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Students from St Oscar Romero Catholic School, Worthing, have once again won a national STEM competition.  This follows other national successes over the past five years, including The Big Bang and competitions run by the Institute of Acoustics.

The team of six Year 9 students first beat nine other schools in the regional heat of the GUH STEM Challenge, held at SAAB in Southampton. The team then headed off to Aberdeen to compete in the final against the winning schools from Bristol, Blyth, Manchester, Inverness and Glasgow on 11 June.  They displayed exceptional teamwork skills as they built and coded their Lego "remote operated vehicle", produced a TV advertisement for their ROV and then delivered a marketing pitch to the panel of judges.

One of the judges, Lauren Howarth from Opito Ltd, said:

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“I was delighted to award St Oscar Romero Catholic School the winners’ trophy at the Global Underwater Hub STEM Challenge. They fought off incredible competition from across the country, and I was truly blown away by the enthusiasm and creativity shown by all the students who took part. The team should be very proud of themselves. At OPITO we firmly believe that the most effective way to inspire future energy professionals is through engaging, hands-on learning experiences that build confidence, improve understanding of career pathways, and widen access to opportunities across the energy sector and this competition was a great example of that.”

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Oliver Middleton from the GUH said:

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“A huge well done to all of the schools and pupils who took part, including our very well deserving 2026 winners - St Oscar Romero Catholic School. The creativity, teamwork and innovation demonstrated throughout the challenge was outstanding. From designing and building their own ROVs to presenting their ideas, every team showcased the skills that will shape the future of the STEM workforce.

It’s inspiring to see so many young people engaging with STEM in such a practical and meaningful way, and we look forward to seeing where their journeys take them next."

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Peter Byrne, Headteacher at St Oscar Romero Catholic School, said:

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“I could not be prouder of our students in winning this national STEM competition. In previous years, we have won the regional heats but never won the overall final so to achieve this accolade is testament to our students' hard work and dedication in this field. My thanks to Mr Clarke, Head of Physics, and Mrs Baker for supporting and inspiring our students throughout this competition. “

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Organised by Global Underwater Hub, the STEM Challenge aims toengage pupils with an interest in science, technology, engineering andmathematics subjects through an exciting, hands-on educational project andinspire them to consider a career in the underwater industry.

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Source: St Oscar Romero Catholic School