From County Down to the Scottish Borders, Torfaen to Tower Hamlets, over fifty schools from across the UK participated in youth-run water rocket competitions in February and March 2025 as part of Rockets For All.
After a series of space careers workshops in January, schools were asked if they would like to run a student-led rocket competition, powered by water rockets.
Each school received their own Rockets for All competition kit including 10 water rockets, a height logger and prizes for each school. Students were challenged to bring together a group of pupils, explain the physics behind water rockets, and hold a fun and engaging competition putting their knowledge of rocket science to the test.
While many pupils specially decorated their rockets, others incorporated ‘astronaut eggs’ to test the safety of their creations. Each school took its own approach to their competition, choosing winners based on height achieved, best team work, longest flight or best aim.
The competitions were a success, with teachers reporting that students had greatly enjoyed the events. Some schools plan to hold annual Rockets for All competitions reusing the free resources for many years to come.
“The big success of the competition was the range of students who took part, and it showed that passion and interest trumped technical ability in the subject, and enthused more than just the most able.” Head teacher, Rugby Free Secondary School
“When you see everyone’s rockets flying you know they put in so much effort.” Year 9, Mulberry Academy Shoreditch
“A Year 7 student approached me and said that ‘these few days have been the most exciting and exhilarating’ that they have ever had at school. They said in the future they ‘want to be part of a team that explores the universe and finds planets that are able to support life.'”Science Teacher, Brighton Aldridge Community Academy
“Overall, the pupils (both S1 and S4) greatly enjoyed themselves and the S4s developed their knowledge of aerodynamics as well as improved their teamwork and problem solving skills.” Science Teacher, Gleniffer High School
Following the competitions, teachers were asked if they thought their students would be more interested in pursuing a career in the space sector and 96.7% of teachers responded positively. Additionally, 97% of teachers reported that their students had developed a deeper technical understanding of rocketry and propulsion as part of the Rockets for All programme.
The schools that won the in-person experience with Imperial Space Lab were Gleniffer High School in Scotland and Brighton Aldridge Community Academy in England.
A special thanks to our funder the UK Space Agency, and to Imperial Space Lab for partnering with us. Water Rokit generously donated prizes for the winning students and Rockets for All schools were the first to test prototype loggers which helped participants measure the heights achieved. Students were excited to perform more water rocket competitions in the future and we can’t wait to see the results.
