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Original poster

Dance sixth form options

62 replies

OhMyDarling · 19/11/2019 09:45

Hi my daughter’s best friend is a fantastic dancer. She is in y10. Her parents aren’t the most proactive and have said if she wants to pursue dance after GCSEs, then she needs to be exploring all her options herself.
She hasn’t got a clue where to start and had a bit of a cry last night when she was here and asked me to help her look.

So Mumsnetters, help me out, where do I start??

This needs to be a free place or somewhere that doesn’t involve fees being paid buy her parents as they aren’t well off.

Areas she lives near: south London, can get to places in and around Surrey or London.

OP posts:
Namechangeforthiscancershit · 20/11/2019 06:31

As far as I understand it that is the non fee paying alternative open to her though and it's in her area. I don't think people are being difficult but saying that there isn't another one. I don't know anyone who dropped out or whose parents were unhappy.

The alternative is local colleges which are presumably coming into open day season very soon. Can you take her to these as her parents are showing so little interest?

OnGoldenPond · 20/11/2019 06:22

No need to be offensive to those trying to help you. We really don't have to give up our time to answer your questions you know, we all have plenty to be getting on with you know.

I, and several other posters, are relating personal experience of being parents of actual students at BRIT who see at first hand what goes on there. Not just random anecdotes about friends of friends. But what do we know hey?

Anyway, she's discounted the only free option to study performance at a high level. Not much anyone else can suggest as the stark fact is there ain't much else out there so she will probably have to make the best of whatever local FE colleges offer. A shame but her choice.

Original poster
OhMyDarling · 20/11/2019 01:52

She doesn’t want to go there.
The evening tomorrow is for chn looking to attend from age 14 I believe. She has attended events there through her school and a dancing day or something.
She doesn’t want to go there/ I’m not being difficult, she doesn’t want to go there!!!
How is that challenging to understand??

Plus I’d say she is basing her evidence on personal experiences of people she knows- not mere anecdotes. I haven’t outlined these reasons on here for not wanting to discourage others or blight the school, however I felt they were very justified reasons for her not wanting to go there.

There is more to selecting a school based on anecdotes of students going on to bigger and better performance related things too- but it’s different because you are stating them- right??
They have to go there everyday for 2 years. There is more than simply “anecdotes” of some successes to consider. She wants to be somewhere she will be happy, for the reasons she has explained to me she doesn’t feel this will happen there.

Not really sure why I have to justify her opinion a thousand times??

So moving on from BRIT, any other ideas???!

OP posts:
OnGoldenPond · 19/11/2019 21:42

I'd second BRIT School. DD loved it and has gone on to gain a place in one of the top drama schools as have many of her contemporaries. She also knows people on the Dance strand who got into top dance colleges.

It is the only state school offering top quality performance training and has a great reputation. Competition is stiff to get in and students are fantastically talented.

They have their open evening tomorrow, why doesn't she go along and find out for herself?

Loopytiles · 19/11/2019 21:41

So she’s dismissing an option because of anecdotal evidence.

There’s a knowledgeable poster on here with a dancing DD, the poster is Katie something?

Original poster
OhMyDarling · 19/11/2019 21:38

She knows of 3 that dropped out. So BRIT isn’t an option for her.
Moving on...

OP posts:
Seeline · 19/11/2019 11:06

I haven't heard of any that DD has known drop out of BRIT school. They all love it.

See if you can persuade her to have a look, and at least then she can ask questions about drop out rates etc.

AlexaShutUp · 19/11/2019 10:13

If she wants somewhere that isn't fee paying, I would assume that the only real options are the state funded FE colleges.

Original poster
OhMyDarling · 19/11/2019 10:11

Obvs I meant fee paying!!

OP posts:
Original poster
OhMyDarling · 19/11/2019 10:11

My first thought was BRIT but she knows older students that have dropped out and so wants to avoid.
She wants somewhere that isn’t a sixth form.
But isn’t live-in or feed paying.

It’s not my world so I am limited on knowledge of dancey stuff!

OP posts:
Seeline · 19/11/2019 09:51

BRIT school in Croydon is were all the DCs at DDs dance school go.

AlexaShutUp · 19/11/2019 09:50

Our local sixth form colleges all offer dance options, not sure if that's the kind of thing that you had in mind? DD has no intention to pursue dance as a career but she went for a taster day because she loves dancing and thought it would be fun! Think she was very sorely tempted after that...