CHILDREN showed their star quality yesterday when they performed their own version of a classic musical.

A group of 62 eight and nine-year-olds from Esh Winning Primary School staged a colourful production of Joseph and His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.

They put on two shows - one for the school, in the afternoon, and an evening performance for parents.

The production was developed with the help of community worker Shaun Towers using money from the Government's Single Regeneration Budget for the area, and aimed to give less confident children starring roles.

Headteacher Patricia Bateley said: "We have a tradition of every child being involved in a performance within each school year, but the overall aim of this was to ensure that less confident children in particular could have their skills developed.

"We used a professionally produced backing CD and the children mainly mimed and danced. They all really enjoyed being involved."

* Esh Winning Primary School pupils Simon Peart, ten, Robert Agar, ten, and Sophie Chambers, nine, came home with silver medals when they competed in the British Schools Acro-Gymnastics Championships, in Stoke recently.

Acro-gymnastics combines gymnastics and dance, and the children are trained by coaches from the UK Sports Institute Gymnastics High Performance Centre, at Deerness Valley Comprehensive.

Simon won two silver medals after entering the under-11 mixed pairs, with Sophie, and the under-11 boys pairs, with Robert.

His mother, Nora, said: "I've watched their dance routines about 12 times and every time it brings tears to my eyes."