Olivia Rodrigues of Donhead Preparatory School, Wimbledon, and Famida Noor Mahomed of London Design & Engineering UTC, Royal Docks, have received the 2026 David Clark Prize from the ERA Foundation for their work connecting students with engineering. Michael Howey of UTC Warrington received a highly commended distinction.
Each winner receives a £3,000 personal award and £12,000 for their school over three years to support engineering and STEM initiatives. Established in 2016, the prize is organised by the ERA Foundation and named for its former Executive Secretary, Dr David Clark, who passed away in September 2025.
The two winners represent both ends of London and the full span of a student’s education. One begins with children as young as three, while the other supports students through Year 13 and into industry. Together, they demonstrate that engineering education is a continuous process throughout schooling.
What strikes you reading this year’s nominations is the range. Olivia is working with three-year-olds and Famida is taking students through to Year 13 and into industry, and both are doing the same essential job, which is making engineering feel like something a young person could actually do. Michael’s robotics work is built so that other colleges can run it themselves, which is exactly the kind of spread we want to see.
Teachers do most of this on top of everything else, and it deserves saying out loud.
Andrew Everett, Executive Secretary of the ERA Foundation
Every child can be an engineer
Olivia Rodrigues, Assistant Headteacher for Technology and Innovation at Donhead Preparatory School, has led a school-wide transformation in how pupils aged 3 to 11 engage with technology. Her guiding principle is that children should create with technology, not just use it.
In practice, Year 6 pupils build interactive projects for Reception children using Makey Makey kits, code, and recycled materials. Year 5 students design and construct a mini golf course powered by micro: bits and servo motors, while Year 4 produces stop motion animation. Pupils are encouraged to prototype, test, and refine their work, making early exposure to failure a key part of the learning process.
This approach is purposeful, not focused on technology for its own sake. Olivia’s strategy is grounded in research-informed pedagogy, using the PICRAT framework to ensure technology supports learning objectives.
Her impact is evident in measurable outcomes. In the Bebras Challenge, 28 per centt of Year 6 pupils ranked in the top 10per centt nationally. Three school teams competed in the Primary Coding League, finishing 3rd, 18th, and 22nd out of 78 UK teams. The school’s esports team placed 15th out of 35 in the IAPS tournament. All Donhead teachers now hold Microsoft Educator accreditation, and the school is recognised as a Microsoft Elevate Pathfinder School.
Through the Primary Engineer Leaders Award, pupils from preschool to Year 6 have addressed real-world challenges in collaboration with professionals from Ottobock, Johnson & Johnson Innovation, The Co-op, and Kimberly-Clark. Olivia has actively promoted girls’ participation, resulting in one pupil winning both the Digital Wellbeing & Tech Entrepreneurship Award and the Tech for Good Award at the 2025 Digit awards.
The school’s initiatives also contribute to research. In partnership with the Raspberry Pi Computing Education Research Centre and the University of Cambridge, Donhead participates in the five-year EPICS project and a two-year study on AI and data science in the classroom.
Olivia’s influence extends beyond her school. She serves on the Early Years Digital Standards Action Group and the 2Simple Purple Mash teacher panel, contributes to Digit research groups, and was recognised as a “Super Organiser” during EU Code Week 2025. She is pursuing Maker{School} accreditation with the University of Sheffield, the Good Future Foundation AI Quality Mark, and Microsoft Elevate Beacon School status, and is collaborating with Canterbury Christ Church University and Liberty Primary School on a careers and engineering project.
She received the Tech Excellence Award at the BRILLIANT Festival 2025 and was named STEM Educator of the Year by SheCanCode in 2025. She was also a finalist for the Independent Schools of the Year Award for Best Use of Educational Technology. She was shortlisted for TechWomen100 in 2025 and the Edufuturists Educator of the Year award for 2026.
Industry partnerships are integral
Famida Noor Mahomed, Subject Lead for Mechatronics Engineering at London Design & Engineering UTC, has made employer engagement central to the curriculum. Her students collaborate with companies such as Amazon, Siemens, Transport for London, Cosworth, and Cubic on real-world projects rather than hypothetical assignments.
This approach leads to unique experiences. During a recent Ofsted inspection, her class participated in a live 8am session with a Microsoft engineer based in Egypt, discussing artificial intelligence. Inspectors were described as “blown away” in the nomination.
Her flagship International Women and Girls in STEAM event brings together over 75 female industry professionals to engage with students. This initiative addresses the persistent challenge of representation, providing young women in east London with visible role models in engineering.
She supports students from Year 9 through Year 13 and beyond, with hundreds benefiting from her teaching. The transition to employment is direct: students often secure work experience and jobs with companies they first encountered in her classroom. In one instance, Amazon and Siemens jointly created a bespoke placement for a single student.
