A 16-year-old schoolgirl has plenty to celebrate after securing a place at a full-time drama school in London.

Zoe Clayton, from Elstree, who has appeared in Eastenders, Holby City, and Mr Selfridge will be studying at The Pauuline Quirke Full-Time Academy for the Performing Arts from September after wowing judges in her audition earlier this year.

Borehamwood Times:

Zoe, who has just completed her GCSE's at Yavneh College in Borehamwood, said: "I am extremely excited to start at the academy in September and to make new friends and meet new people. This is a new beginning for my career and I'm excited about where it will take me.

"I'm also excited to learn new things with professionals who have been in the industry for many years. I am particularly looking forward to making friends with people who share the same passion as me."

Borehamwood Times:

The full-time school, which has an in-house theatre, and several high-spec studios spaces, offers 16-19-year-olds the opportunity to study performing arts for two years, at the end of which they will receive a OCR Cambridge technical extended diploma in performing arts (a Level 3 qualification), the equivalent to three A-levels.

The school opened last year and is led by Pauline Quirke, best known for her role as Sharon in the BBC sitcom Birds of a Feather.