Bournemouth School for Girls’ award-winning robotics pathway, giving students the experiences, confidence, communication and technical skills to step from first curiosity into real STEM futures.
Four connected pages tell the full BSG Robotics story: our Year 7 entry point, our FTC teams, our Sixth Form FRC programme and the FIRST Global achievement that took BSG students onto the world stage.
Our entry point: creativity, LEGO robotics, coding, teamwork and first confidence in STEM.
Our FTC programme: student-built robots, driving, coding, judging, outreach and competition identity.
Our Sixth Form pathway: industrial-scale robotics, mentors, advanced engineering and international ambition.
Team Great Britain, Athens 2024, the Katherine Johnson Award and a platform for outreach to thousands of pupils.
Our mission is simple: provide the best STEM experience for girls possible — an ambitious, welcoming and seriously fun robotics pathway where students build robots, build confidence and build the skills to step into engineering, computing, design, manufacturing, research and leadership.
BSG Robotics gives students access to the kind of experience that changes how they see themselves: designing, coding, testing, presenting, competing, mentoring younger students, running outreach, meeting partners and working with universities and industry.
This is more than a robot club. It is a programme of full experiences: technical challenge, teamwork, public speaking, travel, competition, leadership, mentoring, careers insight and the joyful chaos of building something together, fixing it together and cheering when it finally works.
BSG Robotics connects classroom learning with practical engineering, peer mentoring, workplace links, public speaking, outreach and real competition deadlines — the experiences that turn interest into confidence and confidence into futures.
Founded in 2022, BSG Robotics has grown from a new school club into one of the country’s most successful all-girl robotics programmes. Across robotics, coding and outreach, students have earned 21 regional, national and international awards, reached thousands of young people and helped build a stronger robotics community across the South West.
The club begins with a clear goal: give girls visible, exciting and ambitious access to robotics, engineering, coding and competitive STEM.
Students establish BSG as a serious FTC programme, earning the UK National THINK Award for engineering and national runner-up recognition in CONNECT and DESIGN.
Team ULTRAVIOLET becomes FTC UK National Champions through the INSPIRE Award. BSG students then represent Great Britain at FIRST Global in Athens and win Gold through the Katherine Johnson Award for Engineering Documentation.
BSG Robotics helps grow the regional ecosystem: supporting schools, hosting major STEM experiences and reaching primary and secondary pupils through outreach, mentoring and competition preparation.
The programme celebrates 21 awards, including National PA Raspberry Pi Award success, undefeated regional INSPIRE Awards from 2023–2026 and National Reach Award recognition. AirBourne, StarBourne and ReBourne become one connected pathway.
Each stage has its own identity, challenge level and leadership opportunities. Together, they create a progression route from first build experience to high-level robotics, mentoring, outreach, careers activity and international competition.
Our entry point into team robotics: students explore coding, design, research, problem-solving and presentation through LEGO-based challenge work. AirBourne gives younger students a safe, fun and structured start to engineering thinking.
FTC is where students start designing, building and coding more advanced competition robots. StarBourne develops mechanical design, programming, strategy, judging, outreach and the confidence to compete as a serious team.
ReBourne is the next level: industrial-scale robotics, university and industry mentoring, technical subteams, real project management and the ambition to represent girls’ robotics on the European stage.
FIRST CANOPY is the 2026–2027 biodiversity-themed robotics season. It asks students to use STEM and nature as inspiration to understand the connections that protect our shared home.
This gives BSG Robotics a powerful club-wide and hub-wide theme: our teams will connect robotics, coding, research, engineering and outreach with regional biodiversity. Across AirBourne, StarBourne and ReBourne, students will explore how technology can help observe, protect and improve local habitats.
FLL students will explore ecosystems, biodiversity and innovation through LEGO robotics, coding, research and a project that connects science with local action.
FTC teams will build competition robots while using the season theme to strengthen outreach, engineering storytelling and links with conservation partners.
FRC students will connect advanced engineering with big-picture systems thinking: how robotics, data and design can support life on Earth.
Use the season to investigate local habitats, school grounds and regional biodiversity questions.
Prototype robotics, coding or data ideas that help students understand real environmental challenges.
Take biodiversity-linked STEM activities into scrimmages, conferences and partner events across the region.
Use the club and hub network to turn the theme into visible action for regional biodiversity.
We support students through coaching, peer mentoring, role progression, judging practice, technical problem-solving and a team culture where asking questions is part of engineering.
Students receive structured training in CAD, coding, mechanisms, electronics, strategy, communication, outreach, safety, leadership and competition preparation.
The programme creates experiences students remember: scrimmages, STEM conferences, talks, careers links, mentoring, outreach, competitions and international ambition.
Being a FIRST UK Hub means using our experience to help more schools take part. BSG Robotics supports over 30 schools in the region by sharing knowledge, building confidence, hosting events and connecting students with volunteers, employers and higher education.
A hub is an experienced school or partner that helps new and developing teams feel supported from the start. It brings schools together, reduces the isolation of starting a robotics team, and helps create a visible local robotics community where students can train, compete, visit, present and make friends beyond their own school.
For BSG Robotics, this means helping our own students and other clubs through practical support, event leadership, training opportunities, careers links and a culture where teams collaborate as well as compete.
Helping new teams understand equipment, build seasons, judging, competition preparation and what a sustainable school robotics programme can look like.
Sharing sessions, resources and student-to-student support so more young people can access coding, design, driving, outreach and strategy.
Creating scrimmages, STEM careers activity and regional events that put students in front of engineers, universities and real audiences.
Connecting schools, peers, mentors, volunteers, employers and higher education partners around a shared mission for youth STEM.
Students stay because it is fun: the noise of a match, the relief when a robot finally works, the pride of presenting, the chaos of build deadlines, the friendships, the team identity and the feeling that they belong in STEM spaces.
BSG Robotics prepares young people for their next steps by combining technical learning with communication, confidence, networking and work-related experience. Students build the skills that employers, universities and future teams value.
CAD, coding, prototyping, electronics, testing, driving, strategy, project management and leadership through hands-on challenges.
Engineering design cycles, computational thinking, mechanisms, sensors, autonomous systems, safety, iteration and evidence-based improvement.
Working with peers, younger students, regional teams, volunteers, employers, university mentors and STEM professionals.
Judging interviews, presentations, outreach, sponsor conversations, social media, technical explanation and confident public speaking.
Competitions, events, conferences, mentoring, outreach, deadlines, teamwork and authentic career-linked STEM opportunities.
The pathway starts with curiosity: a student joins, builds something, learns from someone older, presents an idea, tries a competition and discovers they can do more than they thought.
It grows into leadership: students mentor younger teams, support outreach, meet partners, compete nationally and develop the confidence to step into bigger opportunities — including international representation and FRC in Europe.
For students who want formal recognition of their project work, the robotics pathway can support optional CREST Award routes, helping students turn robotics challenges into structured STEM investigations and reflections.
Younger students can use LEGO robotics, research and team design work as a foundation for a first formal STEM project.
FTC students can develop deeper investigations linked to robot design, mechanisms, coding, testing, strategy or outreach impact.
FRC students can shape ambitious technical or operations-led projects, from control systems and CAD to strategy, impact and engineering leadership.
BSG Robotics is looking for partners who want to support a high-impact girls’ STEM pathway: one that builds confidence, raises aspirations, strengthens local STEM education, supports over 30 regional schools and connects young people with real futures in engineering and technology.
Partners can help through sponsorship, mentoring, equipment, materials, visits, talks, work-related experiences, event support and technical guidance.