A dust devil tornado whipped through a school courtyard as shocked pupils watched from their classrooms.

Footage shows the 50ft-tall twister rotating in the middle of the dusty field between two buildings in Cotabato, the Philippines, on March 7.

The rare weather phenomenon interrupted some of the classes as the excited kids tried to cheer but the teachers stopped them.

Student Raheema Amino said: 'We studied that in science class. Seeing it in person was so cool.'

Dust devil tornadoes are types of whirlwinds that form when the sun heats a patch of land and the air above becomes warmer and rises quickly.

Cooler air then moves into the low-pressure gap left by the rising warm air. The new drafts of cooler air also heat up and rise, and the cycle continues, picking up dust and debris and making the spiral visible.

They are not as dangerous as supercell tornadoes, which can cause severe damage.