Eight of the twelve competing schools have now held their school finals and the grand finalists have earned their place on the stage at the Anvil on July 14.

For those of you who have not come across the competition before, Pop Academy was created 3 years ago and has been run annually in the schools of north Hampshire since then, giving every child, irrespective of their background, an equal shot at local stardom as the competition works its way through auditions, school finals and then the grand final, this year being held at The Anvil.

With 12 competing schools, the last count was more than 3,000 children being involved and as organisers, The String Group would like to thank the participating schools for their support. Feedback has been positive throughout, with confidence being built and young talent being discovered.

Thanks to the support of title sponsor The Property Explorer, we are also able to offer a very special prize for the overall winner - a VIP weekend in London. The morning after the grand final, the winners will be picked up in a limousine courtesy of Oakley Limos, driven up to London to check into the 4-star Le Meridien Hotel, then taking in a theatre show before descending on Planet Hollywood for dinner with style! After a fantastic night's sleep, there's a VIP tour of London before the limo collects them all and brings them home. In addition to this, they also get to record their song and have it remixed and cut onto CD to keep forever.