A school is trialling new handwashing units to help students and staff maintain good hygiene during the coronavirus pandemic.

West Lea School in Edmonton is making the move ahead of more year groups heading back to the classroom following the lockdown.

The school has been supplied with 10 of the 'Jengu' handwashing units, which are designed be long-lasting, desirable to use and built locally.

Water is supplied through a soft rubber foot pump instead of a tap to prevent people needing to touch potential contamination points and is connected to a container placed on the ground.

The prototype has also been developed in two heights – one for adults and teenagers, as well as a lower version for smaller children.

The handwashing units were originally developed by design and engineering firm Arup, in partnership with the British Red Cross and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Stephen Philips, associate product designer at Arup, said: “Handwashing with soap is one of the most important measures we can take to stop the spread of the virus. Yet, in many parts of the world people don’t have access to basic handwashing facilities at home or in busy public spaces such as toilets, healthcare facilities, schools and transport stations.

“Everyone deserves access to hygiene facilities so we decided to create an open source design that all individuals and organisations can use to better the situation of their own communities. Our primary focus was on increasing handwashing behaviour among vulnerable and crisis affected populations, to reduce the spread and save lives.”

Sue Tripp, executive headteacher at West Lea School, added: “We are really grateful to the Arup team for sharing these units with our staff and students during the pandemic. The health and wellbeing of our whole school community is our number one priority and these facilities will help them to continue being diligent and thorough in washing their hands and staying safe.”