Deaf children in Margate have been getting musical with a little bit of help from the Royal Opera House.

Children and staff from Westgate College have been rehearsing their very own opera.

To add to the pressure, they are being followed every step of the way by a film crew.

The Royal Opera House has been staging workshops to help the pupils with composition, drama, dance and design.

The college, which is part of the Royal School for Deaf Children, Margate, caters for children with various physical and learning difficulties, and will be staging the opera this summer.

And their efforts in getting to that stage are being recorded for a documentary being aired on digital, satellite and cable channel Teachers TV.

The inspiration for the opera came after a number of teachers from the college attended a course run by the Royal Opera House last summer.

Performing arts teacher Sue Childs said: “The whole idea is that the students’ ideas and inputs create the opera, so it’s a completely different take on teaching.

“All the ideas are driven by the students, so it’s very exciting, but very challenging as well.”

The workshops, which are part-run by staff from the Royal Opera House, aim to develop the students’ self-esteem and confidence when performing in front of their peers.

The students will take to the stage of Margate’s Winter Gardens in July to perform their opera.