Pupils Reach New Heights at BigEARS UKRoc Launch

On Saturday 3 May, two teams of four pupils proudly represented the school at BigEARS, an independent rocketry event run by the East Anglian Rocketry Society. The event marked the exciting culmination of a Lower Sixth Physics project that began in January, with pupils finally launching the rockets they had carefully designed and built over several months.

The rockets were constructed as part of the UKRoc (UK Rocketry) competition, which challenges teams to design a rocket capable of reaching a target altitude of 750 feet (229 metres) and achieving a flight duration of between 36 and 39 seconds. Meeting these exact criteria requires precision engineering, careful calculations, and strong teamwork.

Both teams successfully launched their rockets under clear skies and ideal weather conditions. While the launches were technically excellent, the favourable conditions meant that the rockets flew higher than planned, with one rocket reaching an impressive 373 metres. In rocketry terms this is a fantastic achievement, demonstrating the quality of the designs and construction — although it did place the teams outside the competition’s target range.

Despite missing the competition criteria, the experience provided invaluable hands‑on learning in physics, engineering, and experimental testing. The pupils showed determination, creativity, and resilience throughout the project and on launch day itself.

Congratulations to all involved on a highly successful and memorable achievement.

Teams:

Zoom or Boom: Posh K, Jack  Z, Markus L, Rares A, Stepan K and Andrey Z

Moonracker: Alex M, Oliver G, Sebastian R, Duke X, Ollie N and Ollie K