Burnley Pupil designs “Attaching Suitcase” to make travelling stress free
Anna, from St Leonard’s CE Primary School in Padiham submitted her engineering idea to Primary Engineer’s annual UK STEM competition which asks pupils aged 3 –19 the question “If you were an engineer, what would you do?”.
She was recognised as one of the winners in her year group at the Burnley award ceremony, one of 25 regional UK events, in 2024.
Her concept, which allows multiple suitcases to magnetically connect and be pulled together with one hand.
Each year Industry and University partners of Primary Engineer choose a pupil’s idea to build into a Prototype and to be revealed a year later at the regional awards ceremony.
The Civil Aviation Authority selected Anna’s idea to bring to life during the 2024-2025 academic year for its creativity and aviation relevance. The finished prototype was officially unveiled on 18th June at the Burnley regional award ceremony hosted at Victoria Mill at the University of Central Lancashire (Burnley site).
Brenda Jefcoate, STEM and Aviation Skills Consultant at the UK Civil Aviation Authority said: “Through our STEM programme and partnership with the incredible team at Siemens Energy, we had the honour of helping bring Anna’s brilliant idea – ‘The Attaching Suitcases’- to life as a fully functional prototype. Presenting an award at the Primary Engineer Awards Evening in Burnley was a truly special moment — a celebration of the ingenuity and creativity of young minds like Anna’s. The event itself was seamless and inspiring, and Anna, ever the professional, impressed us all. This journey has been nothing short of extraordinary — a true testament to what’s possible when vision, passion, and collaboration come together. We can’t wait to see where Anna’s ideas take her next.”
Anna’s family attended the event and Anna commented to say “I was so honoured and excited to see my Attaching Suitcase idea become a prototype! I felt overjoyed the moment I first saw it.”
“If you were an Engineer, what would you do” is an annual, national competition free to enter for all 3-19 school pupils. Entries are open now for 2025-2026 and schools can register now at www.leadersaward.com
Primary Engineer Public Exhibitions and Award Ceremonies continue all over the UK through to July, with a total of 18 prototypes being unveiled. Read more about the prototypes: https://leadersaward.com/prototeams/
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Editors Notes:
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About Primary Engineer:
Primary Engineer®, since 2005, have developed an engineering curriculum that spans Early Years, Primary, Secondary and Further Education institutions. Its core aims include; the development of children and young people through engagement with engineering, the promotion of engineering careers through inspiring programmes and competitions, the development of engineering skills for teachers and practitioners addressing the inequalities in engineering.
We developed a project-based learning approach to education which enables children and pupils to engage with practical math’s and science alongside creative problem solving and literacy. It has been described as STEM by Stealth® due to the integrated curriculum nature of the programmes which also develop resilience and curiosity.
Strong links to engineers and the industries they work in provides an opportunity for both pupils and teachers to expand their knowledge of careers, career paths and opportunities.