Aylesbury schoolgirls to compete in regional cyber security tournament

Girls from an Aylesbury school will compete in a regional cyber security tournament on Saturday (February 5).

Girls aged between 12 and 13 will be tested on cyber-related puzzles covering topics from networking and AI to cryptography and logic.

Aylesbury High School is sending a team to the CyberFirst Girls Competition for the South East region.

Aylesbury High School is pitted against 10 other state schools in this weekend's competition which takes place in Southampton.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) runs the competition on behalf of GCHQ.

The 2022 competition has a new format aimed at encouraging new entrants from every part of the UK, with 13 finals taking place this week.

Hundreds of schools signed up this year, with state schools that had never entered before making up more than 25% of the total.

Organisers explain, the competition is designed to inspire girls aged 12 to 13 to consider pursuing careers in cyber security as female representation in the sector is too low, with women accounting for just 16% of the UK’s cyber workforce.

More than 7,000 pupils have signed up for this year's competition, overtaking last year’s total – and adding to the tens of thousands of girls who have entered since the contest launched in 2017.

Chris Ensor, NCSC deputy director for Cyber Growth, said: “Best of luck to all the girls taking part in this year’s final of the CyberFirst Girls Competition in the South East – it’s a fantastic achievement and they are great cyber ambassadors for the region.

“The UK’s growing cyber security industry needs more female representation so it’s great to see thousands of girls taking part in the competition, many for the first time.

“I thank schools and industry for their work helping us uncover new cyber talent and I hope for many of the girls this will be just the start of their interest in this area.”

More information about CyberFirst opportunities can be found on the NCSC website here.