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RAF Lossiemouth

Over the past few months, a selection of cadets had the opportunity to experience life on an RAF Station where 7 Cadets spent a week at RAF Lossiemouth. 

During this time they visited sections around the station to see the roles of different trades in the RAF including No 1 Fighter Squadron who operate the Typhoon Air Craft, Survival Equipment who look after all the safety gear that pilots use. Another role was the 2622 Sqn Royal Auxiliary Air Force Regiment Squadron who demonstrated all their weapon systems and allowed the cadets to gain hands-on experience with them and the Fire Section who enabled the cadets to use the water cannon mounted on the front of their fire engines. 

In addition, the cadets had a cinema night, went bowling and go-karting and had the chance to practise their marksmanship skills on the Dismounted Close Combat Trainer. We finished by demonstrating our marching skills to the Station Warrant Officer.

Back at School, other cadets have been using the indoor air rifle range to practise their marksmanship skills and two cadets joined the Staffordshire Wing Air Cadets on a range day to fire the Cadet Small Bore Target Rifle.

Most Year 10 and 11 Cadets have now flown at least once, though the weather recently has twice thwarted the SSI’s efforts to get the remainder of Year 10 and the Year 9 Cadets airborne.

As we head towards spring and summer we look forward to taking the Year 10 cadets to participate in Adventure Training Activities and the recruitment of Cadets from the current Year 7 and 8s to enable our cadets to have an extra year to experience what the cadets can offer.

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Alumni Advice

We love keeping in touch with former students and they love to keep in touch with us.

Jack Evans graduated from Barr Beacon in 2015 after completing his A levels here and now works as a Senior Parliamentary Aide in the Houses of Parliament. His top tip for succeeding in education is to “try your best, one day at a time. In the end, the results will be worth it.”  For the world of work, he recommends that you “always remember that you are your own person and strive to be the best version of yourself.”

There are more alumni profiles in our most recent newsletter.

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Bergen Belsen Visit

he site of Bergen Belsen Concentration Camp marks the area of Germany where over 100,000 people were imprisoned and tortured by the Nazi Regime between 1939 and 1945 and over 30,000 people perished.  To mark the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Bergen Belsen by the British army, the Holocaust Educational Trust along with the University College London have organised 8 visits to the site throughout 2020; 4 year 12 students along with Mrs Selby were privileged to be able to take part in this programme.

The visit provided students with an opportunity to hear from those who were there and could testify to the true extent of the Nazi crimes that were committed against innocent men, women and children.  We also learned about the efforts that were made by the British army following the liberation of the camp to contain the spread of disease and save the lives of the thousands of people who would have perished without their care. 

The aim of the project is to remember the victims of the Holocaust and to ensure that their memory survives, through this accepting a collective responsibility to reflect on and honour the legacy of Bergen Belsen.

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Year 11 Mock Interviews

On Thursday 23rd and Thursday 30th January, every Year 11 pupil had the opportunity to take part in a mock interview with a local employer. This was a chance for pupils to practise their interview skills and gain feedback in preparation for their real Sixth Form, College and Apprenticeship interviews. Our visitors were very impressed by how polite and prepared our pupils were. The impact of this practice has been evident in the Sixth Form interviews of some pupils, where they have thought carefully about how best to sell their achievements and skills. 

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Thank You! – Christmas Appeal

We were delighted to support the FSCI Christmas Box Appeal last term. Thank you to all those families who made the commitment of time and money to contribute a box. Thousands of children and families in institutions, kindergartens and schools in poor rural and urban areas, senior citizens homes, Roma communities, protected homes and refugee centres throughout Bulgaria received Christmas presents as a result of the generosity of those taking part in the appeal last year, with a total 9,985 boxes distributed.

This included 70 from Barr Beacon.

Teodora Koleva, Director of FSCI Bulgaria, is in no doubt about the importance of the project. “With the Christmas boxes, we show people who live on the periphery of society, often forgotten and overlooked, that we think of them and believe in them. At Christmas it is important to be good – with our loved ones and acquaintances, and even with people we do not know, with people who need support”.

In the UK hundreds of people gave their time to help sort and pack the boxes. Rich Parsons, the project leader, was amazed by the number of people who gave their time. “Our volunteers are amazing; we simply couldn’t have delivered a successful appeal without them. We’re so thankful to everyone who donated a box or gave their time to help out. We’ve had a fantastic response again from our supporters and their efforts have made a lot of children and families very happy.”

