Peanut68 Posted August 4, 2017 Share Posted August 4, 2017 I think each year there are a few new starters in each year. They are made welcome & soon feel one of the yeargroup I am quite sure! Plus there is always something they are working towards which requires them to work as a team (a show/demos for open days/the Carol Concert) so this helps solidify them. After a term I bet any feelings of being the new kid on the block will have gone! Good luck to her - it's a really caring & all round great place to be! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balletmum77 Posted August 8, 2017 Share Posted August 8, 2017 Thanks Peanut68, it's sounds like a lovely place, I'm sure she'll settle in. Not long now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seaside H Posted March 29, 2018 Share Posted March 29, 2018 Can I ask advice my dd has place at Hammond for entrance in to Year 7 but no MDS with bursary we could send her in September will be extremely tight and five years of hardship and help from our family. Is there any chance of her getting MDS while she is at Hammond or better talking the chance or re auditioning next year??! Thanks x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahw Posted March 29, 2018 Share Posted March 29, 2018 Yes you can ask to be reconsidered each year. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ballet4Boyz Posted March 29, 2018 Author Share Posted March 29, 2018 Hmmmm - that's a difficult dilemma . I was told a couple of years ago that if you attended with a bursary - it was then very unlikely you would be considered for an MDS later down the line. Things may have changed & Im happy to be corrected by other parents who may know differently. There is a lot of competition for vocational places every year - so I suppose it's whether you want to take a year out & gamble trying to audition again next year or take the financial hit . I feel for you and I'm sure there are many parents out there feeling the same . Congratulations to your DD on securing a place. What I can say is that it's a lovely happy school offering fantastic vocational training & academic teaching. Your money will be well spent !!😊 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen Posted March 29, 2018 Share Posted March 29, 2018 When Dd was at Hammond lower school, a number of students moved from bursary to mds over the 5 years. My gut feeling (and purely a personal opinion) was that this was more likely to happen when the dancer was hard working and quietly conscientious and the parent politely and pleasantly persistent about mds being helpful. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tutusrus Posted March 29, 2018 Share Posted March 29, 2018 I would recommend only accepting the bursary knowing you won’t get an MDS in future. One of DDs friends had to leave after 2 years due to no longer being able to afford bursary. The child concerned was actually a better dancer at the time of leaving than some who entered with an than MDS the same year (my non professional opinion). Great school but I heard they would not budge and did not let said child audition for MDS for year 9. It felt extremely harsh on the family concerned so please please don’t base your decision to accept bursary on the potential of getting a MDS later down the line. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAIRBELLES Posted March 29, 2018 Share Posted March 29, 2018 14 hours ago, Seaside H said: Can I ask advice my dd has place at Hammond for entrance in to Year 7 but no MDS with bursary we could send her in September will be extremely tight and five years of hardship and help from our family. Is there any chance of her getting MDS while she is at Hammond or better talking the chance or re auditioning next year??! Thanks x Hi Seaside H This indeed is a very tempting dilemma to be in , well done to your dd on gaining a place , however having been in a this very position and paid the bursary for eldest dd my advice would be to weigh it up very carefully there will be lots of extras that are covered by MDS that a bursary will not cover . Im sure you will have looked at the tables and know how much you would pay on MDS and if the difference is huge I would take the gamble decline the bursary and stay on the waiting list . I have known in the past parents removing DCs for lack of funds some were eventually given MDS some not ,a friend of my dds her parents divorced and were unable to keep her there she wasn't given one and left.... I'm sure there are members on here that would disagree with me but you can get plenty of good tuition for £12,000 plus a year . When it came to my younger dd I wasn't in the position to pay another bursary and said she would have to wait until her sister left , 6 days before the start of term I received a call to say a child had decided not to take up her place , so it does happen. Good luck with your decision hopefully a few more forum members will share their experiences . 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAIRBELLES Posted March 29, 2018 Share Posted March 29, 2018 Just to say I wasn't really in the position to pay the bursary for my eldest daughter and I was gutted to hear of awards being offered in the Summer holidays. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahw Posted March 29, 2018 Share Posted March 29, 2018 (edited) Seaside - I would also consider carefully whether Hammond is the right school. By that I mean is your dc wanting a classical or general dance /MT training? Although it offers MDS it is not a ballet school and although they do a fair amount of ballet it is often not prioritised (eg at Xmas a lot of time is lost to practising carols). If you want a general or MT training it's great. As Hairbelles said consider very carefully what your money may be able to buy at home. If you have very limited training locally then the threshold for vocational school would be lower. Edited March 29, 2018 by sarahw Spelling 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Picturesinthefirelight Posted March 29, 2018 Share Posted March 29, 2018 We did it for five years & it’s been very very hard but we had limited opportunities at home & very poor local schools meant we were going to be sending Dd to an independent secondary school anyway. We knew Dd would never get an MDS as she is not at all classical. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seaside H Posted March 30, 2018 Share Posted March 30, 2018 (edited) Thanks again to all you advice. She loves ballet and dancing but the decision was based on it being a good independent school as well as she is academic. We were 19th on the reserve list so we’re never going to be offered MDS and decided we can’t live on what ifs if she attended. We have turned the place down now as if it’s been an emotional rollercoaster for us all and I want dd to be able to enjoy summer knowing she is going to the local high school with her friends. She is an associate of the school will continue with that. Please can I ask though what is a CAT scheme people have mentioned? thanks x Edited March 30, 2018 by Seaside H 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAIRBELLES Posted March 30, 2018 Share Posted March 30, 2018 The CAT scheme is held at Northern Ballet in Leeds. It recognises that some children do not want to live away from home to train Vocationally and offers intense Classical training beginning with a couple of nights and weekends gradually increasing. Everyone is awarded MDS help although not on the scale needed for vocational school. My younger dd was on the CAT scheme and I was very sorry to have to give her place back had it not been a 4 hr round trip every time she would have stayed there. The scheme achieves fantastic results at Upoer School level . Its a while since we were there other members might have more up to date information . 