Colchester primary school students to represent UK at VEX IQ World Championships

A team of young roboteers at a Colchester primary school can look forward to the experience of a lifetime later this month when they travel to the VEX IQ World Championships in the US.

The 10 and 11-year olds from North Primary School won the Elementary Excellence award at the recent UK Championships in Telford, which automatically carries a qualification spot for the World event in Louisville, Kentucky. It was a massive surprise to the team and their computing lead Sheila Walker, who introduced the VEX IQ system after the school won a grant in 2016 courtesy of local engineering firm Flakt Woods.

The Excellence Award is widely regarded as the most prestigious in the competition, and came as something of a surprise to the team members Joe Addley, Alex Kyle, Will Burton, Talia Mereani and Joel O'Donovan. An even greater shock was being able to raise the money to travel across the Atlantic, which has been made possible due to a range of sponsorship and support from businesses and individuals, including Rapid. "I was surprised when I was told we were going to Telford", said Will. "When we were told we were going to Kentucky I thought I was going to faint!"

"We have taken part in the VEX IQ Challenge for three years and it has given our KS2 children the opportunity to compete against KS3 children which really boosts their confidence", says Mrs Walker. "By the time our Robot Club children move on to their secondary schools they are well equipped with the important teamwork and leadership skills they need to succeed in their future education.”

Success has brought a considerable amount of media attention, with the team being featured on both BBC and ITV regional news bulletins. The VEX Robotics World Championships take place from 28-30 April in Louisville, Kentucky.



Chris Calver, Rapid’s Education Manager, has been supporting North Primary School since their VEX IQ journey began. “The staff at North Primary have really embraced the VEX IQ Challenge and use the benefits of the competition to full effect which gives their students the opportunity to learn about STEM in the most incredible way. Competition robotics gives students real world applications for maths and science principles as well as giving a good focus for learning coding. I’m proud of Rapid’s involvement in the competition and I am delighted that North Primary will be representing the UK at VEX Worlds!”