Issues relating to White Lodge

[Geoff]

1 hour ago, Luke Jennings said:

 whether current or historical

 
Thank you Luke. Do you have any idea as to what time frame is meant by “historical”? There is a notorious WL case which some of us worried about for years, but it relates to events several decades ago. 

[LukeJennings]

6 hours ago, Geoff said:

 
Thank you Luke. Do you have any idea as to what time frame is meant by “historical”? There is a notorious WL case which some of us worried about for years, but it relates to events several decades ago. 

 

Thanks Geoff. The impression they gave me is that they want to know about everything. You definitely shouldn't feel that your concerns have passed their sell-by date. Give them a ring!

[Geoff]

On 19/10/2021 at 18:42, Luke Jennings said:

Thanks Geoff. The impression they gave me is that they want to know about everything. You definitely shouldn't feel that your concerns have passed their sell-by date. Give them a ring!

Having now made contact I am happy to confirm that this team is very professional, including offering protection to those who feel the need to speak anonymously / confidentially / securely. 

[LukeJennings]

13 hours ago, Geoff said:

Having now made contact I am happy to confirm that this team is very professional, including offering protection to those who feel the need to speak anonymously / confidentially / securely. 

Glad to know that you had a good experience Geoff. I hope that making contact and sharing your experiences has gone some way towards lifting the burden of distress from your shoulders.

[BalletcoForum Moderators]

A post on this thread has been hidden whilst the moderators determine whether it complies with AUP.

[Dance*is*life]

It is probably not relevant to the current situation, but I do wonder if parents should intervene more.   In my last year at RBS upper school - many, many moons ago - my mother actually took matters into her own hands and sorted out my problems.  At the beginning of the year I was placed in a class with a teacher I adored and then they suddenly transferred me to another class, where I was simply miserable.  My brave mum went up to school and confronted them at this seemingly arbitrary decision - I had systematically been in the top four of my class for the first two years.  Within two weeks, I was transferred back and had a magical year.  I think they were so astounded that a parent would actually question their decisions, that they acted quickly.  As a teacher I sometimes get parents coming to talk to me or our Dance Principal, in spite of their child telling them not to say anything.  When this happens, we are always receptive to the real or perceived problem and act accordingly in the student's best interests.   I do appreciate that an afternoon ballet school cannot be compared to the elite vocational schools,  but I do believe that a child's wellbeing is more important than ruffling a few feathers.

[LukeJennings]

I have just heard from Mandy Burrows.

 

She tells me that the information gathering process re WL/RBS is now concluded. She requests that any further concerns are not directed to her, but reported using the existing safeguarding protocols and process for the respective Local Authorities.

 

Achieving for children ( Richmond)  Contact the Single Point of Access ( SPA) in the first instance for safeguarding concerns  :

https://kr.afcinfo.org.uk/pages/web-site-information/safeguarding

 

If there are allegations of harm made against White Lodge staff ( Richmond) working at the school contact should be made to :

Lado@achievingforchildren.org.uk 

 

For Westminster (Upper school) contact LADO@westminster.gov.uk

 

[glissade]

On 31/10/2021 at 16:18, Dance*is*life said:

It is probably not relevant to the current situation, but I do wonder if parents should intervene more.   In my last year at RBS upper school - many, many moons ago - my mother actually took matters into her own hands and sorted out my problems.  At the beginning of the year I was placed in a class with a teacher I adored and then they suddenly transferred me to another class, where I was simply miserable.  My brave mum went up to school and confronted them at this seemingly arbitrary decision - I had systematically been in the top four of my class for the first two years.  Within two weeks, I was transferred back and had a magical year.  I think they were so astounded that a parent would actually question their decisions, that they acted quickly.  As a teacher I sometimes get parents coming to talk to me or our Dance Principal, in spite of their child telling them not to say anything.  When this happens, we are always receptive to the real or perceived problem and act accordingly in the student's best interests.   I do appreciate that an afternoon ballet school cannot be compared to the elite vocational schools,  but I do believe that a child's wellbeing is more important than ruffling a few feathers.

I wonder if perhaps programmes like "Dance Moms" have changed the background though .... although I agree that factors still work against parents risking making complaints at vocational school level, there's possibly more of a defensive knee-jerk reaction to parents making complaints now ... a "them and us" attitude to holding parents at bay ...?

[taxi4ballet]

On 01/11/2021 at 20:01, glissade said:

I wonder if perhaps programmes like "Dance Moms" have changed the background though .... although I agree that factors still work against parents risking making complaints at vocational school level, there's possibly more of a defensive knee-jerk reaction to parents making complaints now ... a "them and us" attitude to holding parents at bay ...?

 

MODERATORS' NOTE: The following does NOT relate to White Lodge:

 

They closed ranks on us and we were met with a brick wall and an absolute refusal to co-operate. It was only because they knew they'd been negligent (and that we'd take them to the cleaners if it went to court) that we got any concession at all.

Edited November 3, 2021 by alison
For clarification

[Anna C]

MODERATORS' NOTE: The following does NOT relate to White Lodge:

 

On 02/11/2021 at 14:36, taxi4ballet said:

They closed ranks on us and we were met with a brick wall and an absolute refusal to co-operate. It was only because they knew they'd been negligent (and that we'd take them to the cleaners if it went to court) that we got any concession at all.

Are you talking about White Lodge/RB Upper School, Taxi?

Edited November 3, 2021 by alison
For clarification

[taxi4ballet]

7 hours ago, Anna C said:

Are you talking about White Lodge/RB Upper School, Taxi?

No, another one. I was responding to someone's suggestion that parents are proactive and intervene sooner by sharing our experience of having tried to do just that. I was making the point that some of the upper schools will do their utmost to avoid engaging with parents at all, even when there are strong reasons they should be doing so.

 

[Jewel]

MODERATORS' NOTE: The following does NOT relate to White Lodge: 

 

We too made complaints about what I consider to be threatening behaviour (at a different institution) by a very senior member of staff that had caused massive mental health issues and it was dismissed.  There were undertones that we would be treated as a malicious complainant.  As our child only had a few months left and needed the qualification in order to progress onto further study she chose to ride it out.  

Edited November 3, 2021 by alison
For clarification

[alison]

This is all very useful, but in a thread about White Lodge, and given the seriousness of the potential issues, it's a bit misleading, so I'll edit the last few posts to make it clear that they're not about WL.

[along for the ride mum]

@DanceDaddy

[Baker45]

On 22/03/2023 at 18:36, along for the ride mum said:

@DanceDaddy

 

And just to add the balanced view to this. There doesn't seem to be much discussion that after the investigation they found no evidence to support the allegations in the article. That was after a review from the two LADOs and the Met police in 2022

 

As a parent we would have been interested in the outcome. 

 

[Ondine]

On 29/03/2023 at 21:06, Baker45 said:

And just to add the balanced view to this. There doesn't seem to be much discussion that after the investigation they found no evidence to support the allegations in the article. That was after a review from the two LADOs and the Met police in 2022

 

As a parent we would have been interested in the outcome. 

 

I'm bumping this thread back up the forum, in the hope it can be read again.   It appears, following on from the Panorama programme BBC Sept 2023, which is currently under active dicsussion on 'Doing Dance', many issues are not actually resolved despite the review involving the LADOS and the Met Police.

 

Now of course there's a lawyer involved, which may or may not in the end cast any further light on the alleged 'Dark Side of Ballet'.

[Jan McNulty]

This thread has temporarily been locked as there are 2 extant threads about the Panorama episode.