TWO Stroud schools took top awards at the Great Big Dance Off competition.

At the Southwest regional Great Big Dance Off competition, two Stroud schools came out tops - Gastrells Primary winning both 1st and 2nd places in the primary school category, and Stroud High School winning the key stage 3 division.

The South West Regional competition took place at The Forum in Bath on April 29.

The teams will all go on to compete in the national finals in the summer.

The Great Big Dance Off is a popular national dance competition open to schools all across England & Wales.

It attracts entries from across England and is a highlight of the year for pupils everywhere.

Special mention also goes to the Stroud High team whose routine was choreographed by two Y11 students.

A stunning skeleton-based performance secured top slot for Gastrells.

Lauren Kelly from Gastrells said: "The Skeletons placed first (which was a shock as we are a Y1/2/3 group and most primary groups are Y4/5/6!).

"The Lion King placed second and have consistently qualified for Nationals.

"The children have been working hard both during school and after school for the last few months and have put a lot of effort in."

One of the Year 2 children said: "I actually liked it when we did our jumps in time"

A spokesman for the Great Big Dance Off said: "Whatever your preferred style of dancing, whatever your level of experience, we want you to be involved. A bit of imagination, dedication and teamwork is all that is required.

"Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions.

"We have extensive experience of working in schools and are confident we have planned an event which is easy to enter and understand."

For more information please visit thegreatbigdanceoff.co.uk