PUPILS from a Basingstoke junior school sang their hearts out in the hope of getting a place in the final of the Pop Academy 2004 competition.

Children from Park View Junior School in South Ham picked their favourite pop songs and stepped into the shoes of their idols to perform chart tunes.

Wannabe Jamelias, Shania Twains and Atomic Kittens took to the stage on Tuesday afternoon with performances of tunes by Pink, Anastacia, the Black Eyed Peas and R Kelly.

Zara King, Hayleigh Ponting and Joanna Smith were the winners with a performance of Jamelia's Thank You.

They will join the winners from Burnham Copse Junior School, Tadley, South View Junior School and St Mark's Primary School, Basingstoke, in the grand final of Pop Academy 2004.

Coming joint second in the Park View final were Joshua Wilks, who sang R Kelly's I Believe I Can Fly, and Erin Maclachlan and Sydney Dale with Jamelia's Superstar.

The event was the fourth of 10 school finals in the competition, which is organised by The String Events Team and supported by Gazette Newspapers, 2-TEN FM and Basingstoke's Haymarket Theatre.

The final will take place at the Haymarket on Thursday, July 15. Call 0870 770 1088 for tickets.