School's Irish dancers are national champions

Thirty pupils (27 girls and three boys) performed at the Great Big Dance final in the Alexander Theatre, Birmingham, where they came first, scoring a massive 390 out of 400 possible points and beating 28 other schools.

The dance was titled ‘Let’s Get Jigging’ – an Irish dance with a twist.

Caroline Hunt, the group’s dance teacher, said: “It was an amazing experience. The children did the best performance ever. We are all ecstatic.”

The Great Big Dance competition had 380 schools enter at the initial stages, with a total of 7,500 dances viewed at regional level, which highlights the achievement for the pupils of the dance club.

Plenty of parents and family members travelled to Birmingham to support the dancers.

Emma Roberts, whose daughter is one of the younger dancers, said: “Our whole family came to watch. It was really exciting to see the children on the big stage. I think the parents were more nervous than the children. We were so impressed with the performance.”

Delighted headteacher Louise McGrory added: “I am bursting with pride for the children. Such talent. They have worked so hard to win this national dance award.

“The children are already looking forward to entering next year’s competition to defend their title.”