Lambeth Council’s move to put up a ‘green screen’ of ivy next to a primary school identified as having excessive levels of air pollution has been labelled as “tokenism” in the face of a “public health emergency” by the opposition.

It is the borough’s second pollution-blocking green screen after a Greater London Authority (GLA) report identified 32 schools were exposed to high levels of nitrogen dioxide, with Corpus Christi primary school identified as having excessive levels of nitrogen dioxide.

The Hedera Ivy screens  will capture and block particle pollution, with research showing children’s lung growth slowed in areas with high pollution.

But Green councillor Scott Ainslie said the council needed to do more to protect residents and children from air pollution.

“They need to extend the ultra low emission zone to include all of Lambeth,” he said.

“They need to stop incinerating the waste.

“We need more thought and resources put into school streets – closing the streets in front of schools to traffic at opening and closing times to make the school environment safer and less polluted.

“Lambeth needs to get its own house in order and clean up entirely its own fleet of vehicles and those of service providers.

“We have a public health emergency, because successive governments have failed to protect our most vulnerable residents,” he said.

But Lambeth Council cabinet member for environment and clean air, councillor Claire Holland said the council were serious about improving air quality, with three more green screens planned in the next year.

“We are serious about improving the quality of our air and protecting our most vulnerable residents from the effects of polluted air.

“These green screens act as a shield for these young people, who are among the most susceptible to the health problems poor air quality brings.

“I’ll be working hard to ensure green screens are installed at all of our most at-risk schools, those alongside main roads where most of the pollution comes from.”

Co-Headteacher at Corpus Chrisi, Robert Coyle, said: “This will significantly reduce pollution and help suppress dust particles as well as improving the daily play environment for our young children.

The cost of the green screen at Corpus Christi has been met by a £20,000 contribution from The Green City, £10,000 from Lambeth Council sustainability team and £2,000 of fundraising by the school.