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Work to stop the spread of disease in Kenya has earned Harlow students an award.

Students in Year 7 and 8 at Burnt Mill Academy have taken part in a project focusing on science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).

Having completed the project, students will now be awarded the CREST Discovery Award from the British Science Association.

The Stop the Spread project challenged students to design a water collection model which could be used at a Kenyan school.

Jenny Lang, second in charge of science, said: “The challenge was for students to complete the project within six hours, over a two-week period. We held a special after-school STEM club for the competition, but students devoted time to it before and after school and during their own time.

“It has taught students lots of skills, including time-management, working as a team and making a plan that works. It has been a steep learning curve and they had to consider their audience and the type of language they should therefore use to engage with them.

“It has helped to broaden their horizons and open their eyes to opportunities within engineering which could be a good option for them in future.

“I am really pleased with their efforts as they really took ownership of their work and wanted to be successful.”

Students were assessed on self-management, teamwork, problem-solving, research, communication and their reflective process.

The best model from Burnt Mill will be put forward for the Youth Grand Challenges sponsored by the Bill Gates Foundation.