A Stockport school that triumphed in a cyber security competition enjoyed a celebration day with StateTalking project partners Callsign.
BTEC Digital Information Technology students Scarlett, Jaxon, Charlie and Cora from St James’ Catholic High School in Cheadle Hulme were named winners at the Callsign Digital Defenders Challenge in January 2026.
As well as taking home a trophy, the winners were promised a school visit from the company, which specialises in digital identity verification and fraud prevention.
The winners enjoyed a masterclass about AI and data security and then took part in a “hack the bank” challenge, where they learned about how data is used and stored.
The company’s senior people partner Elliot Watchman also delivered a careers assembly for year 9s about careers in tech.
The Callsign Digital Defenders Challenge, which was a partnership between StateTalking and Callsign, saw student teams from state schools across five Greater Manchester boroughs flex their problem solving, innovation and communication skills.
Over three months, small groups of year 10s worked on scenarios inspired by real business challenges faced by the company. The project culminated in a live final event at HOME arts centre in Manchester, where students pitched their ideas.
The Challenge was led by Chris Hutton, the company’s VP of customer integration, who attended Stockport School and Aquinas College.
St James’ careers lead Dominique Rarity, said: “Callsign gave students an in depth insight into the world of cyber security and the chance to talk to industry professionals and hear about a range of issues they have to deal with.
“They were delighted to speak to CEO, Dr Zia Hayat and were surprised by how down to earth he was.
“It was a really fantastic day and the pupils absolutely loved it.”
Fran Kennedy, founder, StateTalking, said: “Whether we’re sending inspirational – and relatable – speakers into Greater Manchester schools, or partnering with businesses to create opportunities like the Callsign Digital Defenders Challenge, everything we do is about elevating the experiences available to state school students.”
Could your company work with StateTalking to create a schools’ challenge? Contact us at info@statetalking.org
