St Edmund's
LEICESTER — In a thrilling display of Lego engineering brilliance and masterclass coding skills, team BrickSquad from St Edmund’s School stormed to victory at the UK National Final for the World Robotic Olympiad in July, securing a magnificent first-place finish on the grandest national stage!
The champion team—comprising the immensely talented Florrie, Toby, Ollie, and Logan—delivered an absolute clinic in technology, innovation, and teamwork.
This historic national triumph comes exactly one week after an unforgettable weekend at the Regional Finals in Hampshire. On that previous Saturday, St Edmund’s showcased the immense depth of its robotics talent, with 7 of our 10 outstanding students from BrickSquad stepping up to compete.
It was a clean sweep of the top spots for our school! In a spectacular regional display, the team of Jessica, Jasmin, and Toby put on a phenomenal performance to take home a proud second-place finish. Meanwhile, the powerhouse squad of Logan, Ollie, Florrie, and Emily drove their way straight to the top, clinching first place and setting the stage for yesterday’s national showdown.
Driven by Dedication and Mentorship
Behind every great team is an incredible amount of hard work, and Brick Squad is no exception. Run by Mr Jackson aka “Chief-Brick” during lunchtimes and after school, the only reason the team have done so well is their absolute dedication to the squad. Throughout the year, the students have listened closely to advice from Mr Jackson and Mr Sharp Kinsey. They demonstrated a really mature approach to the finals because they had the skills and knowledge developed from attending the First Lego League, alongside all their intensive sessions in school.
A Royal and Ministerial Rendezvous
Building on that regional momentum, the national finals kicked off with high energy during the morning practice session. The atmosphere in the Leicester arena was electric, and the team even caught the eye of some very high-profile guests. Liz Kendall, the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, dropped by the Brick Squad pit for an exclusive chat with our young engineers, completely blown away by their technical know-how.
But the VIP encounters didn’t end there. At the closing ceremony, the team was presented with their well-deserved awards by Mike Kapur, the Lord-Lieutenant of Leicestershire, representing the King himself!
Pure Lego and Pybricks Perfection
Building a robot is one thing, but making it dominate the national competition floor is another. Brick Squad engineered their robot entirely out of Lego, using advanced coding via Pybricks to guide their machine through complex, high-pressure challenges.
The national competition was fierce, with six other top-tier teams from across the country pushing for the top spot in the RoboMission Junior competition. However, across three highly competitive rounds, our pupils showed true grit and determination. With every single round, they adapted, improved, and pushed their strategy to the limit.
The result? An absolute landslide victory! Brick Squad achieved a spectacular winning total of 90 points, leaving the competition in the dust.
Next Stop… The World Stage!
By clinching the UK National Final title, the team has landed the ultimate grand prize: a coveted spot at the international finals!
While the exact final destination is still being locked down, the team are already buzzing with anticipation. Looking forward, the team are hoping to attend an international competition, as this was their winning prize. Brick Squad are now looking to take their brilliant Lego creation to global waters, with potential international events taking place in California, India, or Croatia this September, or the massive global finals in Puerto Rico this December!
A Note to Parents: Huge congratulations to all 10 of our robotics students for their hard work, late-night coding sessions, and exceptional sportsmanship over the last fortnight. From Hampshire to Leicester, you have represented St Edmund’s flawlessly. You should be incredibly proud of your world-class engineers. Watch this space— Brick Squad are going global!
