Pupils at Holmshill School can feel very proud this week after raising thousands of pounds for the NSPCC ,, more than any other school in Hertfordshire.

At the start of term, the school heard a talk from Wendy Horne, the NSPCC's area fundraiser for Hertfordshire. Anything that could be tied in with raising money was embarked upon, and all 536 pupils at the school got involved in the project which raised £4, 630.

'I think she quite touched the children in the way she spoke to them,' said headteacher Chris Wright.

One child, known for his ability to speak his mind, embarked on a sponsored silence and raised £65. Teacher Tony Gill, arrived at the Wear What You Like Day in a polka dot dress, and the children immediately started a competition to guess how many spots were on it, paying 20 pence each to enter.

Siblings Siobhan and Greig Nisbet raised £129 and 50 pence each, so ,, not one to give up a competition easily, Siobhan added another 50 pence to her grand total.

Anisha Mistry raised the most, bringing £142 to the campaign, while Danny Weinrich and Daniel Altchuler were also awarded NSPCC Full Stop T-Shirts for their hard work.

'There's a fantastic team spirit at the school, the number of children who were interested and came to talk to me after I gave my talk was not like anything I had experienced before,' said Mrs Horne.

'I know the headteacher was hoping to raise about £3,500 and they went way over that.'

It all adds up for the NSPCC: Pupils, left to right, Siobhan and Craig Nisbet, Anisha Mistry with Wendy Horne and Chris Wright announce the total raised