Wacky Races is a co-curricular club that supports and builds budding backyard engineers. Students recycle scrap items and transform them into gravity racers, also known soapbox race cars. The students participating in the club will be entering a team into next year’s Tetbury Wacky Races in May and hopefully Chippenham’s soapbox Derby.

The vision for this club is to give students the tools needed to look at scrap and unwanted items differently. For example, an old bike is a set of wheels, a braking system and a potential steering system, an old pushchair is made up of a chassis and a broken gazebo, which can be used as the start of a body frame. Taking very basic hand tools, these items are dismantled and then assembled into gravity racers teaching students that you don’t always need high tech, high cost equipment to create something great. Often creative thinking and problem solving are the best tools in our toolbox. If you would like to see a video example please click here.

The co-curricular programme at Westonbirt is a key part of our approach to education. It enables us to encourage breadth, with a huge variety of activities, clubs, societies and sports on offer. Whether it is debating, engineering, lacrosse, philosophical discussion, maths challenges, rugby, poetry, dance, investigating environmental issues or one of a whole host of other activities on offer, there is something to challenge and develop every single pupil, no matter what their interests. Our co-curricular programme is a hugely important part of how Westonbirt produces so much more than excellent exam results; developing well-rounded, engaging and active pupils, who are prepared to face the world with confidence.