Arnold Lodge School pupils crowned two-time national robotics champions

Three teams of pupils aged 10-14 took part in the VEX Robotics National Finals at Telford International Centre, competing against teams from all over the UK. The National Finals are the culmination of the VEX Robotics season, seeing pupils designing, building and programming robots to execute a competition game.

The champion team, consisting of Year 8 pupil, Freddie, and Year 7 pupil, Megan, took home the title after winning their round by a single point. The team were also awarded the prestigious Design Award, given to the team who showed exceptional skill and preparation in the planning and construction of their robot. The team of two will now progress to the VEX Robotics World Championship, which is taking place in Dallas, Texas in May. This is the second time that Freddie’s team has qualified for the World Championship.

The additional teams competing in the National Finals all finished in the top 5 of their specific divisions.

Each week in preparation for the competition, pupils apply what they’ve learned about STEM in the classroom to build these semi-autonomous machines. An equally important set of skills is learned through the competition - communication, project management, time management, and teamwork.

Mr Stuart Sweetman, Computer Science Teacher and the team’s advisor, said: “All our teams have shown incredible commitment and effort to build their robots throughout the entire season. Their continued success has been so much than I could have hoped for, and we’re looking forward to performing again on the world stage!”

Mr David Preston, Headteacher, said: “Our budding robotics engineers are an inspiration to our community, demonstrating exceptional teamwork and the school values of kindness, honesty and hard work. To be crowned National Robotics Champions for the second year is testament to this; we are thrilled and excited to see what comes next for our pupils.”