A TEAM of S1 pupils from Lomond School have been announced as the winners of a national science competition.

The National Space Port Competition, an outreach programme run by Lockheed Martin designed to promote UK spaceflight to younger audiences and inspire the next generation, involved more than 1,500 pupils competing from across the UK.

Teams were given the challenge of designing a UK space port while taking into account sustainability and budgeting as well as the engineering aspects of the challenge.

Team Green Rockets from the Helensburgh school was awarded first place, earning a £600 STEM grant for the school. Judges noted that the team’s submission showcased an excellent design which balanced the core areas of cost, performance and environmental impact.

READ MORE: Brave Burgh schoolboy Mackenzie takes to TV for 'thank you' message

Not only was their design technically sound but it was also presented in a very clear and powerful way with judges being particularly impressed with their presentation and analysis of key spaceport issues.

The school’s principal, Johanna Urquhart, said: “Having pupils participate in national competitions such as this, led by industry leaders, is an invaluable way of providing them with an opportunity to extend their learning outside of the day-to-day curriculum.

“It also provides them with the chance to build on other important skills such as teamwork, presentation and higher order thinking skills.

“All of our P7 and S1 pupils participated in what was a challenging but enjoyable project and we are very proud of the winning team.”

The pupils said: “Everyone in our group worked very hard for this. It was very fun, and we particularly enjoyed how challenging it was, solving problems and analysing everything. It was a great experience!”