Children at Forest Hall School in Stansted have collected more than 60 bags of donations for refugees after hearing about the migrant crisis.

The school has teamed up with CalAid; a volunteer group delivering donations to migrants in Calais, and will be sending off bags of clothing, bedding, jackets and shoes sometime this week.

Hannah Jones, a Humanities teacher at the school, said: “Our students were moved by the stories of families who have found themselves homeless with no possessions. They decided they would hold a collection to gather clothes to send out to the refugees.”

As well as collecting donations over a three-week period, the school held a special assembly too, raising awareness about the situation in Syria and encouraging pupils to debate issues and empathise with those in need.

Ms Jones added: “It shows our young people that just because this isn’t happening in our country, doesn’t mean it isn’t happening, and we should do what we can to help.

“Our students want to have a positive contribution in the wider community and show awareness of what’s going on politically. They have developed empathy skills as they are putting themselves in someone else’s shoes and considering what it would be like.”