Bristol Grammar School is pleased to have maintained its status as a CyberFirst Schools Silver award holder. The award, given by the National Cyber Security Centre, recognises schools and colleges who are committed to providing a structured approach to excellence in cyber security education.
The awards acknowledge excellence in promoting best practices in cybersecurity education and external engagement. To achieve the award BGS had to demonstrate how the curriculum and co-curricular activities offered to our pupils provides them with an opportunity to progress in cyber security.
GCSE and A level computing are increasingly popular courses at BGS, reflecting the desire of our students to equip themselves for the digital age. However, the award recognises the work across the whole school curriculum, and with pupils of all ages, to promote awareness and understanding of cyber security issues. This includes work, such as through the Wellbeing programme in the Senior School, as well as in IT lessons in the Junior and Senior Schools, to teach pupils about online dangers such as phishing, identity theft and online scams.
Reflecting on the award, Head of Computer Science, Dr Maddy Stow said:
“Whether they study computing or not, all our students will be living in a digital world, where more and more functions are moving online and into cyberspace. We want to ensure their education equips them to live in that world confidently and safely and are delighted that our efforts to educate them on the important issues around cyber security have been recognised by the National Cyber Security Centre.”