Vocational School with 'A' Levels

[swe]

Hi everyone

I have been on several websites (6th from vocational) and most seem to offer dance diplomas. I have seen RBS do A Levels but I wondered if anyone knew of others?

Thanks

swe

[Janabiyah-Jane]

RBS is just one A level through the school. I would imagine you could do additional ones if you did it in your own time.

 

Elmhurst do too I believe.

[Anna C]

If I recall, Central offers A'Levels which are taken as twilight classes. These seem to be optional as the Central course is actually a degree course.

 

Tring offers A Levels too.

[Kat09]

Elmhurst,Tring and Hammond all do A levels tho subject choice is ltd except at Tring where there is a wider choice. At Central A levels can be studied at evenings/weekends in addition to dance courses. I have no knowledge of Rambert or Northern. Good luck with your choice.

[Anna C]

We must have been typing at the same time, Kat09. :-)

[2dancersmum]

As far as I am aware you can do A levels at RBS, Elmhurst, Tring, Central, Hammond and Legat but the number that can be taken and the range of choice does vary. If you check out the threads on here on 'post 16 schools' and 'vocational schools for 2013 entry' you will find more information on applying to these schools.

[glowlight]

At Northern Ballet School (Manchester) some students do A levels as evening classes at a local college I understand. My dd didn't want to so I don't know much about it.

[Moneypenny]

I may be wrong, but I think Elmhurst is the only one which offers A level maths.

[Janabiyah-Jane]

RBS also offer A level Maths, as well as either English, Art or French.

[2dancersmum]

I think at Hammond the subjects vary a little each year as we were told they would offer an A level in any of the subjects taught in lower school, provided a minimum number of the new intake chose that subject.

[swe]

Many thanks all

x

[porthesia]

Legat ofer a wide range of 'A' levels including maths. My dd found Biology a bit tough, but has continued with History and Dance A levels.

[double trouble]

London russian offer A Levels my daughter is doing 2 languages there,look on web site they have places to start in September,good luck

[hfbrew]

Tring offer just about every subject including maths and the sciences. It was a big factor in my ds decision to finish his training there as he wasn't sure what direction to go in.

Quickly decided he wasn't that academic after all and is now a professional ballet dancer!

[meadowblythe]

London russian offer A Levels my daughter is doing 2 languages there,look on web site they have places to start in September,good luck

 

Do you have any information on the destination of their leavers post A level? Also, do they take students who have not previously trained in the Russian system?

 

Meadowblythe

[Gingerbread]

I know that they do take students who have not previously trained in the Russian system, Meadowblythe, but I don't have any info on the destination of their leavers.... someone else may be able to give you the information.

[Little Ballerina]

At my Rambert audition, I asked about homestudy a levels. They were not very keen at all, and urged me not to, unless I wanted to find myself behind on dance, at Rambert. They said, unlike other non A level schools, that there timetables were too full.

 

Not sure if anybody else heard this, or if there actually are students at Rambert doing homestudy A levels, but I was told this personally by the head of academics.

 

LB x

[Anna C]

I agree LB. Full time dance and studying for a degree is probably plenty to keep Rambert and Central students busy! :-)

 

My mum did 2 A'levels in her late 60s, getting A's for both. You can do A'Levels any time. :-)

[Fiz]

Do you want to do A levels, LB? It seems very short-sighted of the Rambert to refuse to do them. After all, sadly, dance careers may not work out for many reasons.

[spooky]

I completely understand Rambert's point of view. My dd did AS Art in her first year at Central but decided not to continue with the A2. She enjoyed the actual lessons although it meant a very late finish one night a week and took up Saturdays but it was increadibly difficult for her to find the time to complete all the coursework. Most days she is in classes from 8.45 (arrives 7.45 to warm-up) right through to 6 or 7pm with only 15-20 min breaks. Ontop of this they are often rehearsing things like their own chorographies and by the time you add in travel time/washing/preparing meals etc they really have very little 'spare' time.

[taxi4ballet]

Someone who used to work behind the scenes for a ballet company told me that a lot of the dancers were doing Open University degrees in their spare(!) time.

[double trouble]

MEADOWBLYTHE my DDs did RAD before going to LRBS and most of the older pupils there have done other styles.As far as i know the school has only been there for about 8 yrs and was started by a principal dancer of the the Bolshoi,he is the Director of the school.We found the school because of Henry Perkins who trained there,and he went on to train at the Bolshoi school.

