Students at the Thomas Hardye School have been putting the writing on the wall to celebrate specialist status.

Youngsters from the school have created an environmentally themed mural to celebrate the award of Humanities Specialist Status at the school.

Thomas Hardye School was recently granted specialist Humanities and Special Educational Needs status to add to its redesignation as a Science College.

The school is one of only two schools in the UK to hold such a triple specialism in addition to having Training School and Leading Edge status.

Geography students, with the assistance of professional artists Antonia Philips and Nina Caplin, have designed and painted the two storey-high mural in the Humanities area.

Humanities teacher Tim Ennion said: "It is the biggest piece of geographical artwork on display in any Dorset school.

"The students were encouraged to encapsulate the importance of geography in a rapidly changing world and the mural highlights their interpretation of a plethora of issues from the possible impacts of climate change to the burden of over-population on the earth's resources."

Antonia and Nina of Shocking Custard Murals said: "This is the only geography mural we know of designed and painted by students, giving their vision of what geography means to them."

The mural was officially opened by Peter Farrington, director of the Dorchester Area Schools' Partnership (DASP). Mr Farrington said: "The new humanities specialism at Thomas Hardye will enable us all to raise the profiles of history, theology and ethics and geography throughout the partnership by sharing expertise and resources."