Students from Cheam Fields Primary Academy, Sutton, and Cheam Common Junior Academy, Worcester Park, were named winners of the Design4SDGs Design Challenge for their innovative solution to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals on the main stage of Bett UK.

Students from Cheam Fields Primary Academy, in Sutton, and Cheam Common Junior Academy, Worcester Park, London, have been named winners of the Design4SDGs Design Challenge, and appeared on the main stage of Bett UK 2024, the world’s biggest EdTech show.

The team from Cheam Fields Primary Academy transformed unusable land into an eco-area. They also intend to create a curriculum to be shared globally so that others around the world can benefit from their ideas.

One of the winning teams from Cheam Common Junior Academy developed a fusion game combining elements of football and netball. This innovative approach aims to break down barriers and encourage participation by both genders in a single sporting activity. The game’s rules are designed to foster inclusivity and teamwork, emphasising cooperation and respect for all players. A second winning team from Cheam Common Junior Academy designed an air filter that can be fitted on roadsides and motorways to filter out harmful exhaust emissions and overall harmful gasses from the air we breathe. The new clean air will be repurposed and used to encourage plants and nature to grow.

Bett UK, which took place at London’s ExCeL Centre from 24-26 January 2024, brought together more than 30,000 educators, innovators, and changemakers from around the globe looking to make a genuine impact on the lives of teachers and learners.

The students, aged 9-14, were selected from 45 schools from across the UK. The Design4SDGs Design Challenge, now in its second year at Bett UK, was launched by educator and Innovation X Founder Evo Hannan, to promote big thinking and innovative ideas on a large scale, providing solutions for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Emma Vandore, Head of Content at Bett, said:

“Congratulations to students at Cheam Fields Primary Academy and Cheam Common Junior Academy for being among the winners of the Design4SDGs Design Challenge. We were so pleased to welcome your wonderfully creative teams to the Bett UK stage. Your innovative solutions are a vital reminder that lasting change starts with small-scale, grassroots actions. In these critical times, it is so important to listen to the young people who will be on the frontlines of solving humanity’s greatest challenges head-on.”

Evo Hannan, founder of Innovation X, who runs the awards, said:

“It was thrilling for the Design4SDGs Design Challenge to be back on the Bett UK stage for the second year running. Congratulations to students at Cheam Fields Primary Academy and Cheam Common Junior Academy for their fantastic innovations, and thank you to all the students who took part. The Design4SDGs Design Challenge aims to promote big thinking, and I hope the EdTech community at Bett UK are taking notice of the next generation’s ingenious ideas.”

The challenge aims to drive grassroot innovation in schools across four key areas: critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and communication. This year, students were tasked with finding a solution to one of the following Sustainable Development Goals:

SDG3 – Good Health & Well-being
SDG4 – Quality Education
SDG5 – Gender Equality
SDG11 – Sustainable Cities & Communities
SDG12 – Responsible Consumption & Production
SDG13 – Climate Action
The 2024 finalists were:

Challenge 1 (SDG3)

Roseacre Primary Academy and Thames Primary Academy
Old Hall School
Challenge 2 (SDG4)

Challney High School for Boys
Denbigh High School
Challenge 3 (SDG5)

Cheam Common Junior Academy
Lark Rise Academy
Challenge 4 (SDG11)

Cheam Common Junior Academy
Cheam Fields Primary Academy
Challenge 5 (SDG12)

Witton Park Academy & Bowland High
St Lawrence College (Junior School)
Challenge 6 (SDG13)

Cheam Common Junior Academy
Barrowford Primary School
Bett UK 2024 brought together more than 30,000 stakeholders – including more than 600 innovative EdTech and resource solution providers showcasing cutting-edge and impactful products and services. Star attractions included world-renowned ballerina Dame Darcey Bussell DBE sharing her passion for promoting the arts in schools, an address by UK Secretary of State for Education Rt Hon Gillian Keegan MP, acclaimed documentary presenter Louis Theroux interviewing one of the most accomplished British rappers in history Loyle Carner, and fireside chats and appearances from former member of England’s national football team Alex Scott MBE, and 16-year-old Indian tech prodigy and Minecraft Student Ambassador at Microsoft Namya Joshi. Attendees also heard from one of Britain’s favourite children’s TV presenters Baroness Floella Benjamin and celebrated poet and children’s author Michael Rosen.

Bett UK 2024 introduced a host of new features. This included TableTalks – an innovative new programme of peer-to-peer roundtable discussions, connecting educators and policymakers with shared topics of interest – as well as Tech User Labs – which provided opportunities for educators to receive hands-on advice from exhibitors in getting the most out of tech, helping improve their purchasing expertise. With Bett’s brand-new digital platform Connect @ Bett, educators could identify the right EdTech solutions for their particular purchasing dilemma, and schedule one-on-one meetings with exhibitors.