We are delighted to celebrate the outstanding achievements of Team Volt, whose hard work, determination and technical expertise have earned them a place at the World Robot Olympiad (WRO) International Finals.

The World Robot Olympiad is a global robotics competition that inspires young people to develop their skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Through exciting robotics challenges, students learn to think creatively, solve complex problems and work effectively as part of a team. Every year, more than 32,000 teams, representing around 175,000 young people from over 100 countries, take part in WRO competitions, making it one of the world's largest and most prestigious robotics events.

Our Year 9 team - Thomas, the team's Chief Coder, alongside Bhavish and Aditya, our Master Builders - competed in the demanding RoboMission category, where teams must design, build and programme an autonomous robot to complete a series of increasingly challenging tasks. Their dedication, ingenuity and countless hours of preparation were supported throughout by our outstanding STEM Ambassadors, Steve and Sofia, whose extra coding skills helped the team prepare for competition.

Team Volt began their journey at the regional competition held at Newcastle College. Competing against some of the strongest robotics teams in the region, they impressed the judges with their innovative robot design, precise programming and excellent teamwork, securing an outstanding 1st place finish and qualifying for the WRO UK National Finals.

The National Finals took place at The Dock, Leicester, where the best teams from across the United Kingdom gathered to compete. Facing even more demanding challenges, Team Volt once again demonstrated resilience, technical excellence and calm determination throughout the competition. Their exceptional performance earned them an incredible 2nd place nationally.

Their success is a wonderful reflection of the commitment, perseverance and teamwork shown by every member of Team Volt, as well as the support provided by our Student STEM Ambassadors. Together, they have embodied the values at the heart of STEM education; innovation, collaboration, resilience and a passion for solving real-world problems.

Congratulations to Thomas, Bhavish, Aditya, Steve and Sofia on this outstanding achievement. The entire school community is incredibly proud of everything they have accomplished and wishes Team Volt every success as they prepare for the International Finals. We look forward to following their journey and cheering them on as they represent our school on the world stage in the next academic year.

The 2026/27 season of World Robotics at Cheam also launches in September, so if students in years 7-10 would like to participate please encourage them to see Miss Banda in S27.