As someone who works in school compliance and inspections I have to say that it is unlikely that change will be brought about because of Ofsted inspectors reviewing complaints the school ‘provides’ them with. Firstly Ofsted ‘can only accept complaints about state schools, academies and free schools’’, the Department for Education (DfE) state that parents of children at private schools should use the school’s complaints process (let the institution being complained about, investigate themselves…a process that is stacked against the complainant), they also make it clear that ‘you cannot complain directly to a private school if you do not have a child in the school’…so when parents and young people have left the school, and may feel safe about making a complaint, they lose the ability to do so. Finally, the DfE also state that they cannot investigate individual complaints about private schools, but have certain powers as a regulator if the school is not meeting standards set by the DfE. You would think that the issues highlighted by Panorama or by previous whistleblowers, former pupils, dancers and journalists like Luke Jennings, would have been enough for the DfE to consider that those standards are not being met, but it hasn’t in the past and I don’t believe it is likely to currently. If the Liam Scarlett affair, and the young people who bravely spoke out about those issues (one of whom I know) and the devastating affect it had on them has not led to a root and branch change in the way the RBS conducts itself (and I don’t believe it has) or has resulted in the DfE feeling the school is not meeting DfE standards, then frankly very little will. These schools have powerful donors, governors and friends and often as a lone voice it is difficult, or even impossible, for one family, one young person, especially when they are at the school and chasing a dream, to speak out.
As a non-dancing parent of a child ‘spotted’ by the RBS, and who largely had a positive time at the school, in hindsight would I send them there again, no I wouldn’t, not because they were subjected to the things described by former students at the school, but because I realise it is not a healthy environment for any of the children there, even for that very small number who make it through both lower and upper schools and into a career in ballet. There is fierce (unhealthy) competition for every part, February is a living hell because everyone of them is stressed about assessments, and then for some they are bullied and humiliated in front of their peers, by adults, not just the ballet staff, and the scars of those issues are deep and long lasting. If I were advising myself all those years ago, when were deciding whether or not to accept the place, this would be my advice. Do not accept a place in lower school, continue at the associate programmes and find a good local school and keep dancing with them. The body changes significantly between 11 and 16, for boys and girls, and those with the attributes at 11 may not have them at 16. The success rate at lower schools is very poor, and whilst I accept that some children may not retain the desire or the ability to continue in elite dance, of the 24 who start in Year 7 the success rate to get into upper school, (not even into companies), should be much, much higher, it certainly is in other schools such as the Paris Opera, so why isn’t it here? The academics are ok, but limited and sacrificed constantly for performances and rehearsals, this may be ok if the child continues in the dance world, but given the significant number that do not make it all the way through school let alone into a ballet company, this needs to be broader and more balanced. Finally, pastoral support, as we have seen, is dire and bringing about positive, significant change is almost impossible. Should I have allowed my child to stay there for the entirety of their school career, no probably not, do I regret that, sometimes yes and I say that as the parent of a child who didn’t have the issues seen on Panorama, but who witnessed other children experiencing those things. Would I have listened, who knows!
Finally, to the young people and families who have spoken out publicly, I have the utmost admiration for you.
