Five students from a Sutton school who designed a dancing robot have been selected as finalists in a national competition.

The project, Toast- E, was created by the Year 12 teenagers from Sutton High School.

Toast-E has now been chosen for next year's The Big Bang UK Scientists and Engineers senior competition after winning the regional heats at The Big Bang Fair London.

Headmistress of Sutton High School, Mrs Katharine Crouch, told Sutton Guardian: "We are thrilled and delighted that two teams representing Sutton High have made it to the finals of the Big Bang Fair - an event that provides brilliant STEM inspiration for young people everywhere."

The robot was constructed using nuts, screws and an Arduino - an open-source platform used for building electronics. Servers were used to make the robot dance.

Dr Bartalini, the team’s teacher, said: “I’m extremely proud of my pupils’ achievements in getting to the final of such a prestigious event.

"The independence with which they have approached the project is very important and they have bravely faced several setbacks. The passion they have shown in developing their project has been so inspiring to watch.

"The fact that they are a group of six girls is also fantastic. We need more of them in the STEM world!”

Ankitha Krisshnan, Tina Liu, Nicole Hockaday, Jimin Park and Madeleine Waller were the students behind the success.

Director of Communications of Engineering UK, Beth Elgood, said: "The team at Sutton High School really impressed the judges with their Toast-E project and we are excited to see how they do at the finals. "

The Big Bang Fair will celebrate its tenth year at the NEC in Birmingham from March 14 to March 17.