The Duston School in Duston, Northampton, is moving to a new building in September but rather than throwing away all its old furniture and textbooks, it is giving them to a charity project in South Africa.

And with the children set to start the next school year with a new-look uniform, they decided to add their unwanted school clothes to the charity bundle.

According to deputy headteacher Gill Salver, it was the pupils themselves who came up with the idea for the project.

She said: "They decided the move to their brand new school building, with a smart new uniform, offered an ideal opportunity to help students from another country who are not fortunate enough to have the same resources as they have.

"All the old uniform, as well as unwanted furniture and textbooks will be heading to a school in South Africa."

The project is being led by international charity Education For All, which will collect all the unwanted items from the school once the pupils finish for the summer holidays.

The charity aims to re-use or recycle nearly all of the school's contents, with just five per cent set to end up in landfill.

Ms Salver said: "What they are doing is amazing because they are not just giving children in poverty the chance to get a proper education, but they are helping protect the environment as well.

"One of the aims of The Duston School is to give our children a sense of social responsibility and teach them not just to think about themselves.

"This project fits in really well with that philosophy."