Scholarships

[nutcracker]

Apologies for the fact that I will sound very thick asking about this but i really haven't a clue.

Dd1 (7) currently attends classical ballet classes once a week and as far as I know is doing very well, teacher is very pleased with her etc.

Dd has mentioned a few times that she would love to go to ballet school and so I have been looking into it but am a bit confused.

We are on a low income so Dd's only way in would be by scholarship. My question though is, who puts her forward for the scholarship, is it me, her ballet teacher or in fact do we just send her for a normal entry audition and then they decide on scholarship ??

Also does dd's acedemiac record come into it ?? Dd is bright and currently working about a year ahead of herself in every subject but math.

If anyone could explain this to me as simply as poss, i'd be very grateful.

royal ballet school website - if your household income is low, you don't pay anything by the looks of it .

Oh yeah I realise that Flashingnose but am just a bit confused about how you get the scholarship in the first place.

I know she would have to be viewed as very talented indeed to get in, and i'm not sure who decided if it is a good idea or not iyswim, and then if they do think she's good enough how do you go about applying for scholarship.

Sorry i'm waffling.

Wow according to that site, we would only pay about £350 a year for a place if she got an aided place.

Perhaps I should speak to her ballet teacher about it.

Anyone ??

That link was great Flashingnose, thankyou

Me again .

this is about dance & music scholarships - most seem to be for secondary rather than junior school.

Oh thanks flashingnose, another good link

On that first link it says that they do associate places from age 8 were they can have a lesson a week/fortnight/month and they do offer some funded places for that too, so may look into that for next year.

Elmhurst school of dance have also just started a similar thing which Dd will be old enough for next year too, so will find out about both and ask her dance teacher too.

Message withdrawn

My knowledge is not from the ballet sector but ordinary independent schools - my guess is they would be the same though. Scholarships are usually awarded by the school to pupils they pick out as being particularly able in a particular field - could be academically, musically, sport (or ballet etc.). Most schools this would be done automatically (who would turn a scholarship down?) though when we applied for senior schools for DD1 there was one you had to tick the box for her to be considered. Bursaries are where your income is below a certain figure and you apply for assistance (usually at the same time as your application to join the school). Hope you sort something out.

You love your child???
Your child is gifted???
Ballet school ruined the early part of my life.
I won not only places at the top six ballet schools but also scholarships at two and full grant offers for two.
I was very good, I ended up disturbed, out of touch with home and very unhappy.
When I left home at 10 I thought I'd be back at half term and I was.... but different.
Ballet school was such a great opportunity, one that my family could not see me waste even if it all seemed wrong.
I was at Elmhurst from 10 years to 14.
During those four years I cried a lot.... but that's normal for boarding school.
My mother lost me, when I went home I felt that the weight of the world was on my shoulders.
Everyone said that I could leave,... but I could not....... no-one else in my family had ever achieved as much as I had.
The school's prospectus, parent tours and shows all looked good.
Our dorms were cosy and the staff friendly.
They used to weigh us and embarass us.
If you're not there then how can you know what your child's experiencing?
Boarding school, preassure?.... BAD IDEA!

Charlotte.
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sorry that you were so unhappy at school Charlotte I am sure your parents wanted the best for you. It's such a shame when it doesn't work out as planned for the dc.

Nutcracker, if you are still interested, I would just call the school secretary (you can give a false name if you like) and ask about everything you want to know. How you apply for the scholarship/bursery/their selection criteria. I find it best to just go straight to the source.

actually this daily weighing of the dc is what put me of the state ballet school here. I find that so demeaning.

There is a government assisted scheme called the Music and Dance scheme. There are certain schools throughout the UK which are part of this scheme including Chethams School of Music, Elmhurst Ballet School, The Hammond School, Arts Educational School, Purcell School, Royal Ballet School, Wells Cathedral School, Yehudi Menhuin School and ST MAry's

Everyone who applies for places is awarded a place on merit alone and the fees payable are entirely dependant on parental income with the award covering the rest.

Details are here

Music and Dance Scheme

Gosh. Going off the point a bit, but I'm amazed at how many people want to keep telling us that boarding school ruined their life! Don't judge on what you experienced 20, 30 or more years ago. Boarding schools are unrecognisable from what they were! My DCs are day children at one of the specialist schools mentioned below and they BEG to be allowed to board. The boarders always seem to have the best of both worlds - friends around them, ready made social life and activities, it's far easier for them to be involved in the life of the school (and thats a very important point in a specialist school like these)- AND they get to see/phone/text their parents whenever they want. Many of the boarders at my DCs school go home at weekends anyway. In fact me and DH are thinking of downsizing - moving to a 2 bed house and putting the DCs in boarding with the money we save!

Please don't be fooled, when we looked for a school to train me we were so impressed by the more modern boarding academies.
Facilities and mission statements, by their very nature, will change with the times, however the fundamental components cannot.
However trendy the package may be, your child is still leaving home, will still be raised by someone else, will not have your values instilled in them and will, without a shaddow of a doubt, grow to be a product of that.
Boarding school has given me the tools to survive in any situation. I'll always be part of the club, I'll never feel afraid to express myself no matter who's company I'm in. I'll always know that I can manage and succeed in any situation and I'll have gleaned all of these survival instincts after living through the toughest test of all.
Schools may be more modern these days, less draconian, more caring..... but at the end of the day, if you aren't there, how will you know if things aren't right?
Teenagers are great at hiding problems when they're living under your roof, are you such a great parent that you'll keep that strong bond you have now when they're miles away?
Although schools may be more parent friendly these days and all of the boxes are being ticked can you be sure, really sure, that the stranger who puts on a nice face for you is going to look after your child as well as you would? Can you trust that stranger that much?
Good luck to your child if you believe that they can.
I've put on a show for people in life. You're putting on a show for the school when you turn up for the open day or audition. Are you sure they're not putting on a show for you?
There are plenty of great specialist schools within everyone's reach these days. Measure for measure, do the scales really weigh so heavily that the risk of damaging the thing which you love the most is worth the risk?

Charlotte.