FOLLOWING her outstanding success playing Jane Banks in Mary Poppins in the West End, 11-year-old Isabella Sedgewick from Boscombe is to become a full-time student at London's prestigious Sylvia Young Theatre School.

And while the Park School pupil was told only last week that she had gained one of the few places available to start in September, Isabella has already been sent by the Sylvia Young agency for auditions for a film and West End show this week.

The stage-struck youngster beat hundreds of hopefuls to successfully audition for the role of Jane Banks and her initial six-month contract was extended to a year up to when the show finally closed on January 11 this year.

She even joined the cast in switching on the Christmas lights in Oxford Street.

During that time Isabella spent half the week living away from home with a host family in London and she clearly embraced the whole experience.

Her mum Kate said their home in Boscombe seemed a very sad place when Poppins finally closed.

"She desperately misses being in a show and when Mary Poppins closed it was like the house was in mourning for a week. The last few shows were so lovely; the atmosphere was electric and it was a shame to see it go. Issy couldn't bare to look at any of the pictures of herself in the show for a few days afterwards."

Isabella attended two auditions at the school and will now study up to her GCSEs at 16 when she then hopes to go on to further theatre studies either at The Italia Conti School, Arts Educational or Mount View.

"When Isabella went back to Sylvia Young for the recall it was such a loud school because they all come out of class singing and dancing down the corridor and she just said this is where I want to be'. She is desperate to be with children who are like her - she would go tomorrow if she could," Kate said.

"I will miss her because she's my little girl but because I know she's happy I have to let her do it and her brother is very proud of her."