Brentwood ballerina’s career en pointe

A Brentwood School dancer’s dream of a professional career is en pointe following the offer of a prestigious place at the English National Ballet School (ENBS).

Sixteen-year-old Sophie Farquhar was up against thousands of applicants, from all over the world, to secure a First Year place at the world-renowned specialist classical ballet school. She will join the London-based ENBS First Year in September.

Proud mum, Mrs Lisa Farquhar, said: “We were so delighted to hear that Sophie had been offered a place. It is something positive & exciting to look forward to. English National Ballet has been Sophie’s dream for as long as we can remember and we are over the moon that her commitment has paid off.

“We are delighted and extremely proud of Sophie’s achievement, particularly how she has kept on top of her academic studies alongside her ballet training, to a level where she has achieved excellent grades and has been able to audition for these sought after places against other fully vocational applicants.”

The English National Ballet School prepares the finest young dancers for a lifetime of achievement with state-of-the-art facilities, world-class training, education, pastoral care and performance opportunities.

Sophie, a Fifth Year student who has been at Brentwood School since joining in the Nursery, thanked Miss Michelle Choate, Head of Wellbeing, and her A Level dance teacher for their fantastic support.

Headmaster, Michael Bond, congratulated Sophie on ‘a fantastic achievement’ and praised all those who had played a part in supporting her development.

ENBS is first and foremost a ballet school but there is academic study which focuses on creative and artistic development. Students are entered for a Diploma in Professional Dance which can be extended into a Bachelor of Arts Degree.

As she prepares for her September start at ENBS, Sophie is keen to continue her studies with the newly-launched Brentwood School "Springboard" programme - a programme of subject-sessions and tasks; enrichment activities and a leadership qualification aimed at broadening student horizons even further.