FIRST LEGO League in South West England

FIRST® LEGO® League in South West England

FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL) Challenge is a global STEM competition where groups of up to 10 young people, aged between 9 to 16 years, work as a team to explore a given topic and to design, build and program an autonomous LEGO® robot to solve a series of missions. Nationally, FIRST® LEGO® League is delivered by The Institute of Engineering and Technology (The IET). Graphic Science are The IET’s delivery partner for FIRST® LEGO® League Regional Tournaments in Bristol, Wiltshire and Somerset. We also support the delivery of FIRST® LEGO® League Regional Tournaments in Cornwall and Devon, hosted by Cognition & Cornwall County Council.

Please get in touch if you’d like to know more: Ambassadors@graphicscience.co.uk

Official FLL Resources

THE IET:
Registration, student resources and guidance for getting involved

FIRST:
Robot game rules, mission model build instructions and challenge mat setup

participating in FLL in South West England

FOR SCHOOLS:
info sheets for student teams & team coaches

FOR EMPLOYERS AND VOLUNTEERS:
getting involved

Regional Tournaments: Overview & Guidance

Changes to FLL: Futures Edition vs Founders Edition

During the 2026-2027 academic year, LEGO will be starting the transition to new education kits and a new format of gameplay for FLL. To make this kit transition easier on schools there will be two separate editions of FLL running, where schools can choose which edition they would like to participate in. Both editions are structured and assessed under the same 4 categories (Robot Game, Robot Design, Innovation Project, Core Values); the differences are the kit, gameplay and maximum team size.

Founders Edition

The Founders Edition is the established challenge format using either the LEGO® MINDSTORM® EV3 Kits or LEGO® SPIKE ™ Prime kits. Student teams can be a maximum of 10 students. For the 2026-2027 academic year we expect the majority of schools to utilise their existing kits and participate in the Founders Edition Tournament.

Futures Edition

The Futures Edition is the new challenge format using LEGO® Computer Science and AI kits. In teams of up to 8, students work together, sharing a wider range of roles. This new format is more inclusive, and allows more students to actively participate in gameplay. This format also requires 2 kit sets per team.

Dates and locations of tournaments

The Graphic Science team will be coordinating 4 FLL Founders Edition (using LEGO SPIKE Prime Kits or older EV3 Mindstorm Kits) tournaments:

Bristol 1: Thursday 25th February 2027 at GKN Aerospace, Bristol
Bristol 2: Friday 26th February 2027 at GKN Aerospace, Bristol
Somerset: Friday 5th March 2027 at iAero, Yeovil
Swindon: Date still to be confirmed

Dates for a Futures Edition (using the new LEGO Computer Science and AI Kit) tournament are TBC

Timetable

Volunteers arrive: from 8am for an 8.30am briefing
School arrival: Between 9am-9.20am
Welcome Ceremony: From 9.30am
Robot Games & Judging Sessions: From 10.00am
Robot Game Knockout Rounds: From 1.30pm
Award Presentation: From 2.30pm
School & volunteers depart: 3.00pm

Teams and volunteers will be able to collect their full timetable upon arrival at the tournament. All teams will be scheduled to participate in:

3 rounds of robot games – each round is 2.5 minutes long and only the highest score is counted
Innovation Project presentation (5 mins) – teams present their Innovation Project to our team of friendly judges. Presentations can be in any format, and we’d really encourage teams to get creative. Please try to avoid using PowerPoint as you may not have access to a big screen on the day.
Watch another team give their Innovation Project presentation – this is an opportunity to learn from other teams and practice Core Values.
Robot Design presentation (5 mins) – teams showcase their engineering process and gameplay strategy to judges. Teams should demonstrate how their ideas, the robot design and the code have changed and improved. What challenges did you experience, and how did you work together to find a solution?
Q&A (10 mins) – this session is an opportunity for judges to ask questions about your Innovation project and Robot Design. Judges will want to know how you worked together and how you practiced Core Values.

Admin bits for Schools & Team Coaches

We will need the following information from you:

A full register of participating students and supporting adults (event H&S).
To be made aware of any additional needs or health concerns (e.g. severe allergies) that may need accommodation.

You will be asked to submit this information via a check-in form a few weeks before your tournament.

Your tournament host will send you all the relevant logistical information in the lead up to your tournament. This will include:

Parking and arrival information
Risk Assessments
Any security or H&S requirements from the venue (e.g. adults need to bring ID)

Please aim to arrive between 9am-9.20am, in readiness for the welcome which will begin at 9.30am sharp. The day concludes at 3pm.

On the day for Schools & Team Coaches

Be prepared for: Lots of cheering! Some very exciting robot games! To hear some fantastic ideas from other teams! To have a lot of fun! Awards made out of LEGO! Maybe learn something, but definitely having a great day out!

Available on the day:

A Pit Area – for teams to put their bags and display their Innovation project. Pit areas are usually a table within a taped-off area, which teams can decorate if they want too.
School pack including team timetables and pit activity information.
No photo lanyards for students without photo permission.
Teas / coffees for adults only.
Practice mat for teams to use to make adjustments.

During the day teams will have some down-time between judging sessions and robot games. This is time to take a break, have lunch or engage in other activities, such as:

Practice Mat – A space to refine or make alterations to your robot, code or strategy
Pit activity – A little activity to complete in their pit areas
Learn from others – Watch other teams’ presentations and robot games.
Make some noise – Cheer their teammates and other teams on! (the louder the better)

What to bring for Schools & Team Coaches

Teacher Admin

A full register of your students including a list of students who do not have photo permission granted.
Photo ID is required for all supporting adults. Please note, that the Bristol venue does not allow access without proof of ID (adults only).

