Congratulations to pupils in Year 9 who took home the title ‘Best Designed Car’ for their entry of ‘Herons Motorsport’ into the Scalextric4Schools finals, which took place last week at the Triumph Motorcycles Visitor Experience in Hinckley. Our teams presented their work to judges before racing their personally designed vehicles against other schools from across the nation.
From initial sketches in the Autumn term through to the final prototypes, pupils used their Computer Aided Design (CAD) skills to create the vehicles, developed computer models and produced their final, 3D printed outcomes ahead of the competition. In the lead up to the finals, the boys conducted road tests using the Design and Technology Department’s own track and made necessary modifications to improve the performance of their designs, all leading to their success at the competition.
Open to all UK secondary schools, colleges, and educational organisations, Scalextric4Schools intends to encourage young people to get involved in the STEM industry. The competition aims to help foster the key skills needed within the world of manufacturing, from CAD design and technique to identifying effective modifications and working within a team.
The award-winning design, ‘Herons Motorsport’ featured elements from the Grammar School’s heritage logo and was developed with speed as a key focus. The team were presented with their award by journalist and television presenter, Grace Webb, before being interviewed by ITV News Central to comment on the day in a report aired on the channel’s evening news programme.
Speaking about the Scalextric4Schools competition, Head of Design and Technology, Mr Todd Mosely, said: “This has been our first year entering the Scalextric4schools challenge and it has been an incredible experience throughout. The boys have simply loved designing their own cars.
“To be awarded ‘Best Designed Car’ was a superb achievement and was a great reward for the pupils’ hard work. They have really impressed me in this respect, as they have shown great dedication and commitment to the project, which has seen their skills develop immensely as a result.”
Having spent every lunchtime in the Design and Technology Department since the finals racing the Scalextric cars they won, it is safe to say the team are already looking ahead to next year’s competition.
