A safety device for the construction industry, designed by schoolboys, won a national award.

A team of four from Queen Elizabeth's School in Queen's Road, Barnet, were the first and only school to ever take part in the Constructing Excellence Awards, which are aimed at professionals in major companies.

The boys' device, designed to prevent accidents involving movable podiums used in the industry, was given the Highly Commended Award in the innovation category.

The team, made up of Year 12 pupils Piragash Selvakumar, Richard Cavanagh, Ricky Eatough and Mohit Miyanger, worked with refurbishment specialist Overbury to make the device, and are now in the running for the London Build Excellence Award at the London Construction Awards in October.

Times Series: The team with technology teacher Michael Noonan and Alex Wood, health and safety manager at OverburyThe team with technology teacher Michael Noonan and Alex Wood, health and safety manager at Overbury

Team leader Richard, in Year 12, said: "Winning the award is a great honour: in fact, to be receiving awards alongside multi-million pound companies is slightly overwhelming, but it gives me great belief for our futures."

Michael Noonan, the school's technology teacher who oversaw the boys’ work, said: "The four really went above and beyond the requirements for this project.

"The methods applied involved complex applications, which I would not expect 16 and 17-year-old students to devise. All four boys have worked extremely hard throughout the course of the project and I am delighted that their efforts have been recognised."

The group also submitted their application to the Big Bang Science and Engineering Fair in Birmingham in March 2018, hoping to follow in the footsteps of a team from the school runners-up this year for their own safety project devised under the engineering education scheme.