The school has only just started Alevels my daughter started in Sep last year and at the moment there are only three students studying for them.All the other pupils that attend arent old enough to audition for companies,although i know the serious students there are planning to stay on at 16,most of the invitational students are about 13 to 17.

yrs.My advice would be to call the school and speak to Harriott she can tell you about the plans,i know they have bursaries and are looking for 4 students from 16 yrs.

[Blondie]

Henry Perkins is now the perfect example of why these qualifications are so important.If serious injury cuts short a career before it even starts and you have no academic qualifications you end up having to live on job seekers allowance.I would never have considered any upper school which did not allow for him to have enough A levels to go to a good university should something happen.

[meadowblythe]

To be fair, if Henry Perkins had trained in this country he would have picked up academic qualifications along the way. His particular issue was that his Russian qualifications were not recognised in this country. Only an issue for an exceptional few, and had I been in his position I don't think I would have let a lack of A levels decide me against Bolshoi training.

 

My concern is actually geared the other way If my DS completes a degree at 19, and doesn't get a job in dance, what then? Exactly what does a 19 year old with a degree do, as presumably most graduate employment is geared up for 21 year olds? And isn't there an expectation that they would have A levels as well as a degree?

 

 

Problems, problems

 

Meadowbylthe

[veryskint]

My DS is at Central and I agree with Spooky - their timetables are very full. Also, I would say the academic essays they do are quite demanding. My DS is currently doing his 7th one this year. He decided against AS levels as he has a long daily commute. I do worry about a Plan B for the future but academic study can be undertaken at any point (hopefully)!

[Blondie]

My motto:always have a back-up plan!I only looked at schools which incorporated A levels into the daily curriculum.If my son decides he doesn't want to dance any more he should have 3 good A levels and a degree in dance(for what that's worth) and should therefore have the choice to study for a degree at one of the Russell group unis at a later date.

[2dancersmum]

At Northern Ballet School we were told that students could do A levels if they wished but the school did not reccomend it. All other schools looked at incorporated A levels anyway but I don't think any of them advised taking 3 A levels. Some said it was possible but more than 2 A levels was the exception rather than the rule.

 

As for having a dance degree at 19 but no job and no A levels. My friends son did football and went to a specialist training facility at 16, initally to take A levels alongside. The promised A level courses never materialised and he was injured at 18/19 and unable to finish his course. At that point he started contacting universities to see if anywhere would consider him. He had more than one offer and is now in his final year. They only considered him for subjects where his training was deemed relevant - like sports science but at least he was able to change track. Teaching 'football' was his other obvious option but he did not want to go that route.

 

Moral of the message - it can be possible to change your mind at 19. Its not too late to do something different if the student feels that they will not be able to make a career out of dance.

[rowan]

I would have thought 3 A levels as well as doing a dance degree such as the one at Central along with a full timetable of dance would be a bit of a tall order for most people! My main concern would be if you couldn't finish the dance degree for whatever reason, then you would have used up some of your university funding for doing something else elsewhere. I'm not sure A levels per se are that important. Lots of people don't have them and go to university - those from abroad, or those that have done the international baccalaureate or access courses, for example. In my workplace the majority of people don't have A levels (lots of foreigners) but all have at least one degree, usually two. My work colleague went to Oxford, having failed all his O levels!

 

As a sideline to this, I'd be interested to know what many ballet students actually end up doing, assuming that, unfortunately, they won't have careers as ballet dancers.

[Pas de Quatre]

You are right Rowan, the big danger for dancers who need to go on to Plan B is that they may have used up some or all of their funding. Students are only allowed 4 years total funding these days for any degree courses, so Blondie, if your son did go on to get a place at a Russell group university, would you be able to fund it?

[balletla]

I agree Rowan, what do most people end up doing who go into ballet training at 16 since there is a massive over-supply of training compared to jobs? Has anyone got any experience of gaining qualifications post classical training and where did it take them? Thanks for sharing the football story 2dancersmum - I know quite a few of my dd's friends who are in football academies at the movement and wondering whether it will work out.

 

I have to say I am really disappointed by the number of girls that I have come across who have gone all the way through RBS white lodge and upper school or ENB who then just end up back at their local dance school teaching without jobs or qualifications to do other things. Very depressing.

[Blondie]

My son is on a DADA so will still have his student loan I believe.

[Pas de Quatre]

Sorry I just took this from what you posted earlier - if he is on DaDa then he isn't doing a Dance degree. So of course he will be entitled to funding for a degree later, whether dance or academic.

[KathyG]

My son is on a DADA so will still have his student loan I believe.

 

There's no student loans if you're in receipt of a DADA only maintenance funding if you earn less than 33,000.