Ballet schools with Boarding facilities (Upper Schools)

[TwoLeftFeet 32]

I would be most grateful if you could help me compile a list of ballet schools with boarding/residential facilities please, for overseas students. DD will be 15 turning 16 in October this year and living outside the UK.

 

Elmhurst

Ballet West

[Anna C 12,151]

So Upper Schools with onsite boarding/accommodation provided by the school? Or also those with links to host families? And boarding for all 3 years or just first year?  Many 2nd and 3rd Year students live independently in shared flats or houses.

[TwoLeftFeet 32]

Thank you Anna C.  Yes, Upper Schools with boarding facilities provided on site.  Definitely for 1st year.  My parent mind is saying definitely for year 2 also, but by then maybe DD might have other ideas once she knew the area and her classmates.

[Harwel 2,815]

Elmhurst, Tring, Ballet West, Moorland, (Royal, Royal conservatoire of Scotland - while not on site very close and all students are in the same place I believe). 

[arabesque1 14]

Ballet West do not have boarding facilities on site. They own houses in the area which the students rent, but they do their own shopping, cooking, washing etc.

[TwoLeftFeet 32]

23 minutes ago, arabesque1 said:

Ballet West do not have boarding facilities on site. They own houses in the area which the students rent, but they do their own shopping, cooking, washing etc.

Thanks for the response arabesque1, I thought first years stayed in chalets onsite?

[Loulou 46]

Rcs is not boarding either, students have to find their own accomadation but their are strong links with liberty living student accomadation, but they are living independnatly and not on site. 

 

[Tutu15 8]

5 hours ago, Harwel said:

Elmhurst, Tring, Ballet West, Moorland, (Royal, Royal conservatoire of Scotland - while not on site very close and all students are in the same place I believe). 

 

RCS is student accommodation, Liberty Living, and is about a 20 minute walk from the studios. Most 1st year ballet students stay here and almost all are put on the “ballet floor” though a few end up on different floors. Generally people move to flats in 2nd & 3rd year!

[Tutu15 8]

As Loulou said above, not all end up staying here as places fill up fast from other courses & we do all our own washing, cleaning, cooking etc. and there are no house parents!

[cotes du rhone ! 746]

Elmhurst provides excellent houseparented boarding for its 6:1 and 6:2 students 5 minutes walk away. 6:3s rent shared houses again very close to the school. Another positive is that all meals are provided on site.

[arabesque1 14]

1 hour ago, TwoLeftFeet said:

Thanks for the response arabesque1, I thought first years stayed in chalets onsite?

When we visited last year, a few first years were living in the chalet nearer the school, but they’re not on site as such and still self catering. My dd didn’t go there, so it may have changed?

[Harwel 2,815]

Blimey, even less true boarding schools than I thought!  

[Loulou 46]

1 hour ago, arabesque1 said:

When we visited last year, a few first years were living in the chalet nearer the school, but they’re not on site as such and still self catering. My dd didn’t go there, so it may have changed?

 

 

This is still  the same, the chalets are all 1st years but they don’t accomdate them all, some 1st years live in the village. It’s all self catering etc 

[balletbean 1,229]

Northern Ballet School (NBS) also don’t offered boarding however accommodation (booked separately) ‘Halls’ is provided by UniteStudents a mere walk of about 6mins around the corner from the school. Self catering but all the 16yr olds rise to the challenges that independent living offers. 

[TwoLeftFeet 32]

Thank you all for your responses.  Its quite a small list.  I know that every 15/16 year old is different and that some will cope far better than others and some are much more independent than others.  My own DD I don't think would cope well without the boarding/residential facility.  Its very worrying for me that there are not more options.  Homestay is definitely next on the list and I don't think it would be so bad if she had someone from her class doing that with her, but since I can't guarantee that I'm not sure what to do.

[Dancing unicorn 334]

If thinking of home stay then try Hammond in Chester. 

Sorry just realised you want ballet as main focus! 

Edited January 10 by Dancing unicorn

[Picturesinthefirelight 3,710]

Our daughter has found homestay the best option.  She knew that she was not ready  for independent living aged 16 and hence didn'tapply for the majority of colleges that others do.  Howevere, havong spent some time in boarding too she preferes homestay.  The family she is with treat her as their own and she is very well looked after.

[TwoLeftFeet 32]

2 minutes ago, Picturesinthefirelight said:

Our daughter has found homestay the best option.  She knew that she was not ready  for independent living aged 16 and hence didn'tapply for the majority of colleges that others do.  Howevere, havong spent some time in boarding too she preferes homestay.  The family she is with treat her as their own and she is very well looked after.

Thank you for sharing that.  Does she have far to travel to her dance school?

[Picturesinthefirelight 3,710]

Less than half a mile down the road.

Edited January 10 by Picturesinthefirelight

[Picturesinthefirelight 3,710]

Incidentally she auditioned for and was offered a place at Abbotts Bromley School.  This is an academic boarding school with a vocational strand (for the dance  course the audition is solely ballet although other genres are are studied, dd was not offered this but was offered Musical Theatr).  They have a lot of internationakl students.

 

There is also Bedes/Legat although I don't know much about that course.

[sarahw 2,398]

Moorlands definitely worth considering.

[balletbean 1,229]

On 10/01/2019 at 09:28, TwoLeftFeet said:

Thank you all for your responses.  Its quite a small list.  I know that every 15/16 year old is different and that some will cope far better than others and some are much more independent than others.  My own DD I don't think would cope well without the boarding/residential facility.  Its very worrying for me that there are not more options.  Homestay is definitely next on the list and I don't think it would be so bad if she had someone from her class doing that with her, but since I can't guarantee that I'm not sure what to do.

I know how you feel. My DD only turned 16 two months before moving to the UKand starting at NBS. She wasn’t even the youngest!  The staff are very supportive at the school. As well as UniteStudents. Who provided the accommodation. The maintenance staff do treat the NBS pupils with care and respect. They are all so different from fellow residents who are at uni. One thing I have noticed. Age is only a calendar thing. There are many more immature 17/18yr olds that start. My DD was no domestic goddess (her admission not mine) before she started. She settled right in and created her own menu for the week, organised laundry rota with a fellow flat mate. A friend she has made since her audition and made contact on this very forum. 

Friends that did use homestay whilst attending MT college. whilst initially settling in they actually grew out of it quite quickly especially if others from their year group were living independently. They found homestay stifling. Especially if the dynamics within that family are different to what they are used to. ie very young children within the household. 

Not something I had thought of but very relevant. 

At the end of the day you know your child better than anyone else. But it must be led mainly by your child when the final decision is made after all they will be the ones living there not us parents. If that makes sense. 

Good Luck. 

Edited January 11 by balletbean