TEENAGERS in York are hoping to emulate the success of a hit American television series thanks to one of York’s biggest employers and a local community group.

Pupils at York High School have a new after-school club called Glee, offering them the opportunity to perform amateur dramatics in the style of the American show.

The club will be run by the school’s new part-time community youth coach, Steven McLean, who works for the York charity, Global.

His position has been funded with sponsorship from the York-based credit card security company, CPP.

Mr McLean will be organising a range of activities for the children, including life-coaching opportunities for pupils who are at risk of dropping out of mainstream education.

He said: “The Glee club will run for eight weeks after school on a Friday, and parents will be invited to watch the club’s final performance.

“It is a great opportunity for the children to be involved in something they are interested in, as well as it being a way to make new friends and stage a performance at the end of the eight weeks.

“Hopefully, they will get a lot of enjoyment out of this initiative.”

David Ellis, head teacher at York High School, said Global was “an asset” to York High, the local area and the city.

He said: “The pupils will really benefit from having a community youth coach at the school, as it will give them an opportunity to do something fun and new at lunchtime and after school.

“Helping under-performing pupils and preparing them for work or training is really important, so the work Global does to support this is well received by the school and the children themselves.”

Stephen Kennedy, CPP’s managing director, said he was keen for the company to help foster the link between education and business in the city.