Tag: IT

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!!

I am delighted to share the winners of the CyberFirst Girls Competition in Wales have been announced, and I am incredibly proud to confirm that our learners placed 4th overall in Wales, securing a position within the top ten schools nationally. This is a fantastic achievement and a real testament to the dedication, resilience, and teamwork shown by all learners involved.

28 Year 8 learners, working in teams of four, competed against schools across Wales in a series of demanding computational thinking challenges. These tasks spanned a wide range of cyber security concepts, including cryptography, logic, artificial intelligence, and networking, all for the chance to be crowned cyber security champions.

As a collective, the learners completed challenges worth between 5 and 200 points, depending on difficulty, achieving an impressive overall score of over 10,000, over 3000 more than last year, that placed them 4th in Wales, showing a massive step up in the competition this year. This score and result reflects the outstanding effort, problem-solving skills, and commitment shown by every participant, not just those at the top of the leaderboard.

As recognition of this success, the four learners who achieved the highest scores will be invited to attend a further celebration day at Celtic Manor, where they will meet cyber professionals and attend an evening Gala Awards event, including a three-course meal and formal celebration evening. 

In addition, our learners have been invited to attend a celebratory event hosted by CyberFirst Wales at ICC Wales, Newport, on 23rd March 2026, which will include:

• A live final challenge
• Attendance at the Women in Cyber Conference, where learners will hear inspiring talks and meet female role models working within the cyber industry
• A celebration buffet and party
• A certificate-awarding ceremony

Further details will follow at the start of 2026. For now, we wanted to take this opportunity to celebrate the amazing work of all learners by having a celebration and award celebration, which was a great success.  Thank you to Mr Jones and Mr Rae for attending and presenting the awards.