Five gifted Chetwynde School students are closing in on their dream to represent England in basketball.

Knox, Tobias, Maimie, Alex and Oliver have been selected for Basketball England’s Aspire Programme - a camp that aims to train budding basketball stars to play for England and Great Britain.

As part of their training, the five talents will participate in a series of sessions in Manchester.

Alongside on-court coaching, they will be schooled on the fundamentals of basketball through interactive classroom workshops, covering key topics such as hydration, nutrition, sleep and injury prevention.

Tobias, with aspirations to go professional and travel the globe, said: “There were a lot of really good players there and they pushed us hard to do our best.

"It was really fun and I enjoyed it.

“I love basketball as it calms me, takes my mind off other things and gives me focus.”

All of the pupils play for the Barrow Thorns, representing at different age groups.

Maimie said: “It was good and there were a lot of other players that I recognise from the games we play. We met new friends and it was really sociable.”

Headteacher Steve Jefferson said: "This is a great opportunity to experience professional coaching and we are delighted to have so many pupils involved in this programme."