OUR SCHOOLS RACE

(Sponsored by)

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The West Kent Independent State School Partnership (ISSP) is a partnership of eight secondary schools - The Judd School, Kent College Pembury, The Malling School, Mascalls Academy, Oakley School, The Skinners’ Kent Academy, The Skinners’ School, and Tunbridge Wells Girls’ Grammar School. It has been established with the aim of sharing resources and providing high aspirational learning opportunities for pupils. Since it began in 2018, the ISSP has run a series of joint lectures and masterclasses for pupils and despite a hiatus during the pandemic.

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The West Kent ISSP is delighted to be involved in the Tunbridge Wells Soapbox Challenge again in 2023 racing in the first-ever schools race.

Held on a reduced course to the main business race, the schools’ race is open to all Year 9 pupils to build a go-kart from an agreed set of plans held centrally by Kent College.  Each school has put together a team of designers and engineers and over the coming weeks will spend time resourcing the materials and building the karts, which are designed to be built with minimal tools and facilities, (it can mostly be done with a drill and saw) and have full steering and brake systems.

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While the chassis themselves will all be a standard build, the karts can be modified in any way that the teams wish to try and gain that all-important competitive advantage.

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On the day, the winners will be determined by time trials between the schools with prizes for the winning time but also in other categories such as the best-decorated kart. As you can imagine there is a fair amount of friendly rivalry between schools so it will be a highly competitive event and is not to be missed!