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QE AI supremo Paarth Aggarwal is celebrating after his latest app won plaudits in a competition linked to the world’s top-ranked university.

His SafeEat smartphone scanner for elderly and visually impaired users was one of just seven out of 2,176 entries in the Global Appathon to receive ‘honourable mentions’ alongside the winners.

The competition, which drew entries from more than 140 countries and regions, required participants to link their apps to the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

Year 12 pupil Paarth, who has been invited to attend next month’s MIT App Inventor Global Education Summit at the MIT Stata Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has enjoyed a string of AI competition successes, including taking first prize for his age category among UK entrants in Intel’s AI Global Impact Festival in both 2024 and 2025.

QE’s Head of Technology, Bilaal Khan, said: “It is exciting to see our pupils at the forefront of technological development: my congratulations go to Paarth on another noteworthy achievement.”

SafeEat is an AI-powered food ingredient list scanner designed to help elderly and visually impaired users make informed food choices based on their personal allergies, intolerances, and dietary restrictions.

The app makes ingredient labels easier to understand, and helps users determine whether a product is safe to eat.

To build their apps, competition entrants had to use the MIT App Inventor – a free tool developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, currently ranked number one in the QS world university rankings.

Paarth submitted a three-minute video about the app, in which he not only explained what it could do, but also demonstrated it live to a potential user in a local supermarket.

His commendation certificate was signed by Professor Hal Abelson, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT, and Dr Natalie Lao, Executive Director of the App Inventor Foundation.

Paarth said: “A single mistake on a food label can trigger a life-threatening allergic reaction, but technology has the power to change that. I am incredibly honoured that my app, SafeEat, won the honourable mention for accessibility.”

Twenty-four French pupils visiting QE as part of their language exchange had ample opportunities to express themselves during their week-long stay – and not always with words!

The boys and girls from the Institution Saint-Pierre gave free rein to their creative side in activities that included a hip-hop workshop held just for fun, as well as an English literature and poetry class led by Head of English Robert Hyland.

Having worked up an appetite through the dance and through outdoor team-building activities, they were sent on their way on their last day with a full English breakfast, courtesy of the School canteen.

Head of Languages Helen Shephard said: “We welcomed our French visitors by providing a range of varied and enriching cultural visits and activities, and giving them a taste of QE life in which staff across the School delivered a series of fun and educational activities.

“They stayed with QE families, benefitting from language immersion, and had the chance to participate in classes with their QE correspondents, who are drawn from Years 8 and 12.

Highlights of the week at QE included visiting the Harry Potter Warner Bros Studio and taking in iconic London sites.

“With bonds developed and friendships made, we now look forward to the return leg to Bourg-en-Bresse [between Lyon and Geneva, at the foot of the Jura mountains in south-east France] in June.

“Immersion in a foreign language is a key aspect of language-learning in Key Stage 3,” Dr Shephard said, explaining the importance of the exchange, which has been running since 2010.

“By the time boys become A-level linguists, they are fully conversant, and confident in their speaking, reading and writing skills.”

One prime example of this is the participation of QE sixth-formers in the Institut Français’ annual Joutes Oratoires Lycéennes national debating competition.

This year, four students (Year 13’s Edward Muscat and Colin Copcea, and Year 12’s Akira Norimura and Jun Lin) reached the Final d’Or – Gold Final – at the London heat, hosted by St Paul’s Girls’ School, after achieving high scores in the qualifying rounds.

Edward and Colin finished fourth in the Final d’Or, thus narrowly missing out on progressing to the national final held at the London headquarters of the Institut Français.

The competition involves debating complex and thought-provoking motions entirely in French.

The motion they had to support was: Centrist political parties should not collaborate with extremist political parties. With 15 minutes to prepare and no access to the internet (by phone or laptop), the boys had to rely on their knowledge of politics in the past and present. “It was certainly a pertinent topic in light of the current political climate,” said Dr Shephard.

Colin said: “This was a highly enjoyable experience, which helped us improve our spontaneity in French oracy.”

Forty‑six pupils from Years 9 and 10 headed to QE’s biennial Holland rugby tour – and began with resounding victories over new opponents, Bulldogs Rugby Club.

Living up to their name, the Bulldogs of Almere, near Amsterdam, showed plenty of spirit and scored early in their matches against both year groups, but QE’s U14s and U15s soon rallied and went on to win convincingly.

After that, it was time for the 27th Hilversum International Youth Rugby Festival, featuring 69 teams from six different nations.

Here, although there was no repeat of the triumphs of QE’s last visit, in 2024 – when the U15s recorded the School’s first-ever overall victory in the festival and the U14s won the bowl competition – the Year 9s’ wins did include beating host team Hilversum.

Head of Rugby Oliver Di-Lieto, who led the trip, said: “It was an unforgettable rugby tour, combining competitive fixtures and cultural experiences, so giving the boys a memorable blend of rugby development and shared adventure.

“We were brilliantly hosted by RC Bulldogs, and the pupils enjoyed mingling with the opposition after the matches.

“The prestigious Hilversum festival provided a fantastic opportunity for the boys to test themselves against high-quality opposition. Throughout the day, the QE squads showed resilience, discipline, and a growing maturity in their play. The Year 9s won a couple of matches, while the Year 10s battled against strong opposition, applying themselves well and scoring some brilliant tries in the process.”

