Pupils from Beccles Free School are preparing to take part in a robotics competition in Germany.

The group of 12 to 14 year olds were crowned national RoboCup champions after defeating more than 50 teams from other schools across the country at a competition held in Martlesham last Friday.

The robotics team are now planning their trip to Leipzig in Germany in June for the World Championships.

And they have high hopes, having come in second place at the same competition last year in China.

The competition tests their robotics coding and programming talents against hundreds of schools from around the world.

Robotics team leader at Beccles Free School Johann Don-Daniel said: “The student team have shown fantastic dedication in the RoboCup.

“They work really well as a group, sharing their knowledge and experiences with one another, which is something that makes them stand out. With each competition they continue to improve so I am very much looking forward to the World Championships again this summer.”

The CoSpace Robotics (RoboCup) is a computer coding competition where students program robots to pick up objects, avoid traps and drop off loads in designated areas.

The competition develops the students’ ability to write computer code, programme robots, and develop mathematical and problem solving skills. Since taking part in the RoboCup last year, the student team has been hosting a weekly coding club with local primary schools, where they share their expertise and inspire youngsters to build and battle their own robots.

Beccles Free School student Sam Florido, who was also on the school’s RoboCup team last year, said: “We are able to help the community with the skills we have learned and I love being a part of it.

“The opportunities we have been given, like going to China last year for the World Championships, exceed anything I could have imagined.”