Five students from Chesham Grammar School were awarded the top prize in July when they won the Year 10 Wickes Challenge as part of the National Careers Challenge at London’s Barbican Theatre in front of over 900 people.
The students Ana, Libby, Max, Ran and William developed a concept to create a well-being area at the school along with an app called ‘Wicki’ to help young people learn how to do DIY. This challenge was set by Wickes, the home improvement retailer.
The National Careers Challenge is organised annually at Chesham Grammar School for students in Years 7 and 10 by Careers Leader Kate Lovelace in partnership with The Inspirational Learning Group. The programme brings real, employer-led briefs into schools, fostering teamwork, confidence and problem-solving skills among 11 to 16-year-olds. The Year 7 student team also took part in the final with a superb presentation by Garv, Cosmo, Niall, Theo, Amalie and Angus.
This is the fourth time that Year 10 students from Chesham Grammar School have won the National Careers Challenge, in 2014, 2019, 2022, and now in 2025. It is the only school in the country to have had such huge success in the competition.
The Year 10 team’s winning proposal for the Wickes Challenge was to turn an unused space into a calm, inclusive area designed to promote wellbeing for students and the local community. The students selected Wickes products to create a warm, inviting atmosphere to make the space fresh and welcoming all year round. The second element of their project is an AI app called ‘Wicki’, which will tackle the problem of younger people lacking confidence and competence in DIY, turning their tech-skills into practical ones.
Michael Wilson, Store Manager of Wickes Chesham, visited the school to meet the students and congratulate them on behalf of Wickes. As the winning team, Chesham Grammar School will receive a product donation of £2,000 from the Wickes Community Programme to help bring their idea to life. As the winning team, Chesham Grammar School will receive a donation of £2,000 worth of products from Wickes to help bring their idea to life.
Delivered by The Inspirational Learning Group in partnership with NatWest Thrive, the Challenge has engaged more than 700,000 young people across the UK, Middle East and China since its launch in 2013.
Michael Wilson, store manager of Wickes Chesham said. “We’re thrilled to donate products to help them bring this fantastic idea to life and support young people in developing both practical skills and a sense of community.”
Hannah Randle Hockin, community engagement manager, Wickes said “We were incredibly impressed by the creativity and thoughtfulness behind Chesham Grammar School’s winning idea. Their vision for a well-being space, combined with the innovative ‘Wicki’ app, truly stood out.”
Ben Dyer, Co-Founder of The Inspirational Learning Group, said “Students from Chesham Grammar School pitched their idea with distinction, making both their school and local community proud.”
Annmarie McNaney, Headteacher of Chesham Grammar School, said “This has been a superb experience for the students who have developed in communication, teamwork and confidence, and we are very proud of their achievement.”
