Meeting pupils’ needs

strathallan-school-rugbyToday’s boarding schools can bring out the best in gifted children and those with special needs

Independent boarding schools vary enormously in style, atmosphere and philosophy. Just as each child’s strengths and problems vary, so boarding schools have different fields of specialisation and expertise. Yet they all share a common dedication to providing the very best education for your child. Boarding schools understand that some children may need a more specialised education and support system than those found within mainstream schools. Whether a child needs extra help to overcome a physical or learning disability, or whether a gifted child needs to be with like-minded pupils, boarding schools are dedicated to developing your child’s potential.

Choir schools

For children who are musically gifted, a choir school education is one of the best ways of nurturing their talent from an early age. Forty-five choir schools, educating a total of nearly 25,000 pupils and around 1,200 boy and girl choristers, belong to the Choir Schools’ Association (CSA). Some require all their choristers to board, a handful offer an option, while others admit all their choristers as day pupils. Most members are independent, and the Church of England, the Roman Catholic Church, the Church of Scotland and the Church of Wales are all represented.

Choristers are educated alongside all the other pupils in the school. In addition they receive a unique musical education from some of the finest musicians in the country. Their school day is very full! They will fit in choir rehearsals, instrumental practice, and regular services. Once they have gone through a probation period they will sing Evensong most days of the week. On Sundays there will be a morning service and an afternoon or evening service. In addition, they will be required to sing on special occasions and may well be part of national and regional television or radio broadcasts. Readers can tune in to BBC Radio Three every Wednesday and Sunday to listen to Choral Evensong and discover how skilled and professional these young singers are. They are part of all the major important church festivals such as Easter and are still at work on Christmas Day. During their time in the choir many will have a chance to record CDs or tour overseas as well. Teachers and colleagues in choir schools are adept at helping choristers manage their heavy workload and making sure they can enjoy as many of the out of school activities as possible. The discipline and commitment they gain as choristers sets them up for life, whatever their chosen profession.

singingFinancial support

Most CSA schools are fee paying and there is financial help specifically for choristers. CSA administers the Choir Schools Scholarship Scheme, part of the government’s Music and Dance Scheme. Successful applicants must be aged 8-13, have been resident in the UK for at least two years and have been accepted as a chorister in a school in full membership of CSA. The CSA’s own limited Bursary Trust Fund is another source of help. The Association’s long-term aim is to ensure that no child is denied a place merely through lack of funds. Applicants are strictly means-tested and last year CSA distributed more than £200k to help families. Many choristers go on to win valuable academic and music awards to their senior schools.

How to apply

Times have changed and whilst some cathedrals and their schools organize voice trials, these days there are far more informal, one to one auditions. Directors of Music are happy for parents to make an appointment (in recent months online rather than in person) to listen to a child sing to assess his or her potential as a chorister. They are looking for boys aged 7-9 with spark and a joy for singing rather than a clutch of music certificates. There are growing opportunities for girls too, with ages ranging from 7-18. It is crucial the school is confident that every child is able to cope academically alongside the singing commitments.

Music and dance schools

There are four specialist music schools and four dance schools in England, and one specialist music school in Scotland, and they all have their own particular ethos and character. These schools are designed to foster excellence in children who have particular talents in the performing arts as well as providing pupils with a broad and balanced education.

Pupils at the eight music and dance schools in England receive funding under the Government’s Music and Dance Scheme, subject to meeting participating schools’ selection rules, and means testing and other requirements.

Music-web

Music schools

The four specialist music schools are as follows:

• Chetham’s School of Music is the largest specialist music school in the UK and educates around 290 musicians aged 8-18. Based in Manchester, the School has close ties with the Royal Northern College of Music and the Bridgewater Hall, Hallé and BBC Philharmonic Orchestras.
• The Yehudi Menuhin School in Stoke d’Abernon, Surrey, is an international school where around 86 musically gifted pupils between the ages of 8 and 19 can develop their full potential on stringed instruments, piano and guitar in addition to studying a full academic programme.
• The Purcell School in Hertfordshire is Britain’s oldest specialist music school, educating approximately 180 musicians aged 10-18.
• Wells Cathedral School in Somerset educates around 300 specialist musicians within a conventional co-educational school of about 770 pupils. The cathedral choir is considered to be one of the best in the world, while a pre-professional course trains highly gifted music students.

