A SCHOOL with only 94 pupils has become top of the class nationally, after a mobile phone charity effort proved to be the best in the country.

Youngsters from the school in Bolton-on-Swale, near Richmond, have been taking part in the Fones4Schools recycling campaign.

Pupils have collected 863 phones, making their school the top performing primary in the country.

And Richmondshire MP William Hague, the former Tory party leader, called in to congratulate the pupils and present the school with its prizes.

The school received £1,200 for the phones, £350 for being top in the region and another £500 for being top primary school in the country.

The money will go towards extending the playground and buying outdoor equipment.

The school was also awarded points for the number of phones, which will allow staff to buy £1,700 worth of electrical goods, including CD players, digital cameras and televisions.

Mr Hague said: "It's a fantastic achievement - almost nine mobile phones per pupil, making them the top performing school in the country."

"It's an excellent scheme and the children have enjoyed it very much. It means all these phones will now be recycled and the school benefits from £3,700-worth of cash and equipment."

Parent Sue Doshi, who organised the project, said: "A friend of mine asked me if I had heard of the campaign and when I got talking to everyone I was surprised how many people said they had a couple of old phones in drawers at home.

"We set a target of 200 but then one of the mums, who is in the Army, brought in 300, that gave us a good chance of being top school. After that, the letters went out, posters went up and I even went door-to-door."

Chairwoman of the governors Andrea Offord said: "This allows us to get all those extras that there normally isn't the funding to buy. It's been a brilliant achievement."

The Fones4Schools campaign is aiming to collect more than 300,000 phones this school year, which will either be reused in developing nations or recycled into their component parts, removing toxic waste from landfill sites.