A SOUTH Essex MP is urging other schools to follow the lead of James Hornsby in a rocket competition.

Stephen Metcalfe, Tory MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock, is encouraging schools to compete in the UK Rocketry Challenge.

In Parliament, he met pupils from James Hornsby School, in Leinster Road, Laindon, who scooped the 2015 and 2016 winners prize.

The challenge involves the design, build, and launch of a model rocket with the aim of ensuring the passenger - one raw egg - remains intact throughout the launch and landing.

Winners get an all-expenses paid trip to Paris, to represent the UK against teams from the USA, Japan, and France at the Paris International Airshow in June 2017.