Begun in December 2023, the Robot Race Club provides a new Physical Computing opportunity for young people, of all ages and abilities, to discover what coding looks like in the real world! 

Teams of pupils compete to see how they can engineer and re-engineer robotic creations which complete the race course ahead of the other teams.

Think Wacky Races for the Twenty First Century!

Having begun working with St Mary’s back in early 2022 on the Literature Alive Game Book, Keith and I were on the lookout for a new project based on Physical Computing – once the Game Book was nearly completed.

Colm, Rachel and Mrs Brown have provided us with such a great welcome and the most amazing class to work with!

It is a delight and a real privilege to continue working with the fifteen St Mary’s pupils who attend the Friday after school club. They are full of imaginative ideas and boundless creativity.

Our new enterprise is robot racing: specifically using the Kitronik Simple Robotics Lesson in a Box which St Mary’s had already stored safely in a cupboard – for just such an occasion! (It is available here)

Having taught in Bishopstone for twelve years, it is a further delight to be back in the old classroom working with a new generation of Bishy stars! Their robots may look different, but their enthusiasm to design and build robots that can win races just might be a match for the pupils of St Mary’s!

Before Robot Racing Club, came two years of ARC: Advanced Robotics Club (at Lydiard Park Academy).

These links might be of interest to future roboteers!

.. more soon!