STUDENTS from an Evesham school have won a national science, technology, engineering and maths challenge.

The girls from Bredon Hill Academy in Ashton-under-Hill, won the BP Ultimate STEM Challenge thanks to the way they took inspiration from flying animals to find solutions to an engineering design challenge.

The event took place last week at the Science Museum in London during British Science Week.

This year the finalist student teams showcased their work at a science fair and were tasked with presenting their ideas to a panel of expert judges.

Bredon Hill’s winning team, made up of Hattie Stephen, Cathryn Lewis and Amelie Sullivan, came up with an efficient design to generate the most life for a remove-controlled survey aircraft.

Their Future Flight challenge won them an Ultimate STEM experience day, £500 to spend on science equipment or field trips as well as Science Museum goodies.

Sally Huntly, the school's head of science, said: “I'm so proud I cannot express how excited I feel, they've worked so hard for this.

“The skills the girls have developed at the final event today alone is fantastic.

"Their ability to present their ideas to other people and their confidence has bloomed throughout the day, and winning has been the final icing on the cake.

“The girls can now go back to school and inspire other students to get involved in projects like the Ultimate STEM Challenge and show why celebrations like British Science Week are so important to advancing young people's interest in STEM subjects.”

This is the third year BP, STEM Learning and the Science Museum have hosted the Ultimate STEM Challenge final as part of a nationwide schools competition inviting students aged 11-14 to put their STEM skills to the test by tackling real-world problems.