Tests will be carried out at 50 primary schools in London’s “worst-polluted” areas as part of a new plan to protect children from toxic air.

The £250,000 scheme, paid for by the Mayor of London’s Air Quality Fund, will test air quality in a bid to prevent pupils being exposed to pollution at school.

Sybourn Primary School in Walthamstow and Oakdale Junior School in South Woodford are among the schools where where air quality will be measured.

Engineering consultant WSP, which has been commissioned to carry out the study, will also be tasked with examining ways to improve air quality in areas around schools.

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “It is shameful that children across London are breathing in toxic air simply by going to and from school and I am determined to do everything in my power to safeguard their health.

“These air quality audits are a big step towards helping some of the most polluted schools in London identify effective solutions to protect pupils from toxic fumes but, of course, this is only part of the solution.

“We are making great strides in London but I can’t do this alone. The government must match my ambition in tackling the biggest public health emergency of a generation.”

The study is due to be completed by the end of the year and a final report is scheduled for publication March 2018.

Recommendations in the report could include measures such as moving school entrances away from busy roads and the introduction of “no engine idling” schemes.

The move to test air quality at Sybourne Primary School was praised by Jennette Arnold, London Assembly Member for Hackney, Islington and Waltham Forest.

She said: “There is a lot of evidence showing that air quality can have a long-term detrimental impact on the health of our children.

“It’s great to see that the Mayor is taking genuine steps to tackle the impact of toxic air on children in Waltham Forest, and I hope this audit is just the start.”