On Tuesday 3rd February myself and Mr Hall took 23 budding Cyber Security experts to Preston College to take part in the Cyber Security Day which was just one of the events taking place during the Lancashire Cyber Festival week. We arrived at Preston College ready to take on different challenges that would test pupils code breaking skills and cyber security knowledge. We met with the other schools who were taking part and we then joined in a zoom call with staff from the National Cyber Force who are working in cyber security every day. We were reminded that cyber space is a world without borders and touches everything that we do in our lives. We need to make sure that cyber space is a safe place to interact with and work with. That is the job the staff at the National Cyber Force are tasked with and in the future our pupils will need to be ready to take on the cyber world. Being built as we speak is the new National Cyber Force HQ and this is in Salmesbury. So for pupils this is going to bring exciting opportunities in the world of cyber security in the future.
We broke off into our groups and pupils completed a range of activities that encouraged group work, imagination and looking at problems from different perspectives. They focused on decrypting messages, acting as digital detectives and forensically analysing data to piece together the correct order of events. Pupils looked at how to spot phishing scams and the importance of strong passwords. This was done through the medium of film and pupils really got involved in acting the film out and editing it. Our pupils were praised for the films they made because the staff felt they gave the clearest message about password security.
Our pupils were a credit to themselves and the school. Their behaviour throughout the day was brilliant and they contributed to all the different activities positively. We could see that pupils were having a positive experience and enjoying what they were doing. They also worked very well with the other schools who were taking part. At the start of the day the organisers said that there would be 4 prizes for the pupils who stood out during the day, not just for their knowledge but for being curious, asking questions and throwing themselves into all activities. Our pupils did and were recognised at the end of the day by winning 2 of the 4 prizes. Very well deserved too.
Thank you to all the pupils who came on the trip. You represented our school very well. Thank you to Preston College for inviting us. We are looking forward to next year’s event.