A GROUP of Southampton schoolchildren have produced a short film in a bid to help reduce the city's high teenage pregnancy rate.

Entitled The Party After, the DVD tackles the links between alcohol, pregnancy and sexual health by looking at some of the moral issues faced by today's teenagers.

Based on a true story, the drama revolves around four young people who go to a party and take risks with their sexual health.

The film has been made by Year 10 and 11 students from Bitterne Park School, with the help of film studies students from Southampton Institute.

Together, the youngsters pulled together the storyboard and the script and found the right locations around the city, before filming began during the spring term last year.

Educational packages have been produced to accompany the DVD, enabling teachers and students to discuss the many moral dilemmas the story poses. It is hoped that the materials can be used by other schools across Southampton, which has the highest rate of teenage conceptions across the south-east.

Susan Trigger, head teacher at Bitterne Park, said: "This was an amazing opportunity for my students and they've really enjoyed being involved.

"We've already shown the film to Year 10s as part of Sexual Health Advice Day, which prompted some in-depth discussions among the students and teacher."

Latest figures showed teenage pregnancy rates in Southampton had fallen by 13.2 per cent from 2002 to 2003.

However, with 58.5 in 1,000 girls under 18 falling pregnant, the figure remains way above the national average of 42.1 per 1,000.