English National Ballet School - yr12

[Kerfuffle]

Hi Where to Now we had the invitation to the finals 3 days later, so not much stalking time ! 

[Coastal Dancer]

Does anybody know how long it usually takes to find out if you have a finals invitation? I had my audition on Saturday.

 

[Jan McNulty]

Hello @Coastal Dancer and welcome to the Forum!

[Tiaramum]

Results came out yesterday - they have more auditions scheduled in though. 

[Viviangrace]

Where have the past recent graduates received employment contracts?  Is there any movement into the main ENB company from the school?  It doesn't appear that there is any sort of apprentice level within ENB.  

[Ballet Saga]

9 hours ago, Viviangrace said:

Where have the past recent graduates received employment contracts?  Is there any movement into the main ENB company from the school?  It doesn't appear that there is any sort of apprentice level within ENB.  

I don’t think there is movement into the company from the school. You have to see them as separate entities really. 

[SpideyDad]

10 hours ago, Viviangrace said:

Where have the past recent graduates received employment contracts?  Is there any movement into the main ENB company from the school?  It doesn't appear that there is any sort of apprentice level within ENB.  

There's no automatic movement from ENBS to ENB, but it's not unheard of and I can think of a few dancers that have done this.

 

ENB are certainly getting a very close look at the 2nd years at the moment (rehearsing for My First Ballet).

 

You might find this document useful, which lists where last year's graduates went: https://www.enbschool.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Our-Year-2022-2023.pdf

 

Edited March 29 by SpideyDad

[Swanwings]

Does anyone happen to know whether there's ever much movement on the waiting list for entry to the school? Or how long a list they usually have? I know its a long shot but thought I'd ask anyway.

[SpideyDad]

@Swanwings If our experience is anything to go by, students can have multiple offers and have a short amount of time to make their decision.

I'm not sure what your situation is, but best of luck with it all! Such an exciting time, but I'm not sure whether we'd choose to go through it again!😵‍💫

[sunrise81]

My dd will do her upper school auditions next year. She really likes the look of ENB

......but to me, it looks unaffordable. Would anyone be able to shed light on how much it would cost? They get DADA.....but is that enough to cover the fees? How much is accommodation?

[Ballet Saga]

25 minutes ago, sunrise81 said:

My dd will do her upper school auditions next year. She really likes the look of ENB

......but to me, it looks unaffordable. Would anyone be able to shed light on how much it would cost? They get DADA.....but is that enough to cover the fees? How much is accommodation?

Cheapest accommodation for ENB school is around £8000 a year but that’s probably a low estimate! You’re looking at least £10000. Then all food on top. 
 

My son was offered ENB but the cost is too much. Especially since the studios aren’t the best and you then have to pay for food on top of expensive accommodation. 
 

I’m sure it’s a great school but there are others with the same training and much better options for funding and accommodation, and better facilities. 

Edited May 23 by Ballet Saga

[Kerfuffle]

The DaDa covers the fees on a sliding scale as long as you don’t earn more than 90k a year at which point you have to pay the full amount. Living in London is very expensive whatever school or uni you attend but it has huge advantages - being in the epicentre of ballet is very important  - they often go to ROH, Sadlers Wells etc for free. You can make it cheaper by sharing a room (200 a week) or home stay (priced individually).

 

I don’t see that ENBS is any worse for funding than other of the  London schools and has excellent training - check out its outstanding ofsted. It is about to have a large extension which will improve its facilities which are already more than adequate. As well as the Chelsea site the students regularly go to the RAD headquarters which are very smart. 

[Ballet Saga]

6 minutes ago, Kerfuffle said:

The DaDa covers the fees on a sliding scale as long as you don’t earn more than 90k a year at which point you have to pay the full amount. Living in London is very expensive whatever school or uni you attend but it has huge advantages - being in the epicentre of ballet is very important  - they often go to ROH, Sadlers Wells etc for free. You can make it cheaper by sharing a room (200 a week) or home stay (priced individually).

 

I don’t see that ENBS is any worse for funding than other of the  London schools and has excellent training - check out its outstanding ofsted. It is about to have a large extension which will improve its facilities which are already more than adequate. As well as the Chelsea site the students regularly go to the RAD headquarters which are very smart. 

The accommodation is the main issue with ENBS. Schools with boarding facilities can help enormously with the funding for housing. Schools paid for with a student loan obviously can help too. Luckily wherever you train in England, London is very easily accessible. We live in the north and my son is travelling to see The Winter’s Tale at ROH on Monday (easily there and back in a day). 
 

That’s good to hear they will be building an extension. It’s long overdue. Other schools do have better facilities and it’s something I think lets ENBS down. I’m sure the students will be glad of the change. 

[Kerfuffle]

I honestly think that the standard of training, the school’s reputation, ethos  and the connections to the industry are much more important than fancy studios. I have always thought this with academic schools too. My DD has in no way missed out by being (in your opinion)  in  inferior facilities, quite the opposite! 

Boarding options are very limited in upper school and I think that all of the students living independently I know of have risen to the challenge of looking after themselves. They need to be very capable of this if their first job is abroad aged 19. Dada also covers accommodation for some students. 

Students manage to go to performances on school nights, they study the ballets and learn first hand from them, that is the advantage of having ROH, Sadlers Wells, etc on the doorstep. 

 

[Ballet Saga]

1 hour ago, Kerfuffle said:

I honestly think that the standard of training, the school’s reputation, ethos  and the connections to the industry are much more important than fancy studios. I have always thought this with academic schools too. My DD has in no way missed out by being (in your opinion)  in  inferior facilities, quite the opposite! 

Boarding options are very limited in upper school and I think that all of the students living independently I know of have risen to the challenge of looking after themselves. They need to be very capable of this if their first job is abroad aged 19. Dada also covers accommodation for some students. 

Students manage to go to performances on school nights, they study the ballets and learn first hand from them, that is the advantage of having ROH, Sadlers Wells, etc on the doorstep. 

 

Yes I agree all those things are more important than fancy studios but you get those things at other schools too - which also have better facilities. 
 

Some children cope better than others at living independently at 16 so that depends on the child. And you can live in boarding schools and still be ready for company life at 19…

 

You don’t need Sadlers Wells and ROH on the doorstep to see and study the ballets. 
 

All this is by the by anyway as accommodation and funding for it are still an issue at ENBS. That really does let it down for those that aren’t in a position to pay for it. Lucky if you live in London already. 
 

I wouldn’t want people to get the impression (those who will be having to make decisions soon) that you have to be in London to get good training. Because that’s really not true at all. All the schools in the UK offer a good standard of training. 
 

Any connections to the industry is great wherever you train - but you still have to be good enough to get a job. 
 

Coming out of this audition process with my son (who was offered numerous well known schools, including in Europe), I’ve come to the conclusion that you have to ignore the name of a school, don’t be fooled by ‘graduate destinations’ and that the future for your child is based on them and their talent and hard work. And also that you have to make your own opportunities. Which is hard if you’re paying out a lot of money for accommodation and living expenses.