FIVE pupils from Bradford Grammar School (BGS) have qualified for the national finals of a competition to foster careers in the cybercrime fighting industry.

The team is in with a chance to win an all-expense paid trip to the United States to represent the UK internationally as part of the UK-wide CyberCenturion competition.

More than 2,000 pupils took part in the competition this year, where they had to discovery and fix vulnerabilities on computers that criminals might exploit.

The successful BGS team includes Year 12 pupils Zain Hussain, Saif Panni, Daniel McNab, Ahrus Asim and Saul McShane.

Zain Hussain, from Bradford, said: "I can't believe it. I really did not think we would get through to the next round considering how difficult the previous challenges were, but I’m very pleased and excited to face the challenges which lie ahead."

The national final will be held at the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) in London on March 8.

Toby Birkinshaw, BGS’s teacher of computer science said: “The competition was a real test of students' technical and problem-solving abilities. Getting through the three, six-hour rounds is an achievement in itself, but for one of our teams to make it to the national final in their first year of competing is an exceptional feat. Congratulations to all the pupils who took part.”