Pupils at a girls’ grammar school are celebrating after winning £1,500 in a national science competition.

Two Year 9 pupils from Beaconsfield High School – Charlotte Walker and Aaya Fenn – fought off tough competition from hundreds of schools across the UK to become winners for the south east of England in Shell’s annual national schools’ science competition, The Bright Ideas Challenge.

The challenge aims to inspire young people about the role they can play in shaping a brighter future for the planet.

It asks young people aged 11 to 14 to address the “complex energy challenges” of the future and imagine innovative solutions for making future cities “clean, efficient and vibrant places to live, work and play”.

In their entries students are asked to demonstrate their understanding and application of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) and ability to combine this with creative problem solving and team work.

Team Amicis Inventio from Beaconsfield High wanted to create the lowest emissions car they could for future city residents.

Their renewable energy concept car incorporates friction plates made of copper ridges that would collide as the car moved.

These plates would heat up a copper-encased thermoelectric generator in the centre of the car to provide electrical energy that would power the car and its devices as and when needed.

Their idea won them £1,500 to boost the STEM learning experience at the school, and a VIP tip to Shell’s four-day festival of innovation in London.

Speaking about their winning idea, the girls said: “Imagining the kinds of challenges that will be faced by the cities we will live in when we’re adults has really helped bring our science lessons to life.

“It’s made us think about taking science further and using those skills to help create innovative solutions that will make life easier and better for everyone in the future.

“‘We’re really excited to have won such a great prize for our school.”

Juliette Ganachaud, a teacher at Beaconsfield High, said: “Competitions like The Bright Ideas Challenge really help take the students’ enthusiasm for what they’re learning to a new level.

“For some it’s been a real light bulb moment – the moment they make the connection between the skills they’re learning in the classroom and their application in the wider world.

“The whole school is really proud of the team’s achievement and we are having a school vote to decide what the spend the prize money on.”