A team of talented young rocket engineers from Teignmouth told MPs about how they hope to inspire other youngsters to get involved in engineering projects on a visit to the Houses of Parliament earlier this week.

The four Teignmouth Community School (TCS) students – Kaya Surman, Tom Porter, Keith Edwards and Sammy Porter – who competed as Team StarLing, won the UK Rocketry Challenge (UKRoC) earlier this year. They went on to represent the UK in the International Youth Rocketry Challenge at the Paris Air Show in June and narrowly missed out on gaining the world title.

As part of the UKRoC prize, Team Star-Ling was invited to visit to the Houses of Parliament to celebrate the students’ achievements and to discuss the importance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) projects for young people.

The event, hosted by ADS Group alongside the competition’s main sponsor Airbus, brought together MPs, industry figures and organisations dedicated to encouraging young people into STEM careers. TCS is currently the only school in Devon to enter teams into the UKRoC, making the Star-Lings’ achievement a particularly proud moment for the county.

While at the Houses of Parliament, the team met several MPs, including Newton Abbot MP Martin Wrigley, who took a keen interest in their work and achievements. He spent time speaking with the students about their rocket design, their international experience, and the engineering skills they developed throughout the competition. Inspired by the StarLing’s success and the clear educational value of the challenge, Mr Wrigley also expressed enthusiasm for encouraging more Devon schools to get involved in UKRoC.

The team also spoke with MPs including Mark Garnier and Kevin Bonavia as well as apprentices and interns from Airbus, who shared insights into engineering careers and satellite technology. The students discussed their design process, flight testing, and the unique experiences that came from becoming national champions.

One student said: ‘It was amazing to talk to MPs and engineers about our rocket. We never expected our project to take us this far, and now we’re excited to help inspire other students in Devon to get involved.’

TCS Rocket Club lead Mark Hawker said that the encouragement from MPs and industry partners ‘has given the team even more motivation as we begin preparations for the 2026 season’.

TCS Rocket Club is already planning for next year’s competition. The success of Team Star-Ling has significantly boosted interest in the club and the school now has three teams hoping to compete, up from two this year.

Vital funding has also been secured with EZ-Stor Ltd in Newton Abbot signing up as the first sponsor for the new season.

TCS has only had a rocketry club for three years and it has reached the UK Rocketry Championships final every year. This year, both teams qualified. While Star-Ling won first place and went on to the international finals, the junior team showed great potential and placed third in the UK.