SIXTY youngsters from a Bolton school are all winners after dancing their way to the finals of a national competition.

Pupils from George Tomlinson School may win a trip to Australia after reaching the finals of the Global Rock Challenge.

The children were picked to represent Greater Manchester after performing their show about Shakespeare at the Bridgewater Hall. All were presented with a special award for student leadership after teacher Pamela Heywood told judges she could could not pick between them.

"I was asked to nominate a pupil for the award, but I did not want to single out one pupil because they all worked so hard," she said.

Now the school is busy trying to arrange for parents to travel to Grimsby next Wednesday for the Northern final.

Organisers are hoping the winners of both the Northern and Southern finals will be able to go to Australia for the world final.

The Rock Challenge originated in Australia to teach children about the dangers of drugs and crime and is backed by Greater Manchester Police.

Pupils have to put on a production from scratch, including costumes, sets and recording a soundtrack. Pamela, who is Head of Expressive Arts, said: "The ethos is that if children become absorbed in something like this, they are less likely to become involved with alcohol, drugs, smoking or crime."

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