TECH-SAVVY students at a Blackburn secondary school could become the next generation of cyber security experts.

Pupils at Tauheedul Islam Girls’ High School took part in a new course, CyberFirst Adventurers, which has been developed to introduce children, aged 11 from 14, to the world of cyber security.

It is part of the Government’s National Cyber Security Programme to identify and develop the next generation of experts to bridge the skills gap.

Asia Ali, assistant principal of Tauheedul Islam Girls’ High School, said: "Women are very underrepresented in the global cyber industry but, here at Tauheedul, we have exceptionally talented girls who can help make our country the safest place to live and do business online. Let’s get them excited about computing early.”

The Preston New Road school will also be entering teams of Year 8 students into the National Cyber Security Centre’s CyberFirst Girls competition.

The teams will be competing against schools from across the country in problem-solving and code cracking challenges to crown the UK’s most cyber-capable young women.