NotaPushyMum.Com

I know we've been here before with other schools but I always feel gutted for any students involved when I hear of a drama school closing

https://alra.co.uk/

Must be so awful for them and the staff involved.

What a worrying and stressful time for all effected by this. I hope everyone finds suitable courses and employment.

Just saw it via PPA facebook asking student's affected to contact them in case they can help.

Alra was associated with my daughter's sixth form college and offered scholarships via them. Last year though when DD contacted them they said due to the pandemic they weren't visiting. Daughter applied anyway and was recalled for foundation. When she went on their website to select how she was going to audition for foundation to her astonishment her college was listed as a venue, so she contacted them to ask if she could audition there and they said 'sorry all places full'. She queried it at college and discovered that a stand in teacher (due to regular off with covid) had not passed on the info about them now auditioning at college to every course in the performing arts department (unlike in previous years) just they one she was teaching on. DD always felt upset that she'd not been given a chance at the scholarship.

Alra like Arts Ed and Mountview charged top up fees for their degrees. Feel for their students (and parents) who have paid out and are now left looking for somewhere else.

Rose Bruford has offered to step in.

https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/fo ... dKHm5E6yyU

lawn wrote: ↑Mon Apr 04, 2022 3:44 pm
Alra like Arts Ed and Mountview charged top up fees for their degrees. Feel for their students (and parents) who have paid out and are now left looking for somewhere else.

Students and parents are saying on social media that fees were due and paid on 1st April (last Friday). The first working day after fees were paid (Monday) they announced their closure.

We don't know anyone who has auditioned for ALRA let alone attended there. Not sure what courses it ran. But no wonder they didn't announce the closure until April 4th! Their terms and conditions allow them not to refund any money. Sounds despicable to me. Hope Rose Bruford can accommodate the students without risking their own finances! Sadly it feels it could happen at any performing arts college now - when you read of greatly reduced numbers (or the opposite - massivly increased numbers to bring in the money) or cuts in courses on offer. Really feel for everyone affected..

I know several ALRA graduates. They were more straight acting, they didn't do MT or dance for example.

I'm glad that we currently have an arrangement to pay dd's fees monthly rather than termly. If the worst were to happen the most we would lose is a month's worth rather than an entire term.

amo185 wrote: ↑Wed Apr 06, 2022 1:36 pm We don't know anyone who has auditioned for ALRA let alone attended there. Not sure what courses it ran. But no wonder they didn't announce the closure until April 4th! Their terms and conditions allow them not to refund any money. Sounds despicable to me. Hope Rose Bruford can accommodate the students without risking their own finances! Sadly it feels it could happen at any performing arts college now - when you read of greatly reduced numbers (or the opposite - massivly increased numbers to bring in the money) or cuts in courses on offer. Really feel for everyone affected..

It ran BA Acting courses at its 2 campuses, in London and Wigan, but as above didn't run MT courses. Miranda Hart is one of of their alumni. ALRA had links to my daughter's sixth form college as previously mentioned.

So fortunate that Rose Brufford is in a position to step in and help some students at least,
Can’t help thinking it would be good if Manchester School of Theatre at Man Met could do the same.

jaybeeyellow wrote: ↑Tue Apr 12, 2022 9:13 am So fortunate that Rose Brufford is in a position to step in and help some students at least,
Can’t help thinking it would be good if Manchester School of Theatre at Man Met could do the same.

Rose Bruford's website says that they are going to use the Wigan premises to teach the ALRA North students.

Oh good. In all honesty not sure that MST are in any position to help tbh.

It sounds like it wasn't just offered on a whim but something done in conjunction with SFE and the vallidating university St MAry's

islandofsodor wrote: ↑Tue Apr 12, 2022 2:49 pm It sounds like it wasn't just offered on a whim but something done in conjunction with SFE and the vallidating university St MAry's

I'm intrigued to know more about why they did tbh. The offer was made the same day I believe, so pretty quickly. RB foundation students - they run 4 around the UK not just at their Sidcup site - have already finished as it's only a 20-ish week course, so all finished last month. Alra foundation runs until summer - July I think from memory from when my DD auditioned, so it's not as though they've got current term's lesson plans they can just transfer over. I've heard ALRA was offering places for their 3 year degree even the week before they announced closure, so what's happening with those offers? RB only offer fully funded degrees, not Dadas and ALRA degree students had to pay top up fees - from memory a bit cheaper than Arts Ed and MV, but not by that much. I'm guessing those terms still stand.

The website says they are in talks with Dept of Education about getting DaDas transferred.

Have a read and see what your thoughts are. https://www.bruford.ac.uk/rose-bruford- ... r-courses/