Pupils from Stonar School have been recognised nationally after winning the Innovation Award in the Year 7–9 category at the PA Raspberry Pi Competition UK.
The award-winning team impressed judges with Budd-Ai, a product designed to support pupils who experience sensory overload in busy classroom environments. Competing in what organisers described as the competition’s toughest category, with the highest number of entries, the pupils also secured £1,000 for the school.
The team, made up of four Year 9 pupils and two Year 8 pupils, developed Budd-Ai using a range of smart sensors to monitor classroom conditions in real time. The system detects noise levels, brightness, movement, temperature and air quality, helping to identify environmental factors that can make learning more challenging for pupils with autism or ADHD.
Using advanced multi-threading technology, Budd-Ai processes data simultaneously, allowing the system to respond instantly without lag.
Judges praised both the product’s practical application and the professionalism of the pupils’ presentation. In their feedback, judges described Budd-Ai as ‘a fantastic product that would help many people’ and added: ‘When judging your team it was like talking to a mini business. This should be developed into a real product.’
Mr Cole, Head of Computer Science at Stonar, said, “We are absolutely delighted with this achievement and incredibly proud of all the pupils involved. Winning a national award in the competition’s toughest category is a testament to the creativity, determination and teamwork they demonstrated throughout the project, as well as the strength of STEM education at Stonar.
“The pupils worked exceptionally hard and thoroughly deserve this recognition.”
