A team from Yavneh College have won a Transport for London’s (TfL) innovation competition for sixthformers this year.

For their victorious entry, called Urban Greening, the six year-12 students from the Hertfordshire school came up with a project to run the roofs of buses into gardens, with plants to reduce carbon emissions, and introduce green walls in stations.

Competition entrants had to produce a response to a real challenge and over the course of ten weeks, the Yavneh team — Saskia Jackson, Avi Baker, Eden Jacobson, Eve Cameron, Jonah Hack and Natana Sabel — had to design their concept and film a presentation.

The four finalists had to pitch their idea to a 10-strong panel of judges last week.

Yavneh’s head of science Sian Tappenden said, “After seeing how little greenery was on local bus and train routes, they developed the idea to turn the roof of buses into a garden with pollution- absorbing species which not only would improve the quality of the air, reduce pollution and improve biodiversity but improve the mental health of users of TfL.

“Realising some buses could not accommodate a garden, they expanded to bus stops and walls outside stations.”

During the final, Yavneh’s urban greeners had to answer “some very tough questions”, she said. “There was a lot of interest in this project and we expect exciting things to come from this as we continue to work with TfL to hopefully one day realise it.”

Executive headteacher, Spencer Lewis said, “I am so proud of the students who have won the TfL Innovate competition. Their passion, hard work and enthusiasm has shone through, and I am sure that they will benefit hugely not just from the competition but from the work experience at TfL that they have been awarded as part of their prize.”