We are delighted at LEO Academy Trust that two of our academies' teams: Cheam Common Juniors' "Happy LEO" and Cheam Fields "Eco_Squ@d_Cheam_Fields" have made it as finalists in the BETT 2023 Design4SDGs Design Challenge!

The Design4SDGs design challenge is a UK-wide competition for pupils aged 9-14, and was created to promote big thinking and innovative ideas on a large scale to help provide solutions for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It aims to drive grassroots innovation in schools, and will allow students to showcase their solutions and ideas using four key skills:

• Critical Thinking
• Collaboration
• Creativity
• Communication

The challenge asks students to imagine solutions for today’s problems to help tomorrow’s world across three unique design challenges based on three of the SDGs:

SDG3 - Good Health & Well-being
SDG4 - Quality Education
SDG13 - Climate Action

Pupils have been working on their projects in school since October 2022, and have now submitted their final project for judging. Finalists will be asked to pitch their projects onstage to a panel of judges in front of all participating schools at an exciting live final at Bett UK (London, ExCeL) on 31 March 2023. Winners will receive a coveted Design4SDG trophy and exclusive prizes from our challenge partners!

Please keep an eye out on our twitter @LEOacademies to keep up to date with how our teams get on!