Aylesbury school wins Dragons’ Den-style competition promoting green technology

Students from an Aylesbury school won a Dragons Den-style competition promoting green technology.

Year 12 pupils from five different schools took part in the event that was hosted by Bucks Council.

Students from Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School won over the panel of judges, who were impressed by the students’ idea of creating an app for students and parents to sell old uniforms for a fraction of the cost of buying brand new. This would help reduce waste and save money.

Students from Aylesbury High School, Buckingham School, Buckinghamshire College Group, Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School and Waddesdon Church of England School took part. They heard from professionals in the field of green technology and sustainable business practices.

Each school was allocated a supporting business to understand the challenge. They were then tasked with creating and presenting their idea to help their school reduce their carbon footprint.

Team names and supporting businesses were:

-The Green Machine (Aylesbury High School) with Whiffaway

-Green Eden (Buckingham School) with Lunaz

-The Bike Joint (Buckinghamshire College Group) with Shellwin Real Estate and Sorbon Estates

-Swapify (Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School) with Construction Specialties

-Ban the Bottle (Waddesdon Church of England School) with KWSP

Bucks Council collected feedback from participating students who said: “It was fun and a great experience,” and that they enjoyed “seeing how people function in corporate life,” “learning about the huge range of jobs within the company,” and that “the employers were really helpful and supportive and helped us expand our project into what it became.”

Councillor Anita Cranmer said: “I wish to say a big thank you to all the schools and students who took part in the event. And also a special thanks to all of the local businesses whose partnership with us helped make this event a tremendous success.

“This was only the second time that Buckinghamshire has undertaken such a challenge with secondary schools, with the initiative focusing on how green technology can help the environment.

“It was fantastic to see how thoroughly engaged the students were and how passionate they all were about making a positive difference. We will continue to build on this initiative to continue to strengthen our communities and improve our environment as part of our #BucksClimateChallenge.”