About PopGems® Academy
15 Years of Performing Arts, Passion & Confidence
PopGems® Academy is more than a performing arts school. It’s a place where children can discover their confidence, find their voice, make friends and fall in love with performing.
Founded by professional performers Gem and Junade Khan, PopGems® Academy has been inspiring young performers in Beckenham for 15 amazing years.
From a child’s very first dance class or performance, through to those who dream of appearing on stage or screen, we’re here to help every student discover what they’re capable of.
We work with children and young people aged 1–16, offering dance, drama, singing, musical theatre and performing arts classes in a fun, encouraging environment where everyone is welcomed and encouraged to be themselves.
PopGems® Academy is a performing arts school based in Beckenham providing:
All teachers at PopGems Academy are DBS checked and trained professionals.
Where It All Began
PopGems® was created by Gem and Junade because they wanted to share their love of performing with the next generation.
Both have enjoyed successful professional careers, but for them, PopGems has always been about much more than preparing children for a career in show business.
It’s about the child who walks into their first class feeling shy and gradually finds the confidence to stand at the front.
It’s about discovering that it’s okay to make mistakes, to be creative, to be loud, to be silly and to express yourself.
And it’s about the friendships, memories and sense of achievement that children take away with them.
Meet Gem & Junade
GEM KHAN
Gem Allen is a multi-creative talent working across television, live presenting and performance. Her credits span arena tours, international performances and live TV appearances on BBC, ITV and Sky.
Gem trained at the prestigious Sylvia Young Theatre School in London and was a member of UK girl band Stonefoxx. The group won a BT Award for Best New Talent, launched a Nintendo Wii game and performed to over 100,000 people on an arena tour across the UK and Ireland. She later pursued a solo career, releasing her debut single, You Don’t Know Me, in 2014.
Her stage credits include the title roles in Annie, Cinderella and The Sleeping Beauty, while her television appearances include Channel 4’s Pure, The 999 Awards, Celebrity Juice and Russell Howard’s Good News.
Gem also brings ten years of live broadcasting experience, presenting shows including Live Casino, TJC and Gems TV. Her work extends to hosting festivals, charity award ceremonies and red-carpet interviews, as well as serving as an official body model for Katy Perry and performing as guest vocalist with 90s pop group AQUA on tour across the UK and Ireland.
You Don’t Know Me is available on iTunes.
JUNADE (JAY) KHAN
Junade Khan, better known to students as Jay (or “Silly Jay” to our younger students!), is an accomplished actor and dedicated educator who has been part of PopGems Academy since its beginnings in 2011. He trained at East 15 Acting School, where he explored a range of acting techniques, including method acting, Grotowski, Michael Chekhov and Laban movement.
Jay currently appears as Idris in Coronation Street. He is also known for his role as series regular Ash Roy in Channel 4’s Hollyoaks, as a Dothraki Bloodrider in Season 6 of Game of Thrones, and for his appearance in the BBC police drama Better. More recently, Jay attended the Inside Soap Awards alongside his Coronation Street castmates, where the show took home the award for Best Soap.
His other screen credits include BBC One’s Moving On, Waking the Dead, Jaypen Code:20 and C-Bomb.
Alongside his acting career, Jay is a creative and engaging teacher with a genuine passion for inspiring young performers. Having been part of PopGems Academy since the beginning in 2011, he plays an integral role in nurturing the next generation of talent, helping students build their skills, confidence and love of performance.
Explore Jay’s full acting credits on IMDb
The Team
RACHAEL
Teacher
Rachael joined the PopGems Academy team in 2021 and loves sharing her knowledge and experience with students, inspiring them to explore their creativity and develop their performance skills.
Rachael trained at Rose Bruford College, graduating with a BA (Hons) in Actor Musicianship.
Her performance credits include Kinky Boots, Gloria in Brassed Off (Oldham Coliseum), The Snow Queen (New Vic, UK Theatre Award winner), Poppy Craig in I Don’t Want To Set The World On Fire!(New Vic), Tybalt/Paris in Romeo and Juliet (UK Tour), Ella in Cinderella (The Dukes Theatre) and Stella in Brilliance (UK Tour). Rachael plays trombone and trumpet and enjoys exploring musicality through acting, singing and dance. With over 17 years of teaching experience, she is passionate about building confidence and encouraging young people to pursue their creativity on and off stage.
LUKE
Teacher
Luke has been part of the PopGems Academy team since 2019, sharing his passion for performance and supporting students to develop their confidence, creativity and love of the performing arts.
Luke trained at Doreen Bird College, graduating with a BA (Hons) in Professional Dance and Musical Theatre.
