Two sisters will be taking their respective Stagecoach schools to Disneyland Paris next year to commemorate a 30th Anniversary.

Stagecoach, a performance arts school franchise, will turn 30 this year. They offer weekly classes for singing, acting and dance enthusiasts aged between four and 18.

Jennifer Jones, 37, took over Stagecoach Sutton from her sister Rachel Crouch, 40, in 2011.

Rachel eventually went on to run Stagecoach Epsom.

Before becoming principal of Stagecoach Sutton, Jennifer was a lead singer on P&O cruises.

She said: “I miss performing but it’s difficult being away from home when you’re older and you want to settle down and have a family. It’s hard to do that when you’re only home for three months.

“I felt like I had grown out of it and I wanted to have a more stable career.”

Jennifer now has three children and is relishing being principal of Stagecoach Sutton.

Her sister Rachel, who handed the Stagecoach Sutton reigns to Jennifer six years ago, spoke to Sutton Guardian about the business changeover.

“It worked out really lovely with my sister taking over. I had built it up for six years and we had loads of kids in the Westend and you want someone to carry on and build it. My sister has done amazing.”

Rachel has replicated her success at Stagecoach Sutton as principal of Stagecoach Epsom which she took over three years ago.

Before teaching, Rachel worked in the Westend and was involved in the original casting of West Side Story before eventually touring with a girl band until she began missing theatre.

Both Rachel and Jennifer are preparing to take their respective stage schools to perform in Disneyland Paris as part of the 30th anniversary.

Around 200 students from Stagecoach Sutton and Stagecoach Epsom will perform in the French capital.

Two years ago the two performing arts school made the same trip.

“It’s amazing,” Rachel told Sutton Guardian. “But it’s a lot of work. It’s stressful getting prepared for it. Two years ago was a once in a lifetime trip.

“You have to be a really good standard. We send audition tapes and we all got through last time. They go to Disneyland and they get to perform in the pre parade. Last time my parents were there and they were crying. The children also get to perform a ten minute piece on the main stage in a Disney theatre.”

Jennifer talked about her relationship with her sister and said that their two businesses were not competitive and worked closely together.

“We are lucky because we are based close to each other. We recommend each other to students. It’s great to brainstorm ideas with each other and we support each other through stressful times like when a teach hands in their notice or something like that.”

Rachel added: “I live just a few doors down from Jen, so we’re always in and out of each other’s houses and our children are really close.”

As for future plans, Rachel said: “I’m always looking to see where my Stagecoach journey will take me and exploring options to expand my franchise but, for now, I’m investing time into my existing school and developing my wonderful students as much as I possibly can.”

As for Jennifer, she said: “Concentrating on my current students is my number one priority right now. Who knows? I may go on to expand in the future but I’m happy with how my business is going at the moment. I gave birth to a baby girl only a few weeks ago so time with the family is high up my list of priorities too.”