A ballet school is celebrating after nine of its students won places with a prestigious ballet company, while another is set to dance for the Queen.

The dancers, from the Karen Forbes School of Dance in Merton Park, will be taking up spots with the English Youth Ballet after the school secured a single junior scholarship, and a half senior scholarship with the dance company.

While another one of the dance school's students is preparing to perform for the National Youth Ballet for the Queen at her Coronation Festival at Buckingham Palace.

Isabella Vargiu, 11, from Raynes Park, who received the half scholarship, will perform this week with the National Youth Ballet who handpicked her for the performance at the palace.

Karen Forbes, who set up the school 27 years ago, said: "I’m just very proud to have been successful with the three top ballet companies and it feels like all our hard work is paying off.

"I have danced since I was four and ballet is my absolute passion.

"We do other dance but ballet is our main discipline.

"If the ballet is good then everything else is."