopped taking under 18s, so definitely worth getting your name down for a room in one of the Unite properties if you can... Unite have previously allowed you to cancel with no financial liability if the DADA funding doesn't come through, but as balletbean says, communicate with the properties directly. The rooms do book up quickly so worth getting a name down. They'll do an online tour for you if you want to see a property before you book too. The properties are all REALLY close, so doesn't matter which one they end up in really (although costs are different! ) We had a generally good experience with a flat of under 18s in New Medlock in yr 1 (bar the lift never working and a few maintenance issues) and have also this year in Parkway. NM seemed to have a better, or more personal understanding of the ballet school students, so that felt nice for Y1.... probably simply due to smaller numbers of students. There are usually other NBS students very close by, either in the same accommodation or one of the other near ones, so they can visit each other and hang out together easily. We were really pleased that we had a flat of ballet students all together, others prefer to live with other students to get a bit of a break from the same people day in/day out. I think age was definitely a factor in this and for a 16 yr old, we were a lot happier with him being with other ballet students, but that's just preference really! Well done on all the audition results! x

DS very much enjoyed Boys days at Central and Bring when he was around that age... you'd have to check the dates on their websites though. Central ones seem to be relatively frequent. Hammond were advertising one fairly recently too. I would say, the events he went to when he was younger (probably 7/8) he didn't get as much out of as the ones he went to from around 12 upwards, but that might have been because he was a bit worried/shy and worried that he wouldn't really be good enough to be there. He did usually come out saying he'd had a good day afterwards (especially at Tring where they got fed lunch and what he considered to be THE BEST cookies!😂) But he definitely got more out of them a little later on.

Sounds like you've already heard it from others, but just to reinforce, my DS had similar offers and went for NBS. He just felt so at home there on the audition day - came out at lunch break and just said he loved it and that this was where he wanted to be! It's proved to be just as homely and as welcoming as he first felt. He's incredibly happy there and don't think he's regretted it for a minute. The class sizes are small, especially on the CF pathway so they get a LOT of attention. The accommodation close by is a real perk... they work hard and do long days so reducing travel time helps a lot. He's been well cared for during an injury and they get a lot of performance experience compared to some other schools. They have a supportive, lovely relationship with the teachers too, several of whom are still actively dancing in the industry. The BIMM link seems to be only in name... the only impact they have is making some of the paperwork and admin more complicated! But Jackie Grey is pretty good and always supportive where there's a problem with that. Good luck with the DADA funding ... hope good news comes through soon! x

The guidelines on safeguarding have changed in recent years and a number of properties have recently changed their policies to now not accommodate under 18s, but obviously they still need to let the ones who had contracts agreed from pervious years roll out (hence why there's a mis-match). It is an issue with limiting options quite a lot!

I think DS was around intermediate / advanced 1 level for ballet when he auditioned a few years ago and said it was fine, felt comfortable. They had some current students in the class too so that they have somebody there if they forget something and need to take a peek! There are all sorts of levels of each genre who apply, as some apply with a view to going down Jazz and Musical theatre focus route and others want to go down the ballet focus route. Everybody who auditions does both classes, so there are obviously people there with different strengths. For the solo, DS did a ballet and contemporary one, but go for whatever feels most comfortable as there were pretty much all dance styles. The interview was a friendly 5 minute chat, just to get to know them a little really... the basic questions around why they want to dance, where they want to go with it etc. DS felt very comfortable there on the audition day, it was one of the friendliest and most welcoming we attended. He loved it then and still does - for him it just felt like home. He turned down a number of other offers to go there and hasn't looked back. Feel free to DM if you want any more info about the school.... he's still there so I can always ask him Qs for you if necessary! Good luck!

😊 They're a lovely bunch at NBS aren't they. I've genuinely lost count of the number of times I've felt so grateful that that's the school he chose! If anyone is struggling with applications for there this year, I've heard that the BIMM admissions portal is not being particularly cooperative so it's worth emailing the school directly and they will help.

