Pupils who raised £22,000 for charity in a year are to visit Downing Street as finalists in a national competition.

Davison High School for Girls in Selbourne Road, Worthing, is among 12 schools across the country to have been short-listed in the Government's G-Nation awards, aimed at promoting charity work.

Head girl Alice Pye, deputy head girl Hannah Smith, and community prefects Kayleigh Gordon, Kayleigh Sidwell and Pru Dennis will join other finalists at 11 Downing Street to meet Chancellor Gordon Brown and pop singer David Sneddon on October 14.

The winner will be announced and receive an award of £1,000 and a trip to Africa with a Red Cross project.

All other short-listed schools will receive a commendation and a cash prize.

The pupils will be joined by school community manager Julie Stuart-Thompson, who has co-ordinated their entry, and will also be treated to a buffet lunch and a ride on the London Eye.

G-Nation is part of the Give Nation scheme, which aims to develop the culture of giving to charity.

It is aimed at senior schools and included a G-Week in June.

For the competition, the five girls involved in the school's entry had to make a video and a report of the school's activities and its fund-raising plans for the coming school year.

A total of 40 charities benefited from the £22,000 raised by the school in the last academic year.

Pupils took part in musical extravaganza The Show, held in Worthing in March, which raised another £17,000 for good causes.

In three years, pupils also raised £18,000 for Chestnut Tree House children's hospice.

They are already cracking on with this year's fund-raising efforts, which has included selling £1,600 worth of light bulbs to help fund the Lupeni Children's Home in Romania and holding cake stalls for Chestnut Tree House and the charity Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy (Sudep).

As well as fund-raising, pupils read with primary school children and help the Mencap sports group.

Mrs Stuart-Thompson said the teachers and headteacher Della West were extremely proud.

She said: "The girls are really excited. There is a feeling of pride in this school and it is actually cool to do things for other people.

"The girls never cease to amaze me. I have been here 15 years and just when I think they will not think of anything new to raise money, they come up with something else."