Talented Durham students have been excitedly prepping for the finals of a national competition where their robotics, coding, and innovation skills will be put to the test.
The She Can Code Society from Durham High School, made up of six 14-year-olds, will compete in the First Lego League UK National Final at the Harrogate Conference Centre today (Saturday, April 25) after winning the regional round in March.
Their custom-built robot, named Flo after pioneering geologist Florence Bascom, will compete in timed missions including collecting artefacts and operating submersibles.
This year’s theme, ‘Unearthed,’ centres on archaeology, history, and cultural preservation.
Carola Elin Kaizer, from Durham, said: "I like facing the challenges. The robot doesn’t exactly do what you to tell it do sometimes so overcoming the challenges has brought us all together."
For the Innovation Challenge, the team developed the Crobotic Crab, a claw-like robotic device designed to explore difficult terrains and help archaeologists reach otherwise inaccessible areas during excavations.
Ginny Ashcroft, from Bishop Auckland, said: "I’ve made more friends with different year groups doing the competition. I’ve recently started coding and I’m enjoying that and learning new things."
The competition, for students aged nine to 16, promotes STEM skills, programming, and teamwork while engaging young people in practical engineering tasks.
Kate Gowan, from Lanchester, said: "I really enjoyed it last year. It challenged me and I’d never done coding before. It made me want to take part again this year."
Robyn Morris, from Weardale, added: "I want to go into computer science and this competition has really helped me realise that."
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Durham High School runs three robotics clubs: Innovation Club, a Prep School robotics club; She Can Code Society for senior students; and InnovateHer Leaders, a group for students confident in tech who wish to take on leadership roles.
Michelle Hill, headmistress at Durham High School, said: "It’s wonderful to see how so many girls are taking part in our robotics co-curricular clubs and are being inspired to pursue careers in computing. Success in this competition has ignited their passion for the subject further and we’ll be cheering them on this Saturday."
Rebecca Turner, head of computing at Durham High, won the Team Coach Award at the regional round of the competition at Gateshead.
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