It's so hard when they just don't want to be at school and disengage. Our experience was that once DS had offers and knew that he was going he perked up considerably... might not work for all but did for him. I think the weight of the thought of school going on 'forever' (or so it seems) made it worse so when that was lifted it helped. We did say that he could only go at 16 if he had good enough results to carry him through whatever happens next (given that he wouldn't have A levels) - that was the condition that we, as parents put on him going away at 16. We didn't put a number / grade on it, I just said I needed to know that he'd got the best he could. I wasn't that fussed about the grade itself, it just helped him focus on the fact that if this was all he was leaving school with, it really had to be the best it could be. We had a hairy few months up to and just after xmas, and then when the dance offers started coming in he started to relax a little and focus. Once he'd accepted his place, that weight was lifted and he was quite happy to just focus on academic for the last few months. Also, having previously been a secondary school teacher, you'd be amazed at what they can pull out of the bag in the last few months! I'd say get some auditions in as soon as you can.... once they start to get a picture in their heads of what might happen next year I think it really helps... the unknown is always harder to deal with and whilst the unknown is VERY much unknown during the audition months, the sooner that gets ironed out, the easier it gets to see the way forwards.

The name 'NBS' is a bit misleading... it's very much not just a ballet school! They all do everything for the first year (Jazz, MT, Tap, Ballet, Acting, Singing and probably others that I have missed out) and then they split in the second year into either Classical focus or Jazz and MT focus for the remaining 2 years. On the basis of the shows both sides are very strong - definitely worth a look for the Jazz & MT side. (If you watch the Moulin Rouge documentary on BBC iPlayer it features one of their ex students!) With NBS (and I think KS) you can convert your diploma to degree at the end of. the course, which is good to know. LSC also have Jazz and MT strands so that might be worth exploring too, and theirs its a degree course, although a 'private' one (not sure if that's the correct term), so you can't necessarily get the same level of degree funding (although they do offer scholarships sometimes.

Mamaderuby raises a good point about it being different depending on whether you're going down the classical / everything else route... DS is focussed on classical so that was a factor in our decision, but not the overriding one. Quite a few schools offer the chance to do some teaching qualifications too - I think KS Dance certainly do as standard as part of their course (or at least did when we went to the audition)... think LSC might have had that as an option too, and at NBS you can do it as an 'add on' (they just pay the cost of the exam itself). If you can get to any of the open evenings / presentations to parents about the courses, that can be quite helpful in telling you more about the course itself and what it prepares them for. The other thing that is helpful (but we hadn't realised until after the decision was made!) is to go watch some of the school shows... gives you an idea of the standard and whether they're doing the kind of thing that your DD wants to be doing. DS has quite a few friends at Hammond who are all very happy there... interestingly he also has people who have left Hammond to join his course both last year and this year. I don't think they were unhappy there, they were just looking for something different in a course. From a parent perspective, Hammond has its own boarding facilities and they get fed there, there's someone to check their home at night etc. so that's quite reassuring. DS didn't have that and went into a flat in student halls (with 2 other 16 yr olds) - they managed brilliantly and really enjoyed the independence but it's a bit scary as a parent and definitely depends on the child. (Would not have let my eldest do that, but he wasn't as mature either emotionally or in general life capability.... still isn't and he's now been at Uni for 2 years!🤣) It's worth going to as many auditions as you can as you definitely get a 'feel' for each school and whether you like it or not, and useful to see several to be able to make a comparison. DS had fixed ideas about where he wanted to go and the school he's at now wasn't even on his 'list ' to start with, but he literally came out in the lunch break saying "I love it, I'm decided", whereas there were other places that he just walked out at the end of the day saying "nope"! The audition experience is exhausting and expensive, but it's also very helpful in getting a sense of each place, and even if your DD does audition and gets a place, you don't have to accept it.

