Elmhurst extra audition date

[blackqueen]

Thanks Billielliot. Never been to Elmhurst before, but dd not worried, she just

wants to audition, never mind studio/place/teacher.

[tutugirl]

Good luck to your DD I am sure she will enjoy the audition. everyone is very friendly. what year is she hoping to try for Blackqueen ?

[Legseleven]

Have those whose dcs have applied for the extra audition heard yet whether they will be auditioning? I was wondering whether Elmhurst have secured additional funding and/or additional beds, hence this unprecedented (as far as I know) additional audition. I hope that this audition isn't being held because they have assessed out many more pupils than usual this year.

 

Do Elmhurst have waiting lists once the places have been offered after their usual auditions?

[DancingtoDance]

Well, I believe that in the Lower School, Elmhurst only assesses out Year 9 and in a way Year 11. So if that was the case, why let ALL years audition? But then again, this time they are choosing from application forms and photographs who gets an audition, so IF that was indeed the case, I guess they could just not let any Year 7s audition. But that would kind of be cruel, and that would also take a really long time! 

 

But, maybe a lot of pupils decided to leave this year despite not being assessed out, which I hope isn't the case.

[2dancersmum]

To the best of my knowledge - and that is mostly from a talk and tour given when my DD applied for 6th form, Elmhurst do not tend to have each year full to capacity.  In the lower school I think she said the biggest year group had 9 extra students to the smallest year group.  Given the changes to funding for 6th form aswell it may well be that they are looking to add a few extra students (of the right calibre) for financial reasons, rather than having lost more than usual from assessing out.  Changes to DADA must surely have had an effect on most of the schools.

[Legseleven]

I think parents have previously said that Elmhurst has considerable flexibility in terms of bed allocations for each school year, possibly because it is a recently built and purpose designed school - which made me wonder whether a lot of Y9s had been assessed out this year, thus leaving beds free unexpectedly and after the main audition season, with those beds potentially being allocated to any year group.

 

I may be quite wrong as I have no personal knowledge of Elmhurst - I don't know when the assessments are done, for example and whether it is just Y9s that can be assessed out. I would have thought that children on the waiting list would be able to fill the places, however. Unless Elmhurst doesn't have a waiting list. Or perhaps relatively few children auditioned this year for whatever reason, perhaps it was a lower birth rate year.

 

I also wonder whether Elmhurst will start to select children who will be invited to audition, as with this extra audition date, rather than all applicants being allowed to audition as previously. Perhaps for applicants for years other than Y7, when I assume that potential and the desired physique as a pre-teen needs to be transforming into proven ability and the retention of the required physique into and beyond puberty?

[Legseleven]

We were posting simultaneously, 2dancersmum! Do you mean that Elmhurst (and the other vocational schools) may want to try to find talented children whose families are able to pay full fees to offset the DADA changes this year? This had crossed my mind as a possibility.

[2dancersmum]

Full fees possibly, assisted places possibly, some DADA funding still available possibly.  I don't know how the finances in schools work but each child at a school does generate income whether paying full fees or not (even if just through increased ticket sales for shows etc).  Elmhurst is an expensive school and I would guess that it is more at 6th form level that it has been more difficult for schools to guage acceptance rates for places than in previous years as I think many of those already at vocational schools on mds in year 11 will have found halfway through the audition process that they can no longer get DADAs and not necessarily therefore been able to take up offered places.  And if you are running an additional audition day, then yes, try and find more talented students for the other years while you are at it.

Incidentally, given that year 8 was millenium babies and nationally a large birth year, I think the current year 9 may wel be a small year anyway.  I think at the time of our talk it was year 9 (so current year 10) that was their largest year but it may be my memory playing tricks on me.

[w445403]

It would have been soooo much easier if they had said which year groups had spaces - possibly it's all though.

If you apply and don't get an audition do you get your money back???

[Legseleven]

One would hope so, w445403, although perhaps it will be treated as an administration fee for their time in considering your photos and application form.

 

If they do have flexibility in terms of beds available per school year, I suppose it doesn't matter which year currently has spaces as any year can use the beds. Furthermore, as with any vocational school or associate scheme, however, if they see a student they really want I think they would make a space available somehow, whether or not they are in the age group which has the spaces.

[Huddsballetmum]

Don't think you get your money back w445403 as it states it is for administration.  I got all excited last Friday when I recieved an email from the registrar of Elmhurst, but it was just acknowledging reciept of my dd's application, and advising that auditions will be advised after the closing date on 12th June.  Heart was beating fast when I saw the email pop up though!

[Picturesinthefirelight]

It is a low birth year. As a parent of a child born in Autumn 2001 the school year 2001-2002 dipped after all the millennium babies.

 

There doesn't seem to have been quite such a scramble for secondary school places in my area with out of catchment children getting places in over subscribed schools.

 

It isn't just Elmhurst. Hammond isn't full in Year 7 and was still accepting applications up until half term for both lower & upper school.