She has integrated WorldSkills into her teaching with significant results. Eleven of the nineteen regional teams were composed of her students, and one team advanced to the UK national finals in Cardiff, where her Year 12 students competed against university students and industry professionals. They narrowly missed a podium finish and placed ahead of all English university teams.
“I strongly believe that learners should be exposed to industry from an early stage in their educational journey, enabling them to gain insight to the diverse career opportunities available in the world of work” Famida explains. ”This the belief underpins the annual event that I organise for International Women and Girls Day in STEM, 11th February, where women from a wide range of industries are invited to share their career journeys and engage directly with learners. The event provides an invaluable opportunity for young women to be inspired, challenge stereotypes, and build confidence in pursuing careers within engineering and other STEM-related fields.
Employer Engagement (EE) and Employer-Led Projects (ELP) are fully embedded within the Mechatronics and T Level Design and Development for Engineering and Manufacturing curricula. These activities are design in conjunction with an employer who directly presents to the groups and are carefully aligned with classroom learning, enriching the core curriculum through meaningful industry collaboration. Working directly with employers enables learners to gain valuable insights into their chosen field of study, develop a deeper understanding of industry expectations, and explore potential career pathways.
Furthermore, employer partnerships provide learners with access to real-world applications of their learning, allowing them to experience industry practices that would otherwise remain unseen. For example, collaboration with Jaltek on PCB manufacturing offers learners direct exposure to processes and technologies that closely align with T Level course content and examination requirements. These experiences enhance learners’ technical knowledge, contextualise classroom learning, and help prepare them for successful progression into higher education, apprenticeships, or employment.
I am deeply honoured to be the recipient of the David Clark Prize. This award will provide a valuable opportunity for us to invest in industry-standard equipment, including SCADA systems and Niryo robots, enabling our learners to gain hands-on experience with technologies that are widely used in industry. I am sincerely grateful for this recognition and the positive impact it will have on enhancing our learners’ skills, knowledge, and future career prospects.”
Highly commended: national impact in robotics
Michael Howey, Teacher of Engineering at UTC Warrington, received a highly commended distinction for developing a scalable robotics programme.
In collaboration with Sellafield Ltd and RAICo, he developed a national robotics challenge based on the open source XRP Robotics Platform, using real scenarios from nuclear decommissioning and remote operations. Presented at the FIRST UK Championship, the challenge engaged teams from 14 UTCs across England and directly involved over 150 students, with many more participating in preparation.
The use of open source technology is strategic, making the programme easily replicable. Any college can adopt and rerun the challenge. All 14 participating UTCs are now planning their own Festival of Robotics using these resources, which is expected to reach hundreds more students and create a pathway from primary to advanced technical study.
A previous challenge, developed with Arm and the Aston Martin F1 Team, reached over 300 young people. The resources were later reused at a Warrington Pledge primary careers event, where an additional 300 primary pupils completed the Aston Martin challenge, supported by UTC students.
Student leadership is a consistent feature. UTC students assemble robotics kits and facilitate challenges, working with peers and younger children. This approach develops their technical skills as well as teamwork and communication.
“I am sure the whole of the UTC programme would like to offer a huge congratulations to Famida and Michael on their win and commendation,” said Kate Ambrosi, Chief Executive Officer of the Baker Dearing Educational Trust. “They both demonstrate the very best attributes of a UTC educator: delivering cutting-edge skills that students and employers need through gold-standard qualifications like T Levels, so those young people can progress to fulfilling careers.”
Geoffrey Fowler, CEO and Founder, London Design & Engineering UTC, said “I am absolutely delighted that Famida has won this year’s ERA Foundation David Clark Prize. She is an exceptional teacher whose passion, creativity and determination have transformed the way our young people experience engineering.
“Famida represents everything we believe in at LDE UTC. She brings education and industry together in a way that makes learning real, relevant and inspirational, giving our young people opportunities to work with leading employers, tackle genuine engineering challenges and see the careers that are open to them.
“What makes Famida so special is the impact she has on individual young people. She raises aspirations, builds confidence and creates opportunities that can genuinely change lives. Her work with employers, WorldSkills and the International Women and Girls in STEAM programme has been outstanding.
“I could not be prouder of her. This award is richly deserved and is wonderful recognition of an inspirational educator who is helping to shape the next generation of engineers.”
Chris Hatherall, Principal at UTC Warrington, said: “Being highly commended for the ERA Foundation David Clark Prize is a significant achievement and we’re really proud of Michael. The award recognises exceptional STEM educators who go beyond the curriculum to inspire young people and open their eyes to the possibilities of engineering. At UTC Warrington, we are committed to offering a technical education that is second to none, blending high-quality classroom learning with real-world industry experience to prepare students for their next steps. Michael’s work is a clear example of that commitment in action, and this recognition reflects the positive impact he has on our learners, colleagues and the wider UTC Warrington community.”
Since 2016, eighteen teachers have received the Clark Prize.
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