Well-known programmes

Each programme publishes new challenges each season, so check its official website for current rules and regional events.

• FIRST LEGO League: run by FIRST in partnership with LEGO Education. Its Challenge division has teams build and program a LEGO robot for a themed table mission, carry out a research-based innovation project and are judged on teamwork values. Younger divisions, Explore and Discover, focus on guided building without competition pressure.

• World Robot Olympiad (WRO): an international competition with categories such as RoboMission, where robots complete tasks on a set field, and Future Innovators, where teams design a robotics solution to a theme. Teams are small, usually two or three students with a coach, and are grouped by age.

• VEX Robotics competitions: organised by the REC Foundation. VEX IQ suits primary and lower secondary pupils using snap-together parts; the VEX V5 Robotics Competition suits secondary students with metal builds. Teams play a new game each season, often in alliances with other teams.

• FIRST Tech Challenge and FIRST Robotics Competition: larger-scale FIRST programmes for older secondary students.

What a team needs

A typical team has a coach, who does not need to be an engineer, three to ten pupils depending on the programme, a kit that meets the rules, and a regular meeting slot of one or two hours a week over several months. A practice field or table that can stay set up saves much time.

Most programmes value the process as well as the robot: engineering notebooks, presentations to judges and evidence of teamwork often carry real weight.

A taster challenge before committing

Before registering, run an in-school trial. For pupils aged 10 to 14, allow two 60-minute sessions. Each team of three receives a robot kit, a taped arena and three small tasks worth different points, such as pushing a block into a zone or stopping on a line. Teams have 2.5 minutes per run and three runs. This shows which pupils enjoy the pressure and how much support they will need.

Keeping it healthy

Competitions can become stressful. Agree team roles early, keep adults out of the building and coding, and celebrate learning goals as well as scores. Pupils should be able to explain every part of their robot to a judge.

School leaders should also plan for practical matters: travel to regional events, supervision, consent forms and how the cost of kits and entry will be covered. Talking to a school that already enters a team is a useful first step.

Key points

• Compare programmes by age band, kit and time commitment.

• Check official websites for each season's rules.

• Run an in-school taster before registering a team.

• Pupils build and code; adults coach.

Photos: Asif Al, Shivansh Upadhyay / Unsplash