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted March 30, 2018 Share Posted March 30, 2018 A CAT is a Centre for Advanced Training in Dance. Here is a sample page: http://dance4.co.uk/young-people/project/centre-advanced-training/about/centre-advanced-training/national-dance-cats As far as I am aware the only ballet-based CAT is the one at Northern Ballet in Leeds. https://northernballet.com/academy/training-programmes/centre-for-advanced-training 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyLou Posted March 30, 2018 Share Posted March 30, 2018 My dd attends the CAT scheme at Newcastle, it's a mix of ballet and contemporary with weekend classes focussing on group work, fitness, yoga/Pilates and choreography. It's a brilliant scheme if there's one you can get to. My dd has been working with the scheme physio since she started CAT to help with her hypermobility. I'd highly recommend. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LovetoDance2003 Posted March 30, 2018 Share Posted March 30, 2018 My friends dd attends a CAT scheme @ Lowry Manchester on Saturday’s 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danceintherain Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 Well it's taken me a few days, but I've finally read through this entire thread and it's been so useful! It's a wonderful insight and comfort to know more about where DD will be starting year 10 in September. I've both cried and gotten excited whilst reading it! I do have a question...something to prep myself for for when DD is in year 11, which will be in no time at all. I read the posts regarding not being allowed to audition for other schools, however, what happens to the DC in year 11 who need to do the rounds for upper school auditions - is this permitted? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dancing unicorn Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 Hiya Welcome to the Hammond family. I think that more refers to auditioning for lower years! All yr11- students definitely audition for other schools for the next stage in their training!! A lot will be staying but there are a lot going too! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Picturesinthefirelight Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 Hi Danceintherain, the process actually begins in Year 10. You will be invited into school for a talk about what the Hammond itself offers for seniors & about the audition/funding process. Each student & parent then gets a 1:1 session with some of the senior teachers where they ask your child what path they want to take & advise them about their options/other schools. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danceintherain Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 Thank you both! Wow, crazy to think DD begins one adventure, to then start thinking about the next so soon. Good to hear about the 1:1s though, and the support provided, thank you for the information. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ballet4Boyz Posted April 2, 2018 Author Share Posted April 2, 2018 Hi danceintherain , I'm sure your DD will settle quickly. Glad you have found this thread has helped. This forum has saved my sanity on many occasion (being a relatively inexperienced dance mum) ranging from fantastic information & knowledge shared by other parents from all vocational schools, not to mention amazing support when things might not be going quite as well . We help each other through the ups & downs and that helps us in turn to support our talented and hard working children. It's not always an easy ride, but there are always people on the forum ready & willing to give help and advice !! Welcome to the Hammond family as Dancing Unicorn so nicely put it ...........and so the next part of your DD's journey begins !! Good luck to you and all the new families and DC joining the Hammond in September !! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻😀 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LovetoDance2003 Posted April 8, 2018 Share Posted April 8, 2018 I have a Hammond hoodie free to a good home, only worn a handful of times and perfect for a year 7/8 as 12years age. Just £5 to cover postage & packaging. Pm if interested Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEE Posted April 28, 2018 Share Posted April 28, 2018 (edited) On 08/04/2018 at 17:01, LovetoDance2003 said: I have a Hammond hoodie free to a good home, only worn a handful of times and perfect for a year 7/8 as 12years age. Just £5 to cover postage & packaging. Pm if interested Yes Please. Im just following this thread as my daughter is starting in September. Please can you tell me what the extras are they have to pay for when on bursary not MDs. Thanks Edited April 28, 2018 by TEE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Picturesinthefirelight Posted April 28, 2018 Share Posted April 28, 2018 Off the top of my head Annual “Healthy dancer” physio screening Medical insurance RAD/ISTD exam fees Theatre trips (usually 1 per year) Annual summer show fee. Optional 1:1 instrumental/singing lessons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ballet4Boyz Posted May 7, 2018 Author Share Posted May 7, 2018 Does anyone know what time the last end of term dance show finishes on Saturday 14th July ? Was wondering if they do a matinee and an evening performance on the last day or just a matinee ?? Thanks all 😊 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dancing unicorn Posted May 7, 2018 Share Posted May 7, 2018 (edited) Last year it was 2 shows a day! Hoping same this year but only thur, fri and sat x Edited May 7, 2018 by Dancing unicorn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elfin Posted May 7, 2018 Share Posted May 7, 2018 No evening show on Saturday 14th, just the matinee. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ballet4Boyz Posted May 7, 2018 Author Share Posted May 7, 2018 Thanks both of you 😊 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Picturesinthefirelight Posted May 7, 2018 Share Posted May 7, 2018 They put on the extra Saturday evening show last year due to the centenary & the alumni taking so many tickets. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen Posted May 7, 2018 Share Posted May 7, 2018 11 hours ago, elfin said: No evening show on Saturday 14th, just the matinee. I hope so, as we can then go home, but the person I spoke to last week thought that there was an evening show again. I guess we’ll find out when the tickets go on sale! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dancing2003 Posted May 8, 2018 Share Posted May 8, 2018 Tickets on sale now 😊 just one show on the Saturday x 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen Posted May 8, 2018 Share Posted May 8, 2018 (edited) Tickets are now on sale and there is no Sat eve performance which saves a night in a hotel for us! Edited to say posted at same time as Dancing 2003! Edited May 8, 2018 by Karen Posted at same time! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Picturesinthefirelight Posted May 8, 2018 Share Posted May 8, 2018 Booked. But was awkward to get 1 concession & one full price without losing my other ticket. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now