Southern STEM Challenge Final

On Friday, 16th January, two of our Year 9 students (Dasha and Sara) competed in the prestigious Southern STEM Challenge final. This high-stakes event brought together the top-performing teams from eleven regional Challenge Days, representing the best of over 800 participants across Southern England.

The final was hosted at the Sustainability Research Institute on the University of East London’s Docklands campus. Working in collaborative teams of four with students from another school, our students were tasked with programming a Lego Mindstorm robot to navigate a complex 3-D maze.

Beyond the competition, students were treated to a guided tour of the Institute’s cutting-edge facilities. Highlights included a visit to a testing lab where bricks are being engineered from sugar cane waste, a sustainable fashion exhibit and a renewable energy research lab. They also viewed a flight simulator and a professional-grade makerspace featuring an impressive array of 3D printers.

Our students participated with immense enthusiasm and technical skill. They were a credit to the school throughout the day, showcasing both their brilliance in robotics and their fantastic teamwork.