BOOKS and equipment from a York secondary school will be going to help children in Africa.

Youngsters from York High School, in Acomb, which has more than 1,000 pupils, are taking part in a project called Dreams And Teams with a partner school in Tanzania.

This week York High pupils packed up a 20ft container to dispatch to their partner school in Korogwe full of equipment, furniture and books left over from when the two schools closed last summer, plus books donated by pupils and staff.

The school is sending more than 100 boxes of books, from the classics to Harry Potter, plus text books covering subjects such as maths and science.

The York school, which has sports college status, is one of dozens of schools from across the UK with specialist sports status to take part in such partnership schemes in about 50 countries worldwide in the run up to London 2012.

York High's deputy head, Gavin Cowley, along with head teacher David Ellis and teacher Sarah Tosney, have already visited their partner school, Korogwe Girls School in North Tanzania, to see how links can be developed and lessons learned on both sides.

They drew up an action plan for the next three years of how ties between the two schools can be fostered.

Mr Cowley said: "Having visited the school in 2007 I know how the donation from York High School will be valued.

"The school is a state boarding school, which means that it operates on a shoestring budget.

"Despite the underfunding the school has a national reputation.

"One thing is clear from all of our conversations with the pupils: they see education as a route to better things and are desperate to do the best that they can. This is a message that is valid in any education setting."

The plan is to take York youngsters out to the school in July next year, when they will be involved in playing sports as well as helping with community projects in and around the school.

The trip will cost around £1,500 per pupil and there will be a number of fundraising events ahead of the trip.