A WINCHESTER schoolgirl has won a place at one of the most sought after ballet schools in the country.

Living in Shawford with her parents Sally and Colin and her elder brother, Jack, Molly Shaw-Downie, 13, has earned herself a place at the prestigious Royal Ballet School in London.

Having trained since the age of three with the Florian School of Dance in Winchester, the King Edward VI School leaver had danced her way to winning the South East England Bursary Awards and a scholarship to attend the Royal Academy of Dance Summer School this summer.

Annette FitzGerald, principal at the Florian School of Dance, said: “Molly is one of the most thoughtful, hard-working and dedicated young students I have ever come across. She deserves this place at The Royal Ballet School and I am sure she will continue to work hard to make everyone there as proud of her as we already are. “I know that she is excited to have the opportunity to train at the same school as Margot Fonteyn, Wayne Sleep and of course her favourite dancer, Darcey Bussell.”