STUDENTS from a High Wycombe school are celebrating after scooping first place and £250 in a national Young Enterprise competition.

The Year Ten pupils from The Highcrest Academy beat teams from all over the country, many of them comprising older, sixth form students, at a fair in Stratford-upon-Avon.

They won by making £153.50 from a road safety game they had designed in a bid to help young children avoid accidents. Their product, a pack of playing cards, has already earned them more than £700 profit.

The winning students set up a company last September called ‘Fun Learning 4 U’ as part of the Young Enterprise scheme, in a project sponsored by car giants Hyundai.

Jubilant teacher Alex Merrick explained: "There were 46 companies competing at the Young Enterprise national trade fair on Saturday. The teams were spread from Warwickshire, Leicestershire, Cheshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Yorkshire and Humberside. There were a number of private schools attending and our group were one of only three Year 10 teams. The rest were all sixth form teams."

The group had to demonstrate to a panel of judges a whole range of items including an innovate product and stall layout, knowledge of their market and communication about all aspects of the company.

Mr Merrick added: "We are very proud of them. They have worked extremely hard and shown great innovation and determination. They fully deserve this success."

Meanwhile, the youngsters’ idea for the safety game has also been praised by Janet Blake, Cabinet Member for Planning and Transportation at Buckinghamshire County Council. She said: "Road safety is an important subject for all ages, but encouraging children to learn about this at a young age is key. This game is a fun way to get a very serious message across. Well done to all involved at The Highcrest Academy."

The product is a pack of playing cards which comprises a two-in-one game. The first game is based on the concept of "snap", the second is a memory game using questions and answers.

The graphics on the cards were all drawn by members of the team and the cards are printed on recycled paper, thereby ensuring the game is environmentally friendly as well as fun and educational.

The packs of cards retail at £4.50 each, or £5 to be put in a box or home-made bag.

The Highcrest team consists of ten members aged 14 to 15.

The group can be contacted through their Facebook page of Fun Learning 4 U, Twitter account is @FunLearning4U, they can be emailed at funlearing4U@outlook.com