Team Comfort

Lunch, snacks and a drink for all adults and students.
Any other items students may need to help them manage the competition environment (which can be loud).

Competition Requirements

Your Innovation Project and any posters or props.
Your robot, any attachments and LEGO spares.
Your device and your code.
Chargers for your robot and device.
Your presentation(s) – Innovation Project & Robot Design.

Please note; you do not need to bring your FLL challenge mat and mission models, but you can if you want too. There will be a practice table setup for all teams to make use of.

Who will you meet for Schools & Team Coaches

There will be lots of volunteers and supporting adults at your FLL tournament, their job is to help teams make the most of the tournament, ensuring that all teams have an incredible day and get the opportunity to shine!

You will meet:

The hosts – The team who have organised the tournament, and are there to help you make the most of the day.
Your room leader – A person who is responsible for the pit rooms, who will help you understand the timetable and cheer you on!
Judges – A friendly team who will talk to you about your Innovation Project and Robot Design.
Referees – The LEGO-enthusiasts, who will be making sure that your robot game is fair.

Scoring

Teams will be assessed under four categories:

Robot Game (25%): Assessed by referees
Robot Design (25%): Assessed by judges
Innovation Project (25%): Assessed by judges
Core Values (25%): Assessed by referees and judges

Robot Game Scoring: A referees job is to make sure that the game is fair for all participants. Scoring for the robot game is collaborative, meaning teams can speak to the referees and can challenge a referees decision. If a situation is unclear, then the referee will give the team the benefit of the doubt. Referees will also evaluate the teams’ Gracious Professionalism (a part of Core Values), so remember to have fun and be supportive of your teammates and considerate of those around you. Please see the Robot Game Rulebook (linked above) for a full breakdown of scoring.

Judges are very friendly and patient, they’ll try not to put too much pressure on the team. Judges will encourage teams to explain their ideas and challenges, and how they worked together, but the team will only have limited time: Innovation Project (5 minutes), Robot Design (5 minutes) and Q&A (10 minutes). Presentations can be in any format, and teams can bring props / prototypes / posters or other items to help explain ideas. Judges will use a rubric to score work, awarding each team a score of between 1 and 4 for each criteria: Identify, Design, Create, Iterate and Communicate.

Getting involved as a volunteer

Signing up as a volunteer

We are always on the lookout for new and enthusiastic volunteers! Volunteer recruitment usually starts in September or October, with all FLL events in the South West advertised on the STEM Ambassadors platform. If you’d like to get involved then please sign-up as a STEM Ambassador here or get in touch if you have any queries. Please be aware that FLL is a very popular and exciting event, so volunteer roles fill up quickly.

Volunteer requirements and roles

Volunteers are welcome from any background. There are 3 volunteer roles:

Judges who assess Innovation Projects and Robot Design. Judges work in teams of 3, coming to a unanimous decision on scoring, meaning you’ll always have someone to talk through your thoughts with. Training for judges is delivered online and takes approximately 30 minutes. This training covers an overview of FLL, what to expect and how to score via the FLL rubric.
Referees who score the Robot Game. Referees work in teams of 2, supervising the Robot Game to ensure that the game is fair. Referees will need to attend an in-person training lasting approximately an hour, this training runs through the various mission models and the points scored for completing each mission.
Room Leaders who support the overall running of the day, encouraging teams and helping to make sure that teams are in the right place at the right time. Room leaders don’t need to attend any specific training, however we would recommend that room leaders attend the judges briefing so that they have an understanding of the expectations for the student teams.

On the day for volunteers

Please bring:

Photo ID (e.g. passport or driving licence)
A packed lunch and a drink (tea / coffee will be available throughout the day)
Laptop or tablet (referees only)

Behaviour

FLL is a ‘co-opertition’ (meaning co-operation is expected even within a competition environment) and prioritises ‘Gracious Professionalism’. We expect all students to treat those around them with respect and inclusivity, we ask that all adults model this behaviour as well. Volunteers are the friendly face of FLL, and sometimes the experts in the room, we really want the participating young people to communicate with you confidently and curiously.

All students should be supervised by their team coach or teacher, they are responsible for the safeguarding and management of their young people. Sometimes when students get excited, they get a bit silly, we don’t mind silly or loud but we don’t want anyone to get hurt or be subject to inconsiderate behaviours. If you spot any misbehaviour please inform us (your hosts) or the team coach / teacher. It is never your responsibility to discipline students.

Judges & Room Leaders

Your on-the-day volunteers briefing will begin at 8.30am sharp, please arrive in good time. Your briefing will cover the layout of the day and the timetable – for room leaders this timetable will cover all teams who are based within your room and for judges this timetable will be your time slots with the teams you’re judging. All judging is done in the morning, and final judging scores must be submitted by 1pm. Judges are invited to stay for the afternoon, to watch robot games and see who takes home the Champion’s Trophy.

Referees

Referees may have a later start time, please refer to any emailed guidance that the Head Referee may have sent you. You should receive a login to the FLL Event Hub prior to your tournament day, this will be emailed to you. The FLL Event Hub is an online system where referees log the scores of the robot game, referees will need to bring a laptop or tablet so that they can access Event Hub. Scoring is collaborative, referees will work alongside the teams to ensure that the robot game is fair. If anything is unclear then referees are encouraged to give teams the benefit of the doubt. In the morning teams will participate in their scored Robot Games (x3), and in the afternoon there will be a head-to-head Knockout Round.