Readers chip in to pay dance school fees for ballerina with autism

Constance Bailey, 13, was offered a place at Hammond school but her mother could not afford the 90,000 needed

A teenage ballerina with autism from the toughest housing estate in Leeds will be able to take up her place at one of the UK's most prestigious dance schools after Guardian readers and others chipped in more than 97,000 to cover her fees.

Constance Bailey, 13, received a place to study ballet at the Hammond school near Chester but her mother, Laura, a lone parent who works as a PA in the NHS, could not afford the 29,000 annual fees.