Tring Park School for the Performing Arts

Since 2023, Simon Larter-Evans, BA (Hons), PGCE. Originally from Harlow in Essex – where it wasn’t precisely the done thing for boys to be interested in dance – he started studying at Harlow Ballet School, run by Leo Kersley, a founder member of the

The prep school starts in year 3, but most pupils enter in years 7 and 12. The talent hurdle is high, with applicants selected via one-day auditions in dance, drama, music and singing, with approximately three applicants per place at all stages.

Most pupils who enter lower down the school continue after GCSE, when the vocational bar is raised. ‘We don’t lose many at 16,’ says the head. ‘We have a commitment to the family, and pupils are not required to re-audition.’ After sixth form about 10

In 2024, 46 per cent 9-7 at GCSE; 33 per cent A*/A at A level (66 per cent A*-B).

Tring’s founding principle was to supply a solid academic education alongside an outstanding vocational training, and pupils are offered a full range of GCEs and A levels. ‘My daughter is doing her GCSEs and thinks she wants to be a performer, but

Like many vocational schools, Tring has its ‘fair spread of neurodiversity – what you might call quirky kids’. It’s not, however, the head emphasises, set up for acute learning needs. About a third of pupils receive support for relatively minor

The reason you come to Tring is because you’re set on a career in dance, theatre, musical theatre or commercial music. Pupils in the prep school receive an all-round training in acting, singing and dancing. From year 7, they can opt for dance

Prep-school pupils do games once a week and, thereafter, vocational lessons give plenty of exercise, but some regret that down-time sporting opportunities are limited. ‘They have lovely grounds, but there are not many facilities for just knocking a

Full boarding available from year 6, with about 60 per cent of pupils boarding, though many return home at weekends. The living accommodation ranges from fairly basic – a good preparation for life on tour – to thoroughly up to date. The largest dorms

Tring traces its roots to two dance schools – one founded in 1919 by Grace Cone, the other in 1922 by Olive Ripman. In 1939, the two merged to form the Cone Ripman School. Initially located in central London, the school moved to Tring Park during the

This is a small school – only 350 pupils from 7 to 19 – which means individual wellbeing can be closely tracked, with weekly meetings of pastoral, academic and vocational staff looking at progress in the round. ‘Because of the small numbers, they can

A clear mobile phone policy is a really important part of modern schooling. This school has provided us with their policy.

Despite its glamorous boarding-school setting, this a school for talented all-comers, and families come from a wide range of backgrounds. Pupils are chatty, polite and outgoing, but more than anything, they’re dedicated, disciplined, and hardworking.

Many students come from families on relatively modest incomes, and about 40 per cent get some sort of financial support. Dancers who join at 11, 12 or 13 can apply for funding from the government’s means-tested music and dance scheme; those joining

A school providing a high standard of vocational training in the performing arts alongside a solid academic foundation. Pupils need energy and resilience to cope with long, busy days, but for those who can, it provides something unique.