VEX Robotics & STEM Racing

VEX IQ Robotics

Competitive robotics is one of the most effective ways to bring STEM to life. Teams of students are tasked to design, build, and code a robot for a game-based engineering challenge,  transforming theory into practice. 

Every year, a brand new engineering challenge and game is announced, each designed to take classroom STEM learning to the next level alongside hundreds of schools across the UK. Involvement in VEX Robotics fosters critical thinking skills and collaborative team work amongst our students requiring natural engineers, drivers, aspiring coders, analytical mathematicians, and creativity, offering vital roles to play for all involved  and a rewarding and fun opportunity whilst achieving Gatsby Benchmarks for STEM careers.

Competitions allow students to develop these skills, whilst learning from each other and sharing ideas with other teams in the competitions.

Olavian teams have competed at the highest level.

STEM Racing  (Formerly F1 in Schools)

STEM Racing is one of the most challenging and renowned international STEM competitions, which takes place over an entire year of competition. It is a global, Formula 1-endorsed educational competition for students aged 9–19 challenging Teams to design, engineer, manufacture and race their own miniature, CO₂-powered cars on a 20 meter-track, using CAD/CAM software, competing through regional and national stages for a place at the annual World Finals.

It focuses on STEM education, branding, and teamwork.  Beyond just racing teams must also submit a detailed design & engineering Portfolio and an Enterprise Portfolio alongside delivering a verbal presentation to a panel of judges - comprised of industry experts with significant experience in the engineering and STEM sectors.

The competition also requires teams to create pit displays which showcase their team ethos and promote their sponsors. These displays are vital in presenting their team identity and demonstrating their journey to the other teams and judges alike.

Most recently, Olavian Team "Tori Veloci" reached the World Finals in 2025 travelling to Singapore in the summer to represent England in the World Finals.