--- title: "Year 8 CyberStars Shine in CyberFirst Girls Competition" url: "https://stmichaels.bhcet.org.uk/news/2025-12-18-year-8-cyberstars-shine-in-cyberfirst-girls-competition" school: "St Michael’s Catholic Academy" --- Admissions Consultation BHCET schools in Stockton and Billingham [Click Here](https://stmichaels.bhcet.org.uk/governance/admissions-consultation) **Tel:** (01642) 870003 **Email:** enquiries@stmichaels.bhcet.org.uk # Year 8 CyberStars Shine in CyberFirst Girls Competition ![Image of Year 8 CyberStars Shine in CyberFirst Girls Competition](https://files.schudio.com/st-michael-s-catholic-academy-3/images/news/600297908_1554884225586344_9023512179914194040_n.jpg) 18 December 2025 St. Michael’s Catholic Academy in Billingham is celebrating an outstanding achievement from our talented Year 8 students - the incredible *CyberStars* of 8H! Over a ten‑day national challenge, four of our pupils - **Amber M, Maggie S, Ellie H and Sophia L** - came together as **Team *Star Techs*** to take on the prestigious **CyberFirst Girls Competition**, organised by **GCHQ** and the **National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC)**. This exciting and fast‑growing UK competition aims to encourage girls into the rapidly evolving world of cyber security — and our students rose brilliantly to the challenge. --- **Taking on Coding, Cryptography and Cyber Security** Throughout the competition, the girls tackled a series of complex tasks in: - Coding - Cryptography - Networking - Cyber security - Logic and problem‑solving Competing against schools from across the UK, Star Techs demonstrated remarkable teamwork, determination, and digital talent. --- **A Record‑Breaking Result for St. Michael’s!** We are incredibly proud to announce that the team scored an impressive: **9,015 points — finishing 2nd in the entire North East region!** This is the **highest score St. Michael’s Catholic Academy has ever achieved** in this competition. An enormous **congratulations** to the whole team! --- **Special Recognition for Amber** A huge shout‑out goes to **Amber**, who achieved a phenomenal: **7,365 points individually** This makes her the **highest‑scoring St. Michael’s student in the history** of the CyberFirst Girls Competition. An outstanding personal achievement! --- **A Record Number of Girls Taking Part** Even more exciting is the growing enthusiasm for cyber learning across our school. This year: **45 girls and 13 teams** took part — our highest participation rate ever. We could not be more proud of every single student who got involved, showed resilience, and explored the world of cyber security. --- **Inspiring the Next Generation of Cyber Professionals** At St. Michael’s Catholic Academy, we are committed to encouraging girls into STEM subjects and helping them develop skills for the digital future. Our students’ success in the CyberFirst Girls Competition is a shining example of what can be achieved with curiosity, teamwork, and confidence. **Well done to our CyberStars — you are inspiring the next generation of female tech leaders!** [Enrichment](https://stmichaels.bhcet.org.uk/news/tag/enrichment) [ Celebrating Creativity with Our ELSA Students](https://stmichaels.bhcet.org.uk/news/2025-12-15-celebrating-creativity-with-our-elsa-students) [Year 9 Take On “I’m a Year 9… Get Me Out of Here!” at St. Michael’s ](https://stmichaels.bhcet.org.uk/news/2025-12-19-year-9-take-on-i-m-a-year-9-get-me-out-of-here-at-st-michael-s) ![St Michael’s Catholic Academy](https://files.schudio.com/st-michael-s-catholic-academy-3/images/logo/Bishop_Hogarth_and_Hexham_Logo_new_(1).png) ### St Michael’s Catholic Academy Beamish Road Billingham Stockton-On-Tees TS23 3DX (01642) 870003 - [Office 365](https://outlook.office.com/bhcet.org.uk) - [BHCET Trust Website](https://bhcet.org.uk/) ### Social Media - [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/stmichaelscatholicacademybillingham/) - [X](https://twitter.com/StMBillingham) - [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/stmichaelscatholicacademy/) ### Translation © Copyright 2025–2026 St Michael’s Catholic Academy School & Trust Websites by [ ![Schudio logo](https://stmichaels.bhcet.org.uk/img/logo/light.png) ](https://www.schudio.com/)