Bede's hosts Galactic Challenge 2024

This year, Bede’s hosted almost 120 children from 11 schools; Bede’s Prep, Blatchington Mill, Cardinal Newman, Croydon High School, Dulwich Prep, Lancing College Prep (Hove), Lancing College Prep (Worthing), Pennthorpe, Rose Hill, Skippers Hill and The Schools at Somerhill. The children were divided into five mixed teams.

The pupils were tasked with answering a detailed RFP (request for proposal) in the form of a presentation. For the mission at hand, the pupils had to design and develop a new low-orbit space settlement for 700 inhabitants – based in the year 2054.

The pupils faced their first challenge of the day by electing a Company President, Vice President of Engineering, Vice President of Marketing as well as a Head of Structural, Operational, Human, Automation and Business departments. Throughout the challenge, they were given guidance from Bede’s Senior School pupils, who posed as technical advisors and CEOs. The pupils showed real enthusiasm for the task at hand – with many queuing to get back to their workrooms after lunch to continue with their designs.

In the afternoon, the participants’ parents and guardians arrived to see the teams’ presentations whilst enjoying refreshments. All of the teams produced innovative design concepts and presented their ideas within a ten-minute time limit. After significant deliberation from the Judging Panel, ‘Infinity Aerospace’ (comprised of pupils from Bede’s Prep, Croydon High School, Lancing Prep (Hove), Skippers Hill and The Schools at Somerhill) came out victorious with their design.

Bede’s Senior School Maths Teacher, and CEO of Galactic Challenge, Bill Richards, comments, “It always amazes me to watch pupils this young present their ideas to an audience of around 300 people. I love the passionate way they approach what is essentially an impossible problem, but it is when you have an 11-year-old argue their point with one of the judges in the Q&A – that always makes me smile!”