His performance credits include the European Tour of Chicago The Musical, Around the World in 80 Days as Dance Captain (Union Theatre), Sleeping Beauty (Norwich Theatre Royal) and Aladdin(Norwich Theatre Royal). Luke has over 15 years of teaching experience and is skilled in delivering dance and drama workshops, including supporting students with additional needs. He is passionate about helping every student grow and reach their potential.
LAURA
Teacher
Laura has been part of the PopGems Academy team since 2013, sharing her passion for performance and helping students develop their skills, confidence and creativity across a range of performing arts disciplines.
Laura trained at Doreen Bird College and Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Dance and Music, gaining degrees in Acting and Musical Theatre.
Her performance credits include Footloose, Maid Marion in Robin Hood, Aladdin and Cinderella. She has also appeared on Blue Peter, dancing with Gareth Gates, and performed her own solo cabaret in the West End. Laura has extensive experience in acting technique, improvisation, physical theatre, voice, script work and audition preparation. She has trained in numerous dance styles, specialising in Tap, Technical Jazz/Modern, Musical Theatre and Gymnastics, and is also a trained Musical Theatre and Pop/Rock singer. Laura is passionate about teaching and choreography, inspiring students to grow both on and off stage.
It’s About the Journey
Not every PopGems student wants to become an actor, dancer or singer – and that’s absolutely fine. For some, performing is simply something they love doing. For others, it might be the beginning of a professional journey.
Whatever brings them through our doors, we want every child to leave feeling a little more confident than when they arrived.
Along the way, our students develop:
Confidence • Creativity • Communication • Teamwork • Resilience • Self-expression • Performance Skills
These are skills that can help children not only on stage, but in school, friendships, future careers and everyday life.
And Sometimes, Amazing Things Happen…
We’re incredibly proud that many of our students have gone on to work professionally in film, television, commercials, music videos and the West End.
Some have appeared on screen and stage alongside some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry. Others have worked on major advertising campaigns and productions for some of the world’s best-known brands.
We’re incredibly proud of these achievements. But we don’t measure success by how many credits a child collects. We’re just as proud of the child who finds the confidence to perform in front of their class for the first time.
Our Students’ Professional Credits
Feature Films & Productions – Credits include:
The Dog Stars – directed by Ridley Scott • Blitz – directed by Steve McQueen • All Of You • One Life • Coming Of Age • Narnia • Sweet Sue • Abracadopera • Anxious People
Television – Credits include:
CBeebies Waffle’s After School Club • Heartstopper • Bad Blood • Ted Lasso • Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story • Black Mirror • The Serial Killer’s Wife • Tommy & Tuppence • Shadow of an Aristocrat • Sisters in Arms • Call the Midwife
Students have also appeared across productions for The Disney Channel, Netflix, Amazon, Paramount and other major television and streaming platforms.
West End – Credits include:
Our students have performed in major West End productions including:
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child • The Lion King
Brands Our Students Have Worked With
Our students have also been fortunate enough to work with a fantastic range of well-known brands, including:
Tesco • Vodafone • John Lewis • Next • Orange • Nuby • McDonald’s • Nintendo • Disney • Lego • Kleenex • Dairylea • Flash • Superdrug • Haribo • Suzuki • talkSPORT • Colgate • Lunchables • Morrisons • Ring • adidas • Chilly’s • F&F • Arsenal • EE • Smyths
We’re incredibly proud of every one of these opportunities and of the hard work our students have put into them.
In 2026, PopGems® Academy celebrated 15 years of inspiring young performers at PopGems®
We’re also incredibly proud to have been named Performing Arts School of the Year three times at the What’s On 4 Kids Awards, awards often described as the Oscars of the children’s activities industry.
But our favourite part of the last 15 years isn’t the awards. It’s the children. The nervous first-timers who became confident performers. The friendships made in our studios. The parents who tell us how much their child has changed. The students who come back years later and tell us they still remember their PopGems days. That’s what PopGems® Academy is all about.
More Than Performing
At PopGems®, we don’t believe every child needs to dream of becoming a professional performer.
Performing arts can benefit every child. Whether they’re learning their first dance routine, performing a character in a drama class, singing in front of an audience or working towards a professional opportunity, our students are developing confidence, resilience, creativity and the ability to express themselves. Helping young people find their voice, discover their confidence and enjoy the magic of performing.
Come & Be Part of PopGems®
Whether your child dreams of the West End or simply wants to dance, sing, act, make friends and have fun, we’d love them to be part of the PopGems® family. Explore our dance, drama, singing and performing arts classes in Beckenham or get in touch to find out about upcoming trials.
