TWENTY-eight schools from across south Cumbria are competing this week for the opportunity to represent the county in a national contest.

Students from primary and secondary schools in areas including Barrow, Ulverston and Grange will gather at Furness College today and tomorrow to compete in the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Lego League.

Teams of up to ten children will complete a three part challenge, made up of a robot game, a challenge and a core values section.

For the robot game, the children must program an autonomous robot to score points on a themed playing field. The theme this year is InTo Orbit.

They must give a presentation, explaining the solution to a problem of their choice they have identified.

All this must be guided by the FIRST Core Values. These focus on exploring new skills and ideas, using creativity and persistence to solve problems, respecting one and other and embracing peoples differences, as well as promoting team work and enjoying the day.

Each day, four winning teams will be announced - the winners of each individual challenge and an overall winner.

The overall winners from each day will get the opportunity to represent Cumbria at the UK final of FIRST Lego League on February 16 in Bristol .

Tony Gill, coordinator of FIRST Lego League in Cumbria, said: “The idea behind the league is to give children the opportunity to explore advanced skills whilst also developing their soft skills such as teamwork throughout the competition.

“In the past, we’ve seen teams step in to help each, which is always great to see. It really is a competition with cooperation.

Looking back at past events, he said: “The levels of enthusiasm from the children is incredible.

“Many schools continue with the programme after the competition is over and will run with it in to the following year.

“Some of the schools will take part year after year, especially the primary schools.

“As a result, they learn from their experiences and improve.”