MUSIC, drama and dance have all been in the air for pupils at a Newton Aycliffe summer school.

A group of 35 students are half way through a two-week summer school in performing arts at Greenfield School Community and Arts College.

The group is made up of pupils who are about to enter year seven at the college, and those who are about to go into year eight.

They were hand-picked for the two-week summer school for their talents in singing, dancing and drama.

Throughout the fortnight, students will be taking part in a series of workshops in drama, dance and song, with the aim of putting together a show at the end of next week.

The school's head of music, Peter Simpson, said: "During the two weeks, the students will be doing things which will improve and enhance their skills and knowledge.

"We have had Peter Maddison, of Newton Aycliffe police, in to talk to the children about crime prevention.

"From that we are hoping they will write songs, poems and sketches, as well as come up with dances, which can convey a message about crime prevention to an audience.

"The children should be doing two performances of their show, which will be written by themselves, with the help of some of the teachers, at the end of next week.

"They will have an audience of elderly people from Trimdon who will be watching the show."

Mr Simpson said it was not known what the exact theme of the show would be until the children had completed their preparation work.

A poster competition is also being run so that the children can be involved in promoting their own show as well as performing it.

The children also visited a performance of Annie at the Empire Theatre, in Sunderland, as part of their summer school.

Mr Simpson said: "These children are very gifted and very talented, and have been picked for the summer school for that reason.

"Some may have never been to a theatre, so we decided to take them to Sunderland so they could see a professional performance and all that goes in to it.