TO think that this money demand from dd's ballet school is really insensitively timed?

[soandsosmummy]

DD came home from ballet on Saturday with a note I've just got round to reading. Basically she's taking one of her ballet exams in March and they have asked for the exam fees plus fees for 8 extra lessons (compulsory for anyone taking the exam). It totals £85 to be paid on December 17th.

DP and I will cope we have it in savings and can budget paying it back in to January and February but AIBU to think that for some families this amount of money would be hard to find at 2 weeks notice at the best of times let alone the weekend before Christmas?

The paying for and getting to extra lessons gets me too!
We don't have extra swimming lessons, extra gym lessons or extra music lessons before exams, but we have extra ballet lessons.
I too wonder what they do the rest of the year.

What grade is she taking? DD has just done grade 3 they had 2 extra classes which were put on at no extra cost.

We received a letter dated 20 Oct, not posted until 30 Nov saying that they've just noticed we've been underpaying DS's school fees (on a standing order set up by them) since September 2009 and could we pay £1400 instead of £533 in December.

Er NO

I assume you knew the exam was coming up and is payable in advance so is them wanting paying really that much of a shock?

I know this isn't the point but 8 extra lessons? This sounds excessive. Have had 3 dds go through the grades and can only remember maybe 2 extra lessons if that just to go over the format etc.

This is totally standard at the ballet school my girls attend, you get your bill for the following term, including any exam classes and exam fee, before the end of the last term. This is to give you time to think about whether you want to go ahead with the extra classes, or take the exam at all, and the fee has to be paid in advance.

As for the number of extra lessons, we had about 11 extra for Grade 1 so 8 sounds pretty standard for me. You don't have to attend all of them, but the ballet school mine go to has an amazing pass rate, it's fairly obvious the more you do, the better your chances, but this does cost money.

Having said all that, our teacher is lovely and we often pay at the start of the term, she will also accept staggered payments if you ask, so I don't see the point of being indignant, really, as they may well be equally accommodating.

It's fairly standard practice to put on extra classes for exams and to charge for them. The ballet teacher should have explained this to you when you booked the exam. It's a nuisance - who wants more bills - but better to ask for it now than in January when everybody is skint! Would she let you pay in installments?