KathyG

Dance direct have some but looks like adult sizes only.  Just Ballet can order them it looks like but they are expensive.  They are very easy and quick to make which is what I generally do.  Though I do use a girls pattern. http://kwiksew.mccall.com/k2724-products-19680.php?page_id=3350

And then even fewer jobs available at the end of the training...

Staines is lovely!!! Where in Staines is the comp?

Yes you can get Costa gift cards, I gave a colleague one when he left as he spent so much time in there!

My DS loves gifts of Jelly Tots and Creme Eggs as he can't get them in Poland. Sausages is another but they go in the case each time he goes back.

Have you tried your local library? Over here most public libraries have free access to Ancestry amd Findmypast on their public PC's. May be different though where you are. You can't save anything but can print anything you find.

What does the school he's been accepted into think?

The new 5 and 10p's have caused us a real headache at work.  We have a car park machine which only accepts the correct money and wouldn't accept the new coins.  People were having to come in and get change for the machine quickly as the ticket man was very hot on giving tickets.  To get it re-calibrated was going to cost over £300 which my employers weren't prepared at that time to pay out for.  In the end the coin op part broke and they had to fit a new one.

After the news said 1 in 50 £1 coins are counterfeit I checked all 60 in my tills and they all look real to me!!

When we were on the waiting list for W/L we got a phone call offering us a place followed by a letter a few days later.

Ours arrived on the day they broke up for easter for Elmhurst

The number's pretty arbitrary anyway as noone knows the actual criteria (and they used to give everyone who failed their appraisal at WL a mark of 48 - I'm sure they didn't all get exactly 48!!).  

DS didn't get 48 when assessed out!

But then when it comes to getting a contract for work even if you send a DVD you still have to attend the audition in person, it then becomes up to you if you pay the airfare on the of chance you may get a job out of it!

I know it's a few years ago now but I thought Central had an Overseas audition day the day before the finals so overseas students only had to make the one trip.

Has only happened once that I'm aware of about 5 years ago at Elmhurst.  All of DS year changed to DaDa's for 6th form.  Tring seem to know away round MDS awards which other schools don't use.  When we were assessed out of W / L and applied to Tring we were told at finals that they could in certain circumstances keep your MDS award from your previous school and not use one of the few they were allocated. Something to do with your education! This was a few years ago now and things may have changed. 

We had to evacuate my parents from their home this evening as they had no heating and food was getting low. They live in Staines along where there were lots of news teams reporting today! Luckily like a lot of homes round there the house is well built up but the water is everywhere and access near impossible. Movement around here at the moment is very difficult with so many roads flooded. The army have taken over a local council office block to run their operations from. The police on Monday were out checking everyone was ok and once mum and dad decided to leave the rescue services got them out quickly. Let's hope they can go home soon but we expect it will be at least a week.

Tring may not assess out but they can and do withdraw funding. So you either have to pay the fees or leave.

You also had a term and a half of school to get through knowing you had to leave in the summer but still participate fully in school life including dancing in summer fairs.  Regarding support from the school there was none and one of the hardest conversations I had was asking if DS could attend the open day at his new school (I asked even though I guessed it would be a no) and we were told it was his choice to leave and if he went to the open day he couldn't be in the defile!!

I have to say though DS and the others assessed out with him that year took it all in their stride and got on with it. 

But like Julie's DS it's worked out for our DS in the end and I'm off to see him in his's companies premiere of Cinderella next weekend.

My DS is just over 6ft.  When he was at W/L he was one of the tallest but at Elmhurst he was one of the shortest.  In his current company he is one of the tallest. 

Julie definitely helped us. Also happy to chat if it helps

How horrible for you and your DCs, SwayBackSapphire and Angel's friend. Perhaps Elmhurst are confident that they have found their new Y9 and Y10 students already, even before finals, so don't want to raise the hopes of other potential students? It does seem odd though- perhaps the next world superstar is amongst those applicants for Y9 and Y10 who have been told that they can't audition?

So what happens to those assessed out of W/L who won't know until Feb half term?

Does seem very short sighted of the schools to not see all who have sent in application forms.

Where DS is, there is a school associated to the company and no students were taken into the company last year from the school.  So it's not just in the UK where this happens!

Personally I hate making anything with net!!!  On the other hand I love working with Lycra and making leotards and all in ones.  Wish I had the patience to make something that beautiful.

I'm not very good at reviewing things but as it was thanks to Stirrups36 on this forum we got to go this evening I thought I should leave a comment how ever small.

We had an unexpected trip to see ENB Nutcracker this evening, I had one excited DS especially once he discovered it was Tamara dancing Clara.  We throughly enjoyed the performance especially Nancy Osbaldeston in the Chinese and Lauretta Summerscales in Mirilitons though it was strange for us as we know RB's Nutcracker very well and some of the dances were dealt with quite differently.  When Tamara came on in her tutu the smile on DS face grew and she was absolutely amazing, her Prince Matthew Golding was equally good though DS had a gasp on her first jump onto his shoulder as he thought she wasn't quite there but those of us who don't know about these things didn't notice.

The tree doesn't grow as spectacularly as RB but the balloon ride is a lovely touch, the battle scene isn't quite as good as RB but the ENB rats are much better.  I feel that the ENB Nutcracker is a much lighter performance and the time flew by and for us a quick exit at the end of the performance a bonus.  The auditorium in the dress circle had a lot of empty seats which for a Boxing Day performance we found strange, we're off to Panto tomorrow and it will be interesting to see how many empty seats there are there.

If the same opportunity came up again I would definitely go and see ENB again as this was a very enjoyable performance for us and I have one very happy DS.  On a personal note many thanks to Grandad who drove us up and waited to bring us home again at very short notice.

Our tickets also for Dress Circle are also now in the inbox. Thanks for letting us know of the offer.

Happy Christmas and enjoy having your DS's and DD's home for Christmas.  We got a bonus DS doesn't have to go back until the 2 Jan he's so please he can come to Panto with us.  Peter Pan at Richmond.

For those about to embark on this journey good luck and best wishes we hope it isn't to stressful, but wine is a good friend!!

If you audition again the following year it may not necessarily be for 6.2 you may be offered a 6.1 place.

When we auditioned for Royal upper school a few years back they said at the audition they welcomed applications for the following yyear if you were unsuccessful this year

Julie so glad you said that about the bear it got me too though the kids don't get it!