STEM at NLCS stretches across multiple fronts. At the heart of it is our robotics programme: a VEX club with a waiting list longer than its membership. This year a record number of teams reached the UK National Finals, students won national awards in both age categories, and two teams represented the UK at the VEX World Championships. A partnership programme is now carrying that expertise into other schools.
In the Spring Term, EVC Magazine’s team came across a group of NLCS girls on the exhibition floor at Bett UK, who were confidently demonstrating a robot they had designed, built and coded entirely themselves. Their professionalism and enthusiasm made an impression, and EVC followed up with a conversation with Andrew Duffey, our Head of Engineering and Design Technology and founder of the school’s robotics club, which became a feature in their magazine.
The Vex Club, named after the VEX Robotics Competition, is quickly growing in popularity. Students design, build and code robots to complete set tasks, such as throwing a ball through a target or picking up objects, then compete against teams from other schools every two weeks from October to February. Demand has outstripped supply with 60 to 70 girls in the club now, and at least 80 on the waiting list. The club has qualified for the national competition again this year, and its teams currently sit 3rd in the world for virtual skills.
This work is made possible by our Work in Hope Fund, which supports initiatives that enrich learning, broaden opportunity, and help every student thrive.
What’s next?
To support this growth, the school brought in Kieran Higham as Robotics Engineer in Residence, working alongside students and staff across the curriculum, much like a music specialist or elite sports coach would.
Kieran joins NLCS straight from completing his engineering degree, bringing a rare dual perspective: lifelong competitor and senior official at the highest level. He started competing in VEX Robotics at age 11 and has reached the World Championships on several occasions. As an official, he has spent the past four years as head referee at multiple UK regional events and the UK National Championship, more recently extending this to international events, including in Switzerland and the World Championships in the USA.
Day to day, Kieran leads the VEX Robotics Club alongside Andrew and the senior robotics coach, giving the programme extra capacity to help NLCS’s talented girls reach, or exceed, their potential. He provides whole-club coaching as well as individual coaching tailored to each team’s needs and ambitions.
With Kieran on board, NLCS is significantly expanding its robotics offer:
- Regional competitions hosted are increasing from two last year to six this year
- VEX robotics expertise is extending from the Junior School through to the Senior School
- New events for parents and the community, outside school hours, will widen the reach of robotics across the whole NLCS family
Crucially, the role isn’t limited to NLCS students: through the Eureka Schools Programme, Kieran will also work with local maintained schools, primaries and international partners at partnership days across the year.
This builds on partnership work already led by Andrew Duffey alongside Alexandros Sfakianakis, rooted in the belief that every student should have the chance to work with and learn from others.
It’s set to be a busy term for the Eureka Schools Programme, opening with the VEX V5 and VEX IQ Competitions in October before the VEX V5 and VEX IQ Tournaments round things off in November.
Full details on these and future events can be found on the Eureka Schools Programme page.
