Performing Arts at 16+

[ForArtfulTraybake]

My DD wants to pursue a career in the performing arts. She has been at a vocational school for the last few years which we enrolled her into with rose tinted lenses and now see it mostly as a money pit which has not provided adequate academic or vocational training/opportunities. Nonetheless she has become quite a talented performer and now has offers at 16+ to study a BTEC at ArtsEd, Base, and D and B academy. I took her to our local mainstream school to show her what studying A levels look like but she feels she would no longer belong in a mainstream school and is adament that she wants to pursue industry training. I could empty the remainder of our savings on ArtsEd but I am not convinced it is worth it having had a negative experience at her current school. Are Base/B and B academy good options? Shuld I empty the savings and send her to ArtsED? Am I going to regret letting her go down this route altogether? Am I too late to find a 6th form to let her start in Sep (if I manage to persaude her)? Thanks!

I wouldn’t empty my savings pot ever in a case like this….if it’s meant to be she will make it ‘despite’ not ‘because’ …..I’m 60 now …I work 2 days a weeks because I’ve got savings and a good pension….you should look to your own future as well as your child’s xx

@ForArtfulTraybake Hi,
My son had started his BTEc at D&B last September and we are very happy about his progress.

Arsted is good but no needs to empty your saving...

You might have more options depending on where you are. Elstree for example has good post gcse options.

I completely agree with this - thanks for sharing!

Really appreciate this reply - thank you!

DC is also interested on this, what other options are there for 16 plus which are free apart from the Brit School.

@Wanderingmindfull Bodens (Btec Acting or MT), Base, London College of Performing Arts

Have you considered Brit School? It is free and very reputable.
ArtsEd call themselves an academic school with a strong performing arts focus. You can actually fo AL in sixth form instead of BTEC.
We are an academic family. However my DD has loved to sing and dance since she was tiny. I held off a performing arts school until after GCSEs but supported it for sixth form as that’s her dream and she would have been miserable studying academic subjects. She attends one of the schools in your list and the preparation to apply for MT BA has been outstanding.
We wanted to give her the best opportunities we can to succeed in this very very competitive field. However, we can easilu afford to fund it.

I am unsure what we would have done if we couldn’t. A degree is a degree. So even after a MT degree she can do on to a professional career in something completely different.

Thank you

Thank you. It sounds like your DD went to ArtsEd for 6th form and takes the MT BTEC? I read other reviews and wasn't sure from those reviews if the outstanding reputation for ArtsEd is more centred on the degree than the school itself. If the preparation at 6th form is also outstanding then we would reconsider sending our DD there.. it is not something we can easily afford - we would make sacrifices but ones we are prepared to do if we feel it is worth it.

@ForArtfulTraybakething is you can’t know if the training/ outcome / opportunities and development may have been different at The Brit or London College of Performing Arts (I think both are free).

IS your daughter a dancer, actor or all round MT?

My dd went to vocational school which at the time was excellent (a management change during her final year means it is not the same today though.

She looked at Arts Ed but decided not to apply as there was no funding for the Btec MT course and she felt it wouldn't give her enough hours of dance compared to what she was used to. She was also advised to apply for Tring but she went on a summer school there and hated it. Plus we knew she wasn't of the calibre for their classical dance course with Dada funding and their MT course had no funding.

So she chose to stay on at her vocational school with a Dada where she could do A levels alongside an MT diploma.

If she was making the same decision today in light of how things have changed then for her I would move her to a local 6th form college to do A levels and spend the money on high quality dance/singing lessons outside. If she was not academic/didn't want to do A levels then she would do a Btec at a good college, we have one locally that specialises in performing arts and has a good track record. If we lived down south then we would be looking at the likes of Emil Dale etc.

I do feel that for dancers it is more important to go full time younger, not so important for actors.

I know nothing about careers in the performing arts but I do know someone whose daughter is living the dream after doing a Musical Theatre degree at Arts Ed .
I’d carefully consider the BTech option and what it could lead to as she has just finished a world tour with the musical Cats ….

The school and the university parts of Arts Ed are totally separate.

The Arts Ed degree is arguably one of the best in the country (along with the likes of GSA & Mountview). The only downside to Arts Ed is the top up fees for the degree (annual fees are £18.5k instead of the normal £9,700 PLUS you can only get a student loan for £6.8k per year towards the fees, that's one heck of a top up required.)

The school charges almost £8,000 per term. To give you an idea of the context I paid around £900 per term with a means tested DaDa at dd's 6th form (family income of £60-70k)

My son also wants to pursue performing arts. Our local colleges have v good 6th form performing art diplomas. He is currently studying drama and music at GCSE and PA BTEC (conventional secondary school) . Currently, his plan is to remain in school for 6th form and study English, drama and music for As, and continue his extra
curricular theatre school. He then plans to attend the local college post As - they do a 1 year level 4 PA diploma for this age.

He knows that if he pursues Arts Ed or the like thereafter, he will need to work and save whilst studying , and probably take any year out to earn more. (We would have course contribute) . Or he can apply for one or the highly regarded degrees that come under the student loan / fees as other degrees too.

We are in Wales and therefore cannot use loans etc as a contribution to private theatre schools.

Personally, I am not going to jeopardise our future stability when they are alternative options he can pursue that are just as good. Or he has to work and save first.

Are there local , non private colleges that offer such courses? The productions that ours on are incredible!