Ingleburn Public School has become the first ever Australian team to achieve a podium finish at the Universal Robotics Challenge (URC) in Osaka, Japan.

The Ingleburn team, comprising Year 5 students, Aarifa Shabbir and Flynn Wangpaibul, Year 6 student, Winston Thio, and Year 4 student, Claire To, was one of three Australian teams among a total of 40 from around the world.

A Japanese team won the gold while a school from Thailand took home the silver medal.

Ingleburn Public won through to the championships by winning the Year 3-6 division of the 2023 Universal Australia national final.

Former Ingleburn Public Deputy Principal, Rebecca Dao, said students demonstrated exceptional skill and teamwork to claim the bronze medal.

Ms Dao, who has been instrumental in the team’s success over the years, said bringing the URC into the school allowed students to think beyond the classroom, as well as engage with cutting-edge technology.

“I saw the potential robotics had to inspire creativity, critical thinking and teamwork, and I wanted to provide our students with that opportunity,” she said.

“Now, seeing them achieve third place on a global stage, it’s beyond anything we could have imagined. This achievement proves that with the right support and vision, our students can compete and excel at the highest level.”

Ingleburn Public School Principal Graeme Greene described the team’s success as a “remarkable achievement”.

“This accomplishment reflects the hard work and determination of our students, as well as the unwavering support of our teachers and community,” he said.

“We are proud of their innovative solutions and the spirit of collaboration they displayed throughout the competition.

“We look forward to continuing to inspire and nurture the next generation of engineers and problem-solvers.”

“I cannot thank our wonderful enough staff for not only preparing the students for the challenge but for their dedication in taking four young students to Japan for eight days. What wonderful public-school dedication to their students.”

The URC is an international robotics competition that brings together student teams from across the globe to showcase their creativity, technical skills, and problem-solving abilities.

In the finals, students tested their robot-building and programming capabilities, simulating real-world tasks.

Member for Macquarie Fields, Anoulack Chanthivong, congratulated the team on making the finals in NSW Parliament last week, describing the feat as “fantastic achievement”.

“Over the past three years, Ingleburn Public School’s Coding and Robotics students have excelled in the annual Universal Robotics Challenge where they have consistently ranked amongst the top three schools nationwide,” Mr Chanthivong said.

“I would also like to acknowledge the outstanding teachers and staff who have been instrumental in the team’s success and supported them on this incredible journey.”