Besides the rugby, the boys enjoyed a range of activities including bowling and This is Holland: the Ultimate 5D Flying Experience – a panoramic flight simulator.

“These activities strengthened team bonding and made for memorable experiences,” said Mr Di-Lieto.

U15A captain Kevin Gajera said: “It was a great tour, and having the opportunity to play in such a big international tournament was brilliant. This experience will definitely make us stronger as a team, and we are looking forward to next season already.”

The tour was organised by specialist sports tour company Inspiresport, who sponsor the annual QE Barnet Rugby Sevens Tournament.

Tour awards
Year 9 Player of the Tour: Andy Hasanaj
Year 9 Best Tourist: Aryamann Wadhwani Sharma
Year 10 Player of the Tour: Abbas Rajvani
Year 10 Best Tourist: Tianche Dong

Sixth-former Devansh Jha has won first prize in his age group in Samsung’s Solve for Tomorrow technology competition.

His concept, The Green Cross, is a handheld medical device that scans wounds to monitor their healing. As well as featuring on national radio, Devansh’s winning idea will be showcased on the iconic Piccadilly Circus screens. His prizes include an exclusive London work experience placement from Samsung, and some of the technology giant’s own products.

Competing alongside him was fellow finalist Sparsh Shrivastava, of Year 8. Year 11’s Ishan Jakkulwar reached the semi-finals.

The competition challenges young people to create ‘tech for good’ – solutions that benefit society by addressing real-world issues.

Head of Technology Bilaal Khan said: “We are tremendously proud of Devansh. He was up against 1,000 other ideas and 2,184 fellow competitors, so this is a very considerable achievement.

“By so successfully harnessing technology for the public good, he is amply demonstrating at least three of the six priorities in our Boundless School Plan: he is future-ready, community-orientated and a leader of influence & valued collaborator.”

Devansh’s idea, The Green Cross, supports more accurate remote wound assessment, helping clinicians make better treatment decisions, while reducing the need for follow-up appointments. He was mentored by Samsung Product Manager Jordan Roberts.

For his entry, Sparsh was supported by his Brilliant Bob 10 team – Dhruv Srinath and Aadit Shukla, who, like him, are in Year 8.  His idea is called GrowGuard – an adaptive operating system that ‘grows’ with young people to help keep them safer online as they get older.

Just nine finalists pitched their ideas in the final at Samsung’s King’s Cross HQ. The event, which was managed by educational agency Hark, featured speakers including Mete Coban, Deputy Mayor of London for Environment and Energy, as well as Samsung UK’s President, Ben Yoon.

Speaking after he took the top prize in the 16–18 age category, Devansh said: “It was a really eye-opening experience – I got to talk to so many people about how I could design something to make their life better. I had no experience in med tech before, but, with the people around me, I really wanted to solve a problem that mattered. This experience reinforced something I’ve become increasingly passionate about: technology is most powerful when it’s used to solve real, human problems.

“I’ve learned how to present, how to sell an idea, and to put myself out there – things I hadn’t done before.

“My advice to anyone thinking of entering next year: just go for it. As long as you have a genuine passion for it, you are good enough. It’s a really fulfilling experience, and if it doesn’t work out, it’s okay – it’s a learning process.”

Ishan, with his Flux team, was one of 24 semi-finalists. He took part in a rapid prototyping workshop led by technology charity Tech She Can.

Year 10’s Aaryan Prabhaker has won the 2026 World Math Hackathon – a global competition where contestants focus on using mathematics to solve some of the planet’s most pressing issues.

QE is announcing his success today on National Numeracy Day 2026.*

Aaryan won the gold medal and first prize, beating a young Canadian mathematician into second place, reversing the order last year, when he was runner-up to Canadian pupil Havish Bhavasar.

He secured first place with his essay on the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) on poverty reduction. Pupils from Canada took both second and third places this year.

Head of Mathematics Jessica Steer said: “Our congratulations go to Aaryan, who showed perseverance, creativity, and, of course, great mathematical ability to produce an outstanding essay.”

Open to pupils aged 11-17 worldwide, the World Math Hackathon is run by Explorer Hop, a Toronto-based educational organisation that focuses on financial literacy, money management, and entrepreneurship.

The competition tackles a different SDG every year and is aligned with the United Nations Sustainability Plan.

Previous examples of the challenges set include: the problem of vaccine deliveries in underprivileged countries; creating sustainable living communities by designing a walkable city, and finding solutions for sustainability and inequality.

Aaryan rose to the challenge by producing an essay on how education and training could help reduce poverty in Ethiopia – the case study provided by the competition organisers.

He applied mathematical modelling to evaluate three spending options to provide basic education, but also suggested other, low-cost measures, including the use of social media and community story-telling sessions.

His essay concluded with these words: “A holistic and well-rounded approach can help solve the crisis that Ethiopia faces today and help provide education to millions of children. Education is like the water, sun and soil, all combined together that can help nurture and grow these children out of poverty.”

* National Numeracy Day is a UK campaign dedicated to improving everyday maths. Each May, individuals, schools and organisations across the country come together to help children and adults feel more confident with numbers at work, at home and at school. This year’s theme is Count on Your Community.

• You can read Aaryan’s essay here.