It is not often that students lobby their school to let them do a qualification – but that's exactly what a group from St Katherine's in Pill have done.

The 15 pupils, aged 13 and 14, asked their school to let them do an Arts Awards qualification and chose to study Bristol's street art scene for their project.

They spent a day with the People's Republic of Stokes Croft, a community of artists in Stokes Croft, and also made a trip to the Banksy exhibition at Bristol Museum.

The students are being held up as a good example by Shine, a national festival celebrating talent, being held next week.

Dan Moreton, 14, said: "One of the brilliant things about our school is that we are encouraged to come up with our own ideas and see them through, rather than not questioning anything.

"All 15 of us in this group are really passionate about art and particularly the street art Bristol is renowned for.

"We're so pleased that not only can we go and learn about it all, get involved, and create our own art pieces, but we can also gain an Arts Awards qualification that could help us in lots of ways in later life."

Shine development director Carol Alevroyianni, said: "The St Katherine's team has shown real grit, determination and passion for their subject and have empowered themselves as a group to go and investigate, and get involved, with something really exciting on their doorstep."