A top science fair will welcome students from a Cumbrian college to compete in the final of an engineering challenge.

The Energy Coast University Technical College in Lillyhall has been selected as a finalist in the Young Engineer School of the Year 2017 competition, after 600 entrants were whittled down to six.

A team of four students and a teacher will travel to Birmingham for the Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Fair in March, to compete in a final engineering challenge against five other schools.

"We are immensely proud of this achievement," said principal Cherry Tingle. "It validates all efforts of our staff, partners and students to deliver innovative, engineering-specialist education."

The Big Bang Fair is the largest celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) for young people in the UK.

Finalists were selected based on the strength of their student engineering projects, their curriculum and how students are prepared for careers in engineering.

The UTC's bid was backed by its trip to CERN, in Switzerland, winning the Royal Navy competition 'Operation Antarctica' and providing STEM activities to local schools.

"This is a fantastic achievement for a school which has been open less than three years," said chair of governors Barbara Stephens. "It is a tribute to the hard work of the staff and students. Good luck to the team for the final in March."

The UTC recently revealed it will be able to take children at a younger age from September 2017, helping them progress on an accelerated pathway. It will give places to year nine pupils who are classed as 'gifted and talented'.

"Year eight students interested in STEM subjects will be able to start an accelerated programme with us at the start of year nine," said Ms Tingle.

"They will be in lessons with our year 10 pupils and will take their GCSEs a year early and then go to sixth form early.

"It will mean that gifted and talented students in STEM subjects will get started on a curriculum that is appropriate earlier.

"After sixth form they will be looking for employment, apprenticeship or degree opportunities. The University of Cumbria has said it is happy to take students at 17 instead of 18."