The Pauline Quirke Academy of Performing Arts Northampton

Pauline and her husband Steve opened their first Academy when they couldn't find anything that ticked all the boxes for their son, Charlie. They wanted to be able to provide performing arts tuition that was enjoyable, fun and would build children’s confidence. More importantly, they wanted to help young people to pursue their life's dreams, whatever those dreams may be, using drama to help children realise their potential and blossom into confident young people. To Pauline and Steve, the performing arts is more than just singing and acting and they wanted to reflect that at PQA. They therefore created a performing arts school that covers the entire arts spectrum, including lessons in Comedy, Drama and of course Film & TV. When 130 students turned up for the opening of the first PQA Academy, they knew they were onto something! Over 15 years later, PQA has more than 200 Academies nationwide and is the largest provider of Film & TV education for young people in the UK.