17 November, 2022
Over 90 Year 8 students from Ormiston Six Villages Academy recently paid a visit to the University of Portsmouth as part of an all-day event revolving around STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and e-safety.
Students from the academy participated in informative workshops which saw them explore the challenges of data breaches. They were split into groups and given an example of a real-life data breach, before having to research into how it occurred and advise on what steps should have been taken both ahead of the breach and in the aftermath.
Just like the CEOs faced with data breaches at their companies, students then headed into a news-style interview where they took the hotseat and answered questions on the breach, demonstrating the breadth of their knowledge as well as their ability to respond to questions from the media. Students are now well-equipped to prevent and handle similar issues in their future careers.
Alongside the activities, they were given a chance to experience a day in the life of a university student, with a tour of the campus and a lecture in one of the official lecture halls.
The trip was one element of the academy’s #WeWill be CyberSafe project. The #WeWill campaign is an Ormiston Trust initiative in partnership with the #iwill Fund. The #iwill Fund is made possible thanks to £54 million joint investment from The National Lottery Community Fund and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to support young people to access high quality social action opportunities. Ormiston Trust is acting as a match funder and awarding grants on behalf of the #iwill Fund.
For a further element of the project, Ormiston Six Villages Academy students designed leaflets and posters on e-safety and delivered them to pupils and families at Eastergate Primary School, helping the community there to understand its importance too.
Lily, a Year 8 student at Ormiston Six Villages Academy said: “The trip to Portsmouth University was excellent! The university is so vast. It was great to research about real life data breaches that have affect large business. I was working in groups with people I don’t normally work with so it also built on my confidence.”
Paul Slaughter, principal said: “This trip was an excellent opportunity for our students to learn some really important skills, not only in relation to e-safety but also around working as a team and handling challenging situations. I am also really pleased they got a taster of university life, which has undoubtedly inspired many of them.”
Dr David M. Williams, senior lecturer in cybersecurity, School of Computing at University of Portsmouth said: “Students researched a cyber incident to answer questions in a television interview setting. Academics often communicate scientific achievements or provide expert insight in this way as part of creating, sharing and applying knowledge to make a difference to society. Because the students really applied themselves in their teams, they very quickly identified, assimilated and communicated the key information. The skills they demonstrated are desirable across numerous professions including, not least, cyber security. We value the relationship with the academy that this outreach activity has strengthened. University of Portsmouth is committed to being one of the UK’s leading civic universities through promoting the city of Portsmouth, widening participation and making a difference locally.”
The #WeWill campaign is an Ormiston Trust initiative in partnership with the #iwill Fund. The #iwill Fund is made possible thanks to £54 million joint investment from The National Lottery Community Fund and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to support young people to access high quality social action opportunities. Ormiston Trust is acting as a match funder and awarding grants on behalf of the #iwill Fund.
Category: News
Tags: #WeWill, Be Cyber Safe, Cyber Safe, Ormiston Six Villages Academy, STEM, University of Portsmouth