Dance schools

Four schools in England receive funding for dance under the Music and Dance Scheme:
• The Royal Ballet School educates about 200 pupils aged 11-19 and is based in two locations: Richmond, Surrey for those aged 11-16, and its prestigious Covent Garden site next to the Royal Opera House in central London for those aged 16-19.
• The Elmhurst School for Dance is an associate school of Birmingham Royal Ballet and educates around 180 students aged 11-19 at its five-acre campus in Edgbaston.
• Tring Park School for the Performing Arts educates over 300 pupils between 8 and 19 in dance, drama, musical theatre or music. Although pupils are funded only for ballet, they mix with equal numbers of drama, musical theatre and music pupils.
• The Hammond School in Chester combines tuition in music, dance and drama with a broad academic education for pupils aged 11+.

Boarding opportunities

Most of these specialist schools are predominantly boarding. Talented children often feel isolated in a conventional school, and the joy of the specialist school is that pupils mix with like-minded children. Geographically, the pupils are often widespread, so it makes sense, both economically and educationally, to select carefully and provide good boarding accommodation. These pupils will often have previously spent many hours travelling to and from their music and dance classes, and by having all the facilities they need on one campus they are able to make better use of their time.

All the schools have a multicultural flavour, and therefore the pupils have an enriched educational experience. All the schools aim to provide a world-class training combined with a broad and balanced education. Selection procedures are rigorous and the schools deliberately concentrate on music or dance, organising the academic curriculum around the need to stretch their young pupils’ talents. The Music and Dance Scheme schools are a major national
and international artistic resource: artistically talented children have very specific needs and the schools within the scheme are world-class examples of how the needs of these children can be met.

White Christmas-405 - Richard Burt PhotosSpecial needs provision

Boarding schools have always been innovative and have ensured that they are at the forefront in developing effective methods of working with pupils with special needs. They have always believed that every effort must be made to provide support that will ensure each child has the opportunity to succeed and develop. There are schools that will cater for dyslexia, dyspraxia, speech and language dysfunction, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Asperger’s syndrome, severe emotional difficulties and a variety of physical handicaps. Some of these schools aim to bring progress within a mainstream school approach; others are dedicated special needs schools where all the pupils will have similar difficulties.

The benefits of boarding

It is in the whole-school approach that every boarding school has an advantage over its day-school counterpart. The strong communication between academic staff and those providing pastoral care ensures that any problems can be dealt with quickly and with a minimum of fuss. Individual education plans are commonplace in boarding schools that deal with special needs, and it is far easier to implement these when they can be assessed and followed over the whole day rather than just in class time.

Achievement is essential and, with time being at less of a premium in a boarding school, pupils have a greater opportunity to achieve at some level in all the extracurricular activities on offer. Thus children can be the recipients of praise as they achieve success, which means that self-confidence is improved. Also, if interests are known, then learning strategies can be accurately directed to keep a pupil stimulated.

The generous amount of time available allows extra academic support to be provided, which either cannot be provided at home or would place an enormous burden on the family. Homework done with specialist staff in attendance helps those doing coursework and accelerates progress with reading and spelling. Similarly, help with social skills to improve interaction with peers, or counselling to help behaviour modification, or speech and language assistance to help communication skills, can all be continued during the evenings.

DSC00833 (2)Choosing the right school

It may be reassuring for parents to know that somewhere there is the right school for their child; however, finding the correct placement becomes a more complex task as a result of the choices available. There are a number of organisations that can help parents of pupils with special needs in their search for a suitable school. The British Dyslexia Association and Dyslexia Action, for example, can help parents of dyslexic children find a school offering the right level of provision (see here for contact details).

Parents should visit a number of schools to ensure that they understand what special needs provision is on offer, and whether the aims and ethos of a particular school are what they wish for their child. This is important both before a child enters a school and later, when progress has been made.

Glossary

A Choir schools: Schools associated with cathedrals, churches or chapels.

Choir Schools’ Association (CSA): An association of 45 UK institutions that provide a choir school education (find out more at www.choirschools.org.uk).

Chorister: A pupil who is a member of a church, chapel or cathedral choir.

Evensong: The choral evensong is a Christian service of reflection held in the evening.

Music and Dance Scheme: A Government funding programme that assists schools in England offering specialist music or dance tuition and academic education to gifted children.

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