Performing Arts & Private Education

[ShineBrightC]

I’m considering private school for my 13 year old daughter who happens to have a real passion for performing arts and wants to be an actress. One of her dance teachers have suggested Tring School of Performing Arts would be a good fit for her but this is too far for us to travel so would mean her boarding (not sure how I feel about this). I’m also looking into Queenswood as I understand they have outstanding drama and dance facilities and this would be doable for us travel wise.

Ive done a little research into both schools. I’m getting the impression Tring is perhaps more prestigious, high pressure and more performing arts based but with a good academic reputation. Queenswood perhaps not as prestigious yet offers more of a balance between academic and performing arts so a real good all rounder with perhaps less pressure.

Due to its closeness and her young age I’m leaning more towards Queenswood.

would be interested to hear people’s views/opinions/any experiences on the two schools.
Has anybody’s daughter been to Q but moved to Tring for six form?

Not the question you're asking but the performing arts facilities and support is also good at St Albans High for Girls - lots of talented musicians, singers, actors with lots of opportunities to get involved in extremely high quality productions

13 is a fairly normal age to start boarding, harder for the parents but the kids can love it.

What does you DD think? How independent is she? What could the plan be if she didn’t like it? How far away is it? Could weekly boarding be an option or would she only be able to come home on exeats?

Have you visited either?
Entrance to Tring is via audition so you would need to check the dates, and prep for this.
My DD went there for 6th form (boarder), had an amazing time, finally felt like she was with like-minded people. Left with 3A grade A levels, and drama school offers, ultimately chose to not follow the performing arts route, but the skills, friends, confidence and “have a go and be supportive” attitude she developed there have stayed with her.

@JamesWebbSpaceTelescopeDD Says she’s open to boarding once she has made some friends. It’s 1.5 hours from us.

@TreesOfGreen99Tring refused a visit over this summer suggesting we audition later in the year but Queenswood let us look around and we got a really good feel for the place. Both require us to audition and sit exams.

Are you sure your DD needs to audition for Queenswood? I thought that was just academic testing.
The academic test at Tring is not about your level of academic ability equals pass/fail, but understanding where you are at and if there are additional support requirements identified. It is not academically selective. It is performing arts selective.
Saying that, the academic teaching is really strong and I liked how they linked areas across the curriculum eg, the witch trials in A level history linked to some of the English Lit and Drama texts studied.

I'm a performing arts teacher in a private (prep) school. If you pick a mainstream independent school with strong Arts then there is no real benefit to attending a specialist school like Tring before age 16 (or in fact waiting to go to performing arts college or university at 18).

Tring is not far from me and I occasionally have pupils who go on there. It doesn't have a good academic reputation with our parents at all - it's usually that which turns the parents off (occasionally it's lack of sporting opportunities). It's also extremely dance focused so if acting is her passion, I don't know if it would be the right fit. I think there's only two tracks - dance and musical theatre. No straight acting. The third negative (purely anecdotal) I have heard is that it can really affect the self esteem of less robust young people. One of my friends went there to do dance at 16+ and was destroyed by the very harsh, very freuqent criticism she go. But that was a long time ago.

Queenswood is a really lovely school. By audition, I presume you are talking about the Drama scholarship. I've only ever had one child go there as a Drama scholar but she loved it. It has a very large 11+ intake though rather than the more traditional 13+ start for public schools. I imagine there's quite a lot of new pupils for Year 9 but I don't know for sure.

Other independents with great performing arts (in my opinion) include St Edwards Oxford and Downe House.

@miniaturepixieonacid thank you for your post I’ve honestly found this so helpful. It’s confirmed what I was already thinking which is that Q offers the best of both worlds in terms of strong academic focus as well as drama. I think you’re right that Tring focuses more on dance. My daughter is an amazing dancer (and still wants to do both) but her passion as I said lies with the drama side of things.

At Q you can apply for a dance and/or drama scholarships. You have to audition (one dance/ one monologue) plus sit exams but I think with the exams it’s purely so they know where to place you if you get in.

We are going to apply for scholarships in dance and drama and go from there..

My daughter’s friend is at Q currently, said they axed performing arts a level as under 5 people signed up. If turnout is too low they don’t run the course. The students are very cliquey and can be quite rude if they don’t accept you. My daughter is a former queenswood student in secondary and was in many school plays and said the students can be very cruel, and the teachers are too busy to intervene shame.

@Mollymaeandseals Queenswood has never offered performing arts at A-level. Yes, they are stopping GCSE and A-level dance but this is being replaced with Rambert grades which at the higher levels attract the same number of UCAS points. Some very talented girls struggle with the theoretical side of the traditional qualifications so it makes sense.

They continue to offer drama at an exceptionally high level. Their school plays are very inclusive - if you want to be in it then you can. They also recently had split casts meaning that girls lower down the s hook were able to play lead roles.

The performing arts at Q are exceptionally strong.

Keeping a balance with academic learning is important and Queenswood would be a better choice. I know two young women who wanted to act. Both went to specialist schools. One is now training as a paediatric nurse and the other is just completing a Foundation Year in Theatre studies but has discovered that there are lots of people more talented than her and has decided to follow a different degree path. As for a third who everyone said was destined for a brilliant stage career, she is tutoring Oxbridge candidates.