Students from Weymouth have been helping to recreate a classic Thomas Hardy novel for today's teenagers. 

Year 10 students from Wey Valley Academy have been collaborating with Bournemouth University in a series of workshops to compare the life and times of Hardy's fictional teenager Tess of the D'Urbervilles and her friends in the 19th century.

Working with Dr. Trevor Hearing and associate professor Sue Sudbury at the university the students took up the tragic story of Tess and improvised scenes based on their own experiences and thoughts with the support of teacher Mark Chutter.

Dr. Hearing said: “In this innovative and collaborative co-creation the teenagers brought a high level of energy and imagination to the project.

"They achieved a vivid self-generated observation and understanding of contemporary young lives and lifestyles in Dorset now and reflected on what has changed and perhaps what hasn’t”.

The workshops incorporated discussion, writing, improvisation and performance and were devised to help contribute to the students’ curriculum and assessment.

Associate Professor Sue Sudbury added: “This creative work was inspired by a notable historical fiction that has brought Dorset to the attention of a global readership for over a hundred years - it is interesting to see that it still has resonance in the lives of young people in Dorset today. It reflects well on the school and we would like to thank Mark Chutter and Wey Valley Academy for making this co-created research possible”.