DS left home at 16 to do professional training. He's very bright, got amazing GCSE results, but was just 'done' with school and all he wanted to do was to go to dance school. He's now in second year of professional training and absolutely LOVES it. He loves what he's doing, his particular dance school, where he's living... the whole shebang. Every time he comes home and meets up with his friends from home he talks about how grateful he is not to be doing A levels and that he's doing what he is (he knows he could have managed them academically.... in his mind it was just wasting a couple of years of his life till he could do what he wanted to be doing). He's never going to be the best technically, and who knows how it will end... I worry constantly about whether he will ever get a job in the industry and have a chance to actually do what he's training in and loves so much. But he is finding that he certainly has his strengths (pas de deux for him) and he's genuinely so happy where he is now. He has the loveliest group of friends both at dance school and at home, and is happy living away from home, and coping admirably with all the associated life skills that come with that (cooking, laundry etc..) All I can say is that it's lovely to see him happy for now. He was always a sparky, shiny kid when he was younger and then secondary school really knocked the sparkle out of him, despite him achieving academically fairly effortlessly and having a lot of friends there. Getting my head around him not doing A levels was really tough for me (especially as an ex teacher!) but that said, I've seen so many kids pushed into doing things because it's what their parents thought was best for them (and then watched the kids push back in whatever way they can) that I just think sometimes it's not worth it. A levels will always be there, dancing might not, and at the end of the day my OH and I agreed that he was so passionate that he had to at least give it a go or he'd always wonder what could have been and resent us for it. There's no easy choice, but that was our thinking. Good luck... Xx

I'm pretty sure Northern Ballet School in Manchester do too. You can choose there whether to focus on classical or Jazz and Musical Theatre.

Absolutely agree, and it's devastating for the musicians (my Brother in Law is a musician and has been directly affected but the BBC singers debacle, so I completely appreciate that perspective). I suppose I see this as what must be a 'last resort' move. If it were an orchestra who had accompanying dancers I would expect them to prioritise the musicians should push come to shove, and vice versa for a ballet company. It does absolutely impact the overall performance, and it's not by any means the same experience, but if it's literally this or fold the company, I can see why they've made the decision. I also agree that it's important for audiences to express their disappointment, otherwise we'd be in danger of losing the orchestra forever, I just think there are more helpful ways of doing it than some of the unpleasant responses their getting.

It's incredibly sad news indeed. Times are really tough for a lot of performing arts at the moment. I'm aware of two dance companies that have had to cancel previously sold out tours due to lack of sales this year. Plus there are other dance performances at our local theatre that have only sold 17 tickets for the whole show... I have quite a lot to do with theatre and performing arts (mainly through pantomime). Shows are being pulled left right and centre because they're just not selling in the current economic climate. So whilst I hate to see this happen, if this is what has to be done to keep the dance company going financially and continue to be able to perform dance, which I guess has to be their priority, then I can understand... it's about survival of the company until times are easier. There are some really unhelpful comments on their Facebook feed along the lines of "Well, I won't be going then", which is just heartbreaking... if only people realised how difficult these decisions are for the companies and what is going on. These decisions are never taken lightly and are devastating to have to make, and of course, if people 'won't be going then' it just exacerbates the situation and means we're less likely to be able to get the orchestra back! I think a lot of audiences are blissfully unaware of how challenging it is to get tickets sold in this current climate and probably unaware that a load of theatres have had to hike their hire costs due to RAAC issues that they now need to find money to pay for a solution too.

I feel strongly about this too... if it's considered a 'degree' or equal in level, and treated as such, especially in terms of accessing further education, it seems entirely unfair that the students can't access student loans and funding and also limits their options considerably. It seems it should be either one way or the other... it either is a degree level qualification and they should have access to all the appropriate funding (especially in this era of government wanting to recognise vocational qualifications), or it's not and they should have access to further education if they need/want it at a later date. The government really need to straighten this discrepancy out!

Not in the right area but if you can travel to Lincolnshire, Chantry School are brilliant for contemporary, and their choreography is fantastic. They used to offer online teaching too. The school and company are both run by Rae Piper and Paul Chantry. They're genuinely lovely people too, which always helps!

DS's year has 3 ballet teachers at their school and they find the mix really helpful. Different teachers pick up different things, and have different ways of correcting/advising and different experiences to share. Seems to work very well!

Another thing to consider is whether the child is 'tied in'... we were offered a scholarship to a vocational school on the understanding that if DS left he would have to pay back the tuition fees.