As the deadline for a school science competition approaches at rocket speed, a group of secondary school students have invented something that is keeping pace.

Pupils at Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys have submitted their entry for the KM Bright Spark Awards which is none other than a Rocket Car.

The Rocket Car (or ‘Whoosh Car’) is a lightweight construction built predominately from plastic, but is propelled forward at high speeds through the process of igniting fuel.

Team member Bob Lumsdaine-Jarvis, said: “We have two primary elements to the Rocket Car – a bottle and ethanol. Through development and experimenting with different sized bottles and axles, as well as various measurements of fuel, we were able to find out the exact weight and volume needed to really make the car travel.”

He added: “There wasn’t a particular distance that we wanted the car to reach, our concern was more about seeing the progression of distance as we made alterations to the design. Plus as a team we are all quite competitive, so everyone wanted to build the Rocket Car that goes the furthest!”

Applying cross-curricular skills in science, design, mathematics and engineering, the Bright Spark Awards are judged in three primary categories: Innovation, Investigation and Invention.

Nominations are accepted until noon on Friday, June 3, and both primary and secondary schools are eligible to submit.

There is also no limit to how many entries a school and/or students wish to submit, nor is there any team size restrictions.

Every entry will be examined by a leading judging panel, and the winning schools will be invited to the annual awards event. Here they will pitch and promote their inventions to a bench of Dragons in a Dragons Den-style format.

The overall KM Bright Spark Awards champions will be awarded a £500 cash prize.

Lisa Craig, events manager at the KM Charity Team which organises the awards, said: “We have had many fantastic, innovative entries for the awards this year, and Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys have just added to that list. We think the Rocket Car is a fun, exciting and eccentric invention which proves how even with the rawest materials, students can still be creative.”

She added: “The deadline is speeding up as fast as the boys’ cars, so don’t miss your chance to be crowned school science heroes and use the half term break to complete your projects!”

The KM Bright Spark Awards are backed by key partners Pfizer, Golding Vision (Part of Golding Homes), University of Kent, and Hectic Lifestyles.

To enter and for more information, visit www.kmcharityteam.co.uk/schools/brightspark/