A PROJECT to encourage girls from different faith groups to learn computer coding has brought together girls from Roman Catholic, Muslim, and Jewish schools in London.

The weekly classes brought together 26 girls from the Ayesha Muslim School, Maria Fidelis Catholic School, and the Yavne College Jewish School, all of whom were aged 12 and 13, to teach them coding skills.

The initiative was set up by Near Neighbours, a partnership between the Church Urban Fund and the Archbishops’ Council, which is funded by the Department of Communities and Local Government.

It seeks to build relationships between girls from different faith backgrounds and increase their mutual understanding, as well as help them to break into the computer industry.

The girls were also invited to the UK headquarters of Twitter, to meet women members of staff.

The project founder and a member of the Board of Deputies, Rabbi Natan Levy, said: “Computer coding felt like such an obvious focal point for this project — not least . . . because, in this currently fractured world, it holds promise as a shared language.”