Category: News

Year 9 Girls Shaping the Digital Future at the BBC

On 23 April 2026, the BBC celebrated International Girls in ICT Day, joining young people around the world to explore how technology can make a positive difference. This year’s theme was “AI for Development: Girls Shaping the Digital Future”, all about showing girls how they can use technology to change the world.

The day was organised by the BBC WiSTEM (Women in STEM) team, working with BBC STEM, and welcomed schoolgirls to BBC sites in Cardiff, London, Salford, Birmingham, and Glasgow

The day was packed with exciting, hands-on activities designed to show how fun, creative, and powerful technology can be, starting with a tour of the BBC Central Square.

Our learners took part in interactive AI workshops led by experts from BBC Research & Development. Using easy-to-understand tools like Sofie, they learned how artificial intelligence works—and how it can help people, not just computers! They also took part in a workshop activity that involved them helping to make an Eleven Labs AI Agent, then using Notebook LN to create an interactive podcast.

They also had the chance to step into the world of TV and radio; observing a live radio show recording like BBC Wales Cymru, crafting and uploading filmed footage from the day, and learning how technology supports storytelling behind the scenes using SOFIE inhouse software.

In special “Meet the Tech Heroes” sessions, learners met women working in technology at the BBC, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). They shared what their jobs are really like and how they got into careers such as software engineering, data science, and media and broadcast technology.

International Girls in ICT Day is led by the ITU and celebrated all over the world. In 2026, there was even a live international link between Albania and Brazil, which students could join online. One of the key messages of the day was clear: girls are not just technology users – they are future creators, designers, and leaders.

Learners hold their certificates of attendance from the day.

By focusing on AI for development, the event encouraged girls to think about how technology can be used fairly, safely, and creatively to help communities and solve real-world problems. The day gave our learners the confidence to imagine themselves as the future of technology—and the future of change.

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: