Two talented students at Ormiston Ilkeston Enterprise Academy have won places on prestigious summer Art courses at university.

Maxine Clay and Georgia Henshall, both 17, will spend a week studying at Nottingham Trent University in the summer.

Both girls went to a degree show at the university and were asked to create a presentation focusing on how they could apply what they had learnt to their own work.

They were among five winners who will attend the university over the summer studying subjects of their own choice.

Georgia said she would like to study Fashion or Textiles and Maxine wants to focus on Fine Art.

Both girls are studying a BTEC Extended Art and Design Diploma at Ormiston Ilkeston Enterprise Academy.

Maxine said they were both thrilled to have won places on the summer courses.

She said: “The standard of work at the degree show was so high, it was amazing. We had to look at the techniques that had been used and see how we could apply it to our own work.

“It was challenging but we both put together a powerpoint and submitted it to the university.

“When I heard I had won a place I was so excited and then to hear that Georgia had also been successful was amazing.

“I’m hoping to study Fine Art at university and then do a postgraduate degree in art therapy, which is the area I want to go into as I love working with children.”

Georgia said: “We couldn’t believe that we won two of the five places that were available. We are both really looking forward to going on the courses, they will give us a real taste of what it’s like to study at university.”

Sarah Griffiths, Art teacher at Ormiston Ilkeston Enterprise Academy, congratulated both girls on their achievement.

She said: “Hopefully both students were inspired by their visit to Nottingham Trent University’s degree show and they rose to the challenge of describing how they could apply what they had learnt. To win places on the summer courses is a fantastic achievement and we are very proud of both of them.”