Thank you again for your donations which brought joy to those who didn’t have much to celebrate at all last Christmas time.

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Coronavirus Advice

Advice for all early years providers, schools and further education providers.

The government is closely monitoring the spread of the Coronavirus and is taking action at home and abroad.

The overall risk of Coronavirus to the UK remains moderate. However, we understand that people may be concerned where there are children, students or staff returning from or visiting China.

Public Health England and the Foreign Office have issued advice for anyone travelling to the area. This can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/china

Advice for parents/guardians

You should not be unduly worried about the possibility of your children catching the Coronavirus.

There is no reason why your children should not continue to attend their early years, school or further education setting as normal.

We recognise that some families or children may be planning to travel to China during the forthcoming half-term period. If so, please refer to the FCO’s latest travel advice via the link above.

What action you can take?

A UK wide campaign has been launched to provide clear advice on how to slow the spread of Coronavirus.

Please help to support the campaign which promotes basic hygiene practices, such as regularly washing hands and always sneezing into a tissue, to stem the spread of viruses.

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Orchestral Experience

A group of pupils experienced a live orchestral performance by the world-renowned City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) at Symphony Hall in Birmingham.

After opening with a thunderous rendition of Alan Silvestri’s theme from The Avengers films, the orchestra played pieces by Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky, Pärt and more.

This is what some of the pupils said:

Sami: “I liked the heavenly sounding one. The piece Tchaikovsky wrote for a bet with his friend.”

Mercedes: “I really liked it but I’m not sure why. It was a new experience.”
Nicole: “It was really interesting watching them and seeing how they played their instruments.”

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NCS Gold Award

We are delighted to announce that the National Citizenship Service has awarded us with Gold status because so many of our students signed up. As well as a plaque, we received a certificate from the Prime Minister.

The National Citizen Service is open to all 16 and 17-year-olds in England. It helps young people build skills for work and life, while they take on new challenges and meet new friends. They have a short time away from home and take part in a team project that will help their community.

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How to Self Quiz?

Self-quizzing is a powerful strategy to get knowledge stuck in your long-term memory.  And it’s so simple to do! We use self-quizzing in lessons as well as setting it for homework. 

Watch our video to see a step-by-step guide of how to do it. 

  • The sheet used in the video (European capital cities) – HERE
  • Knowledge you have written down in your exercise book  
  • Knowledge organisers you have been given by your teachers 
  • The knowledge pages at the back of your planner, including: multiplication tables, commonly misspelt words, maths formulae, types of triangles, angles equations, parts of speech and world maps.
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Are you smarter than a 12-year-old?

Five pupils are celebrating achieving ‘genius level’ results in MENSA’s world-renowned IQ test.

Two of these pupils exceeded the 160 IQ that Albert Einstein and Professor Stephen Hawking were said to have possessed. Arjan Singh Basra and Aarti Bhupla achieved an incredible ‘perfect score’ of 162. Kuran Marwaha, Katie Ord and Kaylisia Tobias each possess IQs of 152 putting them in the top 2% of the population.

Each pupil was delighted by their result.

Aarti Bhupla “My parents were very proud and I received video messages from family across the country.”

Arjan Singh Basra “I was speechless. My parents kept saying ‘wow’ and treated me to a family meal.”

Katie Ord “My Mum has shared the news far and wide. It has inspired my family to try the test too.”

Kaylisia Tobias “I’m so proud of myself for concentrating hard and focusing. I was treated to a lovely meal out with my family.”

Kuran Marwaha “My parents always advise me that you can do anything that you put your mind to if you work hard.”

We use the MENSA test because we are passionate about uncovering potential and nurturing it. We are delighted that these pupils have been recognised by MENSA as being in the top 2% of the whole country. Statistically, of course, not everyone can be a ‘genius’. But knowing they have a high IQ will encourage these pupils to push themselves further.

Contact Info

Barr Beacon School
Old Hall Lane
Aldridge, Walsall
West Midlands
WS9 0RF

T: 0121 366 6600
postbox@barrbeaconschool.co.uk

Monday - Thursday: 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Friday: 8:00 am - 3:30 pm

Copyright 2024 © All Rights Reserved

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