Not one but two teams make it through to UK finals
In its first year competing in a schools’ coding and robotics championship, both of The Cotswold School’s teams have triumphed at regional level.
Teams from all over the country have competed for a place at the Vex Robotics national championship, held in Telford in April. The prize is a place at the international finals, in Dallas, Texas.
Not only is this the first time the school has entered the competition, it is the only school locally to take part. Our teams from Year 10 and Year 12 held their own against players with considerable experience, sponsorship and budgets.
What is Vex Robotics?
VEX competitions are a great way to expose students to valuable soft skills like communication, collaboration and time-management in a fun and authentic way. The VEX Robotics Competition prepares students to become future innovators with 95% of participants reporting an increased interest in STEM subject areas and pursuing STEM-related careers.
The competition sees more than 11,500 teams from 40 countries play in over 750 tournaments locally, regionally, nationally – all aiming to make it to the world championships. Teams compete in alliances to score points against the opposition, ‘driving’ their robot constructions in a series of timed challenges.
“A great day for The Cotswold School!”
Mr Kelly, Head of Design & Technology, said,
“Our Year 12 team, named ‘TCS Blood and Custard’, was sensational all day and finished top of the qualification rankings against much more experienced teams with enormous budgets.
“In the final, they were beaten by none other than ‘TCS Uprising’ our other school team from Year 10, making it a great day for the Cotswold School.
“This achievement is quite outstanding, as this is the first year in which students from The Cotswold School have entered the competition. There are no other schools locally who offer this experience to their pupils.”
Racing driver Alice Powell on judging panel
The latest round brought 16 teams from 10 schools to Bourton-on-the-Water. Judges included W-series racing driver, Alice Powell and engineers from Dyson and electric vehicle conversion company, Zero EV.
Returning to the school where she was once a pupil, Alice said:
“It was an inspiring day, seeing so many young people focused on teamwork, solving problems and putting the robots they had designed to the test in an exciting arena. The thrill of the final competition was electric!”
Talent from across the school supported our success
Mr Kelly added, “The event was brilliantly supported by students from Years 11, 12 and 13, who gave up their Saturday to make the day such a success, in particular Frankie and Jamie, who did all the sound and lighting; and Alex who took care of the scoring. We couldn’t have done it without them!”
Find out about the many clubs on offer for students at The Cotswold School
