South Shields pupils to represent North East at national Lego competition

The young Lego enthusiasts from Harton Primary School recently won the First Lego League regional competition for the third time.

First Lego League teams compete in two areas: An innovation project and a robot run.

For the innovation project, students are tasked to choose a problem and develop a solution.

First Lego League teams research a real-world problem such as food safety, recycling or energy.

This year, the “Cargo Connect” asked children to explore the future of transportation and to address gaps in the supply chain.

The Harton Puzzlers were interested in exploring the increase in online shopping due the pandemic and how the delivery process could be improved.

They came up with the idea of a robot which could unload parcels for the delivery driver in the correct order, reducing delivery times.

They then had to present their idea to a panel of judges and answer questions, explaining their project.

They must also design and build a robot, using Lego Mindstorms technology and compete on a table-top playing field. This involves timed challenges, where students program the LEGO robot they've built to perform tasks on a field. The robot interacts with modules to complete missions and earn their team points.

The team is made up of four Year five pupils and four Year six pupils: Ella McCluskey, Jacob Glenwright, Mia Chisholm, Seamus Marley, Poppy Roberts, Daniel Burton, Lennon Bates and Freya Riley.

Team coach and Year Four teacher Rachel Errington said: “Through this project, the children have had the opportunity to develop many important skills, such as communication, leadership and problem solving.

"I have watched their confidence flourish as they’ve been able to gain experience presenting their idea to different experts and they have worked well as a team throughout.”

Headteacher, Karen Ratcliffe said: “The First Lego League competition has fostered the children’s love of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

"At Harton Primary, we’re all very proud of our team’s achievement in winning the regional competition and we are excited for them to attend the Nationals.”

The Harton Puzzlers will head to Harrogate Convention Centre on Saturday, 26 February to represent the region and compete in the national finals.

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