Author: pencoedcomp

Year 9 Stalls Support Local Charities

Just before the Easter Holidays, Years 7, 8 and 9 did an amazing job raising funds to support local charities.

Year 9 have been taking part in the FirstGive initiative this year, as part of their Humanities lessons. It aims to support learners to take part in social action, and support local charities. As part of the project, each class selected a charity to learn more about and raise funds for, including:

After last year’s success, Year 9 decided to hold another Easter Fayre, inviting Years 7 and 8 to attend for the morning. Each class had several stalls, offering a variewty of treats and activities, including brownies, waffles, ‘pin-the-head-on-the-celeb’, penalty shoot-out, rugby tackling, and jumbo connect four, to name a few!

Learner serves brownies from their stall.
Three learners discuss which card to pick at their stall.
Colourful banner advertising facepainting and glitter tattoo stall.
A teacher plays 'higher or lower' card game against learners.
One of our learning support assistants takes a shot at the basketball hoop
Learner tries to save a goal in the penalty shoot-out.
Learner poses at their mini-games stall, offerning different games and challenges.
Learner rugby tackles a block onto the crash mats.

There was a fantastic atmosphere in the sports hall, with all learners getting involved. As a result, over £1700 was raised for the charities; a phenomenal achievement.

We are also incredibly grateful to the wider community for supporting Year 9’s endeavours. From holding collections to donating prizes, their generosity made the Easter Fayre possible. We’d like to give a huge ‘thank you’ to all the businesses who helped, including:

CyberFirst Girls Final 2026

The Debug Divas team proudly represented Pencoed Comprehensive School at the CyberFirst Girls Competition Final of Finals 2026, held at the ICC in Newport. Competing against 19 of the top schools, Amy, Gwen, Olivia-Rose and Faith, alongside Ms Densley-Adams, arrived dressed to impress and ready to take on the challenge.

From the outset, the competition tested a wide range of cyber security skills. The team tackled complex decryption challenges, used CyberChef to analyse and transform data, cracked ciphers, and worked strategically to uncover hidden flags. Their teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills were evident throughout.

By the halfway point, the Debug Divas had worked their way up the leaderboard into an impressive third place, showing their determination and capability among the very best teams.

During the competition, the team faced an unexpected setback when the WiFi went down and technical issues. Despite this, they remained calm, composed, and focused, handling the disruption with maturity and resilience. Once systems were restored, they quickly got back on track and continued to perform strongly right through to the final moments of the competition.

Their determination, dedication, and positive attitude were clear throughout the day.

Following the challenges, the atmosphere shifted as the teams prepared for the Women in Cyber Gala. This provided a fantastic opportunity to celebrate achievements at both school level and at the national “champions of champions” event. Dressed for the occasion, the Debug Divas enjoyed networking with a wide range of inspiring and talented women working across the cyber and technology industries. These conversations highlighted the many exciting opportunities available and helped inspire the next generation of women in cyber.

The evening included a three-course meal and the announcement of the competition winners. While the Debug Divas did not take the top prize this time, their performance, resilience, and teamwork were outstanding. Competing at this level and reaching such a strong position is a significant achievement that should be celebrated.

The team represented their school with pride, professionalism, and determination , and their journey is only just beginning.

Well done to Ms Densley-Adams and the Debug Divas!!