York hosts regional finals of F1 in Schools competition

Pupils from Clifton with Rawcliffe and Hempland primary schools were at the National STEM Learning Centre in Heslington on Monday (February 5) to race on a 25-metre track with the miniature F1 cars they had designed, marketed and made themselves.

F1 in Schools is an official national educational project with input from teachers, engineers and backed by the home of Formula 1 racing. The Yorkshire and Humberside regional finals for primary schools took place on Monday.

The liveries of the Clifton with Rawcliffe Primary School F1 cars (Image: Kevin Glenton)

Rob Smith, Year Five teacher at Clifton with Rawcliffe, said: “The pupils have learnt about aerodynamics, airflow and air resistance as well as developing their project management and team-building skills."

Pupils were able to test their reaction times against each other on this practice starting grid (Image: Kevin Glenton)

Noah, a year six pupil at the school, said the best thing was the reaction time testing to get the car off the start line.

Phoebe, also in year six at Clifton with Rawcliffe, said: “Being in a team reminds you that you need a lot of planning, but someone will be there for you if you are struggling with something.”

The liveries of the Hempland Primary School F1 cars (Image: Kevin Glenton)

Emilia, one of the Clifton with Rawcliffe team, said that they’d also put in effort on the slide show presentation each team gave, which covered all their work on design, engineering, aerodynamics and branding.

Emilia added: “We’ve never been as excited for a Monday morning of school!”

Gareth Dyer, a Year Six teacher at Hempland Primary School, said: “The children have been developing engineering ideas and learning that the first thing you build is not always the best thing.

"They’ve discussed the possibilities and approached local business for sponsorship within their overall project management."

Part of the 25-metre track used for the competition (Image: Kevin Glenton)

The Hempland team gave a sharp presentation, without notes, to a team of judges comprised of industry professionals, at the end of the day’s racing.

Pupils from Hempland Primary School after their marketing presentation to the panel of industry judges (Image: Kevin Glenton)

Hempland Year Six pupil Effie said she enjoyed watching both the car and the team evolve at the same time.

Chloe, also a pupil at Hempland, said: “You learn to listen to other people’s ideas because you want them to listen to yours and make sure everyone is involved.”

Macy had said that they’d also learned a lot from the other teams involved.

The regional awards concluded on Monday and the winners will go onto the national stage of the competition taking place between March 12 and 14 at the Magna Science Adventure Centre in Rotherham.