A group of performing arts students from Abingdon have won two awards at the Junior Theatre Festival Europe in Birmingham.

Seventeen students from Abingdon Stagecoach Performing Arts School competed against 60 schools and 2,000 young performers.

They won the award for Outstanding Production for their performance of 'Legally Blonde Jr', while 15-year-old Noah Smith bagged the Outstanding Individual Performance Award.

Noah SmithNoah Smith (Image: Stagecoach Performing Arts)

Mr Smith, who has been at Stagecoach for five years, said: "It was such an amazing experience.

"The day was jam packed with plenty to learn and of course lots of musical theatre fun.

"It was such an honour to receive an award for doing something I love with my friends."

The Junior Theatre Festival Europe is known for its diverse range of productions, including Broadway classics, Sondheim masterpieces, Disney shows, and musicals by Cameron Mackintosh.

The Broadway Junior series, designed for children and young audiences, transforms these musicals into 30 or 60-minute performances.

Principal of Stagecoach Abingdon, Didcot and Wallingford, Tara Melia Hunt, said: "I am so delighted for my students.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and they really did themselves proud.

"To come away with two awards at such a prestigious global event is an incredible achievement and a great reward for all their hard work and determination."

In the 36 years since it launched, Stagecoach Performing Arts has worked with more than one million students.