Eleven teenagers from Merchants' Academy, Withywood, have won awards for creating plays about what it is like to be a teenager in Bristol.

The Year 9 and 10 students, aged 13 to 15, attended a four-day half-term session at Bristol University, which culminated in a series of performances on the final day, called Stories from the Heart.

The workshop was part of research to get young people's views on learning out of school.

It was led by Professor Martin Hughes and run by Meg Whelan and Dawn Miller from Kokopelli Theatre, a Bristol theatre company, university researcher Vicki Stinchcombe and Polly Higgins, a drama teacher at the academy.

"The workshop has generated a unique set of data that will prove invaluable in our research," said Prof Hughes.

"The students' feedback suggested they had benefited greatly from the experience. They commented on how they had acquired drama skills, gained confidence, and been able to share some important experiences from their lives – and they enjoyed themselves too.

"The drama workshop provides an excellent example of how Bristol University and Merchants' Academy can work together for the benefit of all."