Asda Futures Programme 2026: Batley school crowned West Yorkshire’s best in business project
A top team from Upper Batley High School has been crowned the winner of the Asda Futures Programme 2026 after taking part in a year-long project of creativity, teamwork and innovation.
Competing against ten other finalists from schools across West Yorkshire, the Upper Batley team was praised by Asda’s judging panel for product quality and marketing skills.
The Asda Futures awards are part of Asda’s wider educational and community engagement initiatives recognising young people for projects focused on sustainability, business tests, and community wellbeing, with students taking part in challenges, designing sustainable product ranges and learning about retail careers and employability skills.
The team at Batley has to respond to a real-life design brief to develop a new product range and promotional campaign for a special event.
Nial Sherrard, assistant headteacher at the school, said: “Inspired by the excitement of the 2026 World Cup, the team created a football-themed range of products alongside a versatile collection that could be used for a variety of events.
“Their creativity, attention to detail and professionalism shone through every stage of the project. The standard of competition was exceptionally high, with finalists from ten schools across West Yorkshire presenting their ideas.
“Our learners impressed the Asda judges with their workmanship alongside the confidence and professionalism of their presentation, securing first place overall.”
The Asda Futures project enabled students to explore career pathways as well as applying their learnings to the challenges of product design.
Cohen Ingleby, a member of the winning team, said: “The project showed us that Asda is much more than just a supermarket, with a wide range of careers available beyond retail.
“Working alongside other schools helped us recognise what makes our ideas unique and how we could create individual products.
“I gained a lot more confidence in speaking in front of other people, and that became a major part of the project for me. It was a fantastic experience, and I would highly recommend that other young people take part as well.”
Leanne Hainsworth, teacher and project lead at Upper Batley High School, added: “It was a pleasure to work with the learners on this project, to see their creativity flourish and their confidence grow.”