What an absolutely fantastic day it has been for our Year 5 and Year 6 pupils at Nissan’s Robotics LEGO Competition in Sunderland! The children spent the day inside Nissan’s impressive training suites, rising to the challenge of completing a series of fast‑paced robotics missions using their coding skills and LEGO engineering expertise.
From the moment we arrived, the excitement levels were high. Each team had just two minutes per mission to programme, test, and refine their LEGO robots—while competing head‑to‑head against other schools. The pressure was definitely on, but our St Mary’s pupils showed remarkable calmness, teamwork, and determination throughout.
Resilience, Enthusiasm and Outstanding Team Spirit
Throughout the day, the children demonstrated qualities that make us incredibly proud:
- Resilience when challenges arose
- Energy and enthusiasm during every mission
- A constant drive to improve their designs and code
- Teamwork, listening carefully to each other’s ideas
- Determination to give their very best in every round
Their efforts did not go unnoticed. Despite this being their first ever time entering the competition, the team kept improving with every attempt and showed maturity far beyond their years.
Winners of the Nissan Award!
We are thrilled to announce that St Mary’s came away as the winners of the prestigious Nissan Award!
In the judges’ own words, the award recognised the children’s outstanding qualities, their commitment to the competition, and the way they embodied the message that “it was about giving your best.” (Blossom)
How amazing is that?
A Huge Thank You
A special thank you goes to Mrs Porter and our incredibly skilled parent helper Mrs Drew, who both supported the team throughout the day. Their guidance and encouragement helped make the experience even more valuable for our pupils.
Proud Beyond Words
We couldn’t be prouder of every child who took part today. They represented St Mary’s Catholic Primary School with confidence, kindness, and an eagerness to learn—qualities that were also recognised by staff at the event:
“Well done for a brilliant day! The children were a credit to you all, and the school. Genuinely keen to learn – it was lovely to see.”
A huge well done to our fantastic Year 5 and 6 pupils. You have inspired us all, and we cannot wait to see where your STEM skills take you next!