[Billyelliott]

I dont think its so much a out students having been assessed out - as them leaving for other opportunities , as spaces become available elsewhere

Also a number of the final auditionees were offered places at more than one lower school , so that may have left gaps at the last minute , as well as folk not being able to secure the finances even for the contribution for MDS places !

As far as flexibility on bed space goes that only applies to the younger ones as the older ones are housed off site !

The children are housed in year groups and here is a finite number of beds in year 7, but one or two can be put in a different section if its necessary from time to time but its not that flexible as you can only fit 2 beds in a room !

That's my understanding from the tours we have had in the last few months !

[Dancingfeet]

Which year group s are you all auditioning for is there any yr 7 s or 8s x

[Huddsballetmum]

Which year group s are you all auditioning for is there any yr 7 s or 8s x

We are hoping to audition for Yr 9 Dancingfeet.  Hopefully we will be advised in next couple of days to enable hotel booking etc!

[Dancingfeet]

Good luck huddsballetmum my dd s starting in yr 8 in sept just seeing if anyone else dd s may be joining them if things go well for you all I know we ve 3 new girls for there year already not sure how many places left it s all very exciting though when do you find out if you get an audition x

[tutugirl]

I imagine this will be a very small select audition , as i guess most places are already taken , and also surely there cannot be many people out there who are not already sorted with their choices for September . Obviously there is still a little movement within schools , as I believe offers of MDS are still being given from hammond ( and maybe others ? ) I presume that those who auditioned previously are not eligible , and those who wish to stay at home with their local schools will do so - therefore it must be limited to those who for whatever reason have changed their minds , or who missed the deadline previously . So good luck to all going for it , Elmhurst affords a fabulous training for classical dancers.

[dancing10]

Excited to hear, has anyone on here got an audition with Elmhurst

[tutugirl]

Not sure if the emails are out yet - or have you had news dancing10 ?

[dancing10]

would have loved to be waiting but my dd is still injured with torn hamstring

[mumoffive]

Did everyone get a confirmation email?? We didn't! Must have sent the form two to three weeks ago so am now stressing that they may not even have received it? Has anybody heard anything? Thanks

[tutugirl]

suggest you ring Bridget Creaton - think confirmation e mails were sent. Which year is your Dd/Ds ?

[mumoffive]

Thanks tutu girl. I have sent an email and will ring first thing Monday if I don't hear back. It was weird because the lady on the post office counter (little village shop) kind of dumped it on the side and I thought to myself "I bet that won't get there"!!! Grrr!

 

DD is 14 (current Y9)

Edited June 14, 2013 by mumoffive

[Piglet]

Hi Mumoffive, just to reassure you, we also applied and heard nothing, I emailed today ad they replied that they received the application but somehow did not send the confirmation email (with apologies). Good luck!

[Legseleven]

I agree, tutgirl, that this may be a very select audition and only those applicants with the desired proportions - assuming Elmhurst is prescriptive in regard to body shape - and application forms showing, for applicants other than for Y7, that they should be able to do more than hold their own with the current Elmhurst year group they want to join may be auditioned. Plus as you say there may well be only small numbers of applicants as most students will have settled on their school place for September.

 

Alternatively everyone who applies may be auditioned so that Elmhurst has the widest possible pool of potential additional students. If Hammond is also not full for September, then the schools must be quite concerned. It must surely be difficult to continue to operate if they are running at less than capacity.

 

Billyelliott, do you mean that several Elmhurst students are leaving for places elsewhere? I do know from this wonderful forum that at least one student is leaving to join White Lodge. I do hope that most if not all of those students leaving Elmhurst are not leaving because they have been assessed out.

[Billyelliott]

 

Billyelliott, do you mean that several Elmhurst students are leaving for places elsewhere? I do know from this wonderful forum that at least one student is leaving to join White Lodge. I do hope that most if not all of those students leaving Elmhurst are not leaving because they have been assessed out.

 

I simply meant , as I said , my impression is that spaces are not due so much from "assesing out" as from spaces becoming available in other schools , perhaps nearer to home or in their original school of preference , and in some cases - perhaps - leaving having decided that vocational school is not for them . I know of one that have plans to relocate overseas ! So there is quite a lot of potential for movement , apart from the " assess out " option , which I got the impression was not something Elmhurst are keen on unless absolutely necessary !

[Tinker]

How long are they going to make people wait to here if they have an audition, people need to book day offs etc

[dancing10]

Hi, my daughters friend has apparantly got a yes for the extra audition, heard yesterday

[Tinker]

Looks like its a no for my little one do you know if it was email or post, dancing10 we have heard nothing

[dancing10]

According to daughters friend it was an email, please dont take this as solid information though :/

[Dancingfeet]

Which year group is she auditioning for dancing 10 if yr 7 maybe there working there way down the list x

[dancing10]

year 11

[swanprincess]

Oh.... Im so sorry to be the bearer of bad news Dancing10, but I emailed Bridget Creaton to ask whether any places are available for Yr 11 because I was going to apply, and she said they dont usually accept new students to Year 11 so i doubt if they will hold auditions for dancers currently in Year 10