A team of four Year 8 girls have won a national competition, organised by the government’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to encourage girls to consider a career in cyber security. Over 1,200 teams took part in the online round of the 2018 CyberFirst Girls Competition at the end of January, and the top 10 teams were invited to the Grand Final in Manchester on 19 March.

Initially 18 girls made up 5 teams for the online round, solving taxing technical puzzles and challenges set by the NCSC.  The top Piggott team The Computifuls (Jess Peck, Megan Pickup, Zara Pristov-King and Callena Wylie) qualified for the final, having shown great dedication and a very mature understanding of when to work individually and when to collaborate.  Not satisfied with being in the top 1% of participants, they set about researching topics which would give them the best chance in the final, and so were very well prepared.

 

 

The all-day final involved teams taking the part of computer network security professionals at a company which was the victim of a ransomware attack.  Each team had to use all their skills to identify the source and nature of the attack, and to recover from it.  They also had to make a presentation to the company directors to share their findings and to make recommendations for avoiding similar attacks in future.

 

As winners of the final, the Piggott girls won individual prizes as well as £1,000 for the school to spend on computer equipment.

Mr Rimmer who was the coordinator of Piggott's CyberFirst entries, said,

“We are all absolutely thrilled for the girls.  They have been so determined to do their best, and having had 15 years’ professional experience as a software developer, I can assure anyone that the level of skill and understanding which they have demonstrated is extraordinary.

“The result is also a great demonstration of the strength of our Computer Science department under the leadership of Mrs Bhattacharya.

“Any of the girls around the UK who scored well in the online round can be confident of their ability to have a good career in the computer industry, and I hope that the competition has encouraged them to consider that option.”

NCSC have written an article about the competition and the Piggott girls' success at the link below.

https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/news/uks-most-cyber-savvy-girls-crowned-after-codebreaking-competition-finale

 

Photos provided by the NCSC

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

 

Year 9 students from The Piggott School will be making the news for real on 15 March 2018 as they take part in BBC News School Report.

We aim to publish the news by 1600 GMT on News Day, so please save this page as a favourite and return to it later.
 

At the end of January members of the school choir were honoured to be asked to take part in the ‘Never Such Innocence’ World War I commemoration event at Commonwealth War Graves Commission Head Office in Maidenhead. Some of the special guests who attended the service were Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, Air Vice Marshal Mike Wigston and the Prime Minister, Theresa May. 

Wokingham Borough Council have asked the school to inform parents of their Consultation on admission arrangements for community and voluntary controlled schools for 2019 – 20.

 

 

This is not a consultation on The Piggott School.

 

On the 6^th December 2017, 12 A- level business students were lucky enough to visit Interserve PLC in Twyford. Interserve PLC is a services company specialising in construction work, however they also have many other roles such as, catering, security, cleaning, and even prison transport. Additionally they have completed many exciting projects for example, fitting out the world trade centre in Dubai as well as The Shard and also even framework for many abstract buildings. As well as the big projects they also have contracts with everyday business as they were contracted to deliver retail cleaning services to 360 Boots stores as well as providing cleaning services to Sainsbury’s.

We would like to welcome you to our 6th Form Open Evening on Wednesday 6th December 2017

PSA Auction 2017

An incredibly long flight and a 7 hour time difference did not phase the nineteen Piggott students who were all set for a new adventure! They arrived in Chengdu to a warm welcome from the staff of Luzhou High School.

After a short rest, the activities began. From visiting forests, temples and farms, to attending calligraphy and Chinese taiji classes, the visit was action packed from beginning to end. In addition to the wide variety of activities that took place at Luzhou High School, and the exciting day trip experiences, the Piggott staff and students enjoyed spending time with some of the families from the school.

The group even managed to squeeze in a visit to the Giant Panda Research Base, in Chengdu, before their return flight!

Students and staff really made the most of this wonderful opportunity and they truly experienced, at first hand, Chinese culture, education and lifestyle. Many memories were created and they will no doubt be treasured for years to come. 

Everyone is looking forward to the return visit from the Chinese students and staff next summer.

Until then, students can enjoy finding out more about the adventure during one of Mr Crawley’s upcoming assemblies!

Thank you to all who attended our Remembrance Service on Friday.