The theme for the 2025 Turing visits was ‘not just tourists’. We wanted to encourage our pupils to not just visit a place, but experience the cultures within it immersing themselves in daily life through food, religion and cultural activities.

Our first Turing visit for 2024-2025 was for Year 12 pupils travelling to Morocco. We spent a week in Marrakesh and the surrounding areas learning about life in this country. 

Food plays an important part in any culture. During our visit, we attended a cooking class where we learned about traditional Moroccan dishes, what the Common ingredients in Morocco are and how these are prepared in line with religious rules. We enjoyed trying the dishes, with Chicken Pastilla (a sugary pastry filled with chicken) and Beef Tagine being particular favourites. Some pupils experienced their first McDonalds ever as Moroccan McDonalds serves Halal meat which is not common in the UK.

We tried our hand at using Arabic to communicate with locals. We also attended a calligraphy class where we learnt about the types of Arabic script, the traditional inks and pens before having a go at writing our names in Arabic. The biggest challenge was remembering to write right to left! 

We travelled to Marrakesh during the holy month of Ramadan, and so we were able to experience the regular call to prayer. Many of our tour guides and hosts were able to talk about the importance of Ramadan to Muslims and we were able to respect our tour guides by not eating and drinking in front of them and allowing them to break fast in the evening. A number of pupils were able to enter the Koutubia Mosque in Marrakesh to pray and were blown away by the sheer scale and size of the mosques with hundreds of Muslims praying together. 

Marrakesh is very different to the cities and towns that we live in, it is much busier and noisier! We were able to experience the souks and markets seeing differences in the ways that goods are sold - we didn't see one supermarket ! Many of us tried our hand at bartering for souvenirs and sunglasses, with the Wednesfield pupils in particular discovering new haggling talents. We found it tricky as it involved a lot of confidence but we did manage to get some real bargains!

Thankfully we were able to escape the hustle and bustle of Marrakesh for the calm of the Jardin Marjorelle, a peaceful garden once owned by Yves Saint Laurent , a great space to regather our thoughts before heading back out into the city.

Over our last 2 days, we ventured out of Marrakesh to experience rural Morocco. We headed into the Atlas Mountains where we hiked up the Imlil valley to see the highest peak in Morocco, Mount Toubkal. Whilst on our hike it started to snow – which was totally unexpected. We all had to show a lot of reliance climbing the steep hill but were greeted with amazing views. We were able to discuss the similarities and differences between life in the UK and life in Morocco with our guides. We were surprised on the way up the mountain to get stuck in a traffic jam of sheep! On the way down we found a common language with some local boys playing a quick game of football.

Our final night was spent in the desert. A complete contrast to life in the mountains, we enjoyed an off road adventure to get to our campsite where we were able to relax in the comfort of luxury tents. We were treated to Moroccan music on the Oud and drums before we tried some of the moves! We especially enjoyed the traditional hats with tassels to spin around our heads.

By immersing ourselves in Moroccan life, we learnt lots about this remarkable part of the world as well as gaining a greater understanding about our own cultures and practices. We didn't just visit Morocco - we lived Morocco! 

On Friday 7th March 2025, a group of 14 pupils attended the world’s biggest dance event, ‘Move It’ at London’s Excel Arena. Pupils were given the opportunity to watch BTEC and degree levels student performances from across the best performing arts institutions in the UK. They were able to book workshops with professional choreographers and were able to explore a variety of stalls offering professional advice towards Dance training. Pupils made the most of their day by booking a variety of workshops, including acrobatics, ballroom and hip hop. The Barr Beacon Dancers were an excellent representatives for the school. The staff were incredibly proud of the dancers and their enthusiasm. It has provided them with lots of inspiration for their future in Dance.

At Barr Beacon School, we are passionate about instilling a love for books, and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to celebrate World Book Day with a special visit from an award-winning author Ben Davis. 

Ben Davis, author of a variety of engaging books for children, visited us on Monday, 3^rd March, to share his passion for storytelling and the writing process with Year 7 and Year 8 pupils. This was an exciting occasion for our pupils to interact with a real-life author, ask questions, and gain insight into the world of literature. 

Ben delivered two assemblies where he read excerpts from his books. Through his readings, he not only entertained but also gave students insight into the creative process behind his works. He shared stories of how his own adventures, both big and small, sparked ideas for his characters and plots. The students were fascinated by how everyday moments could transform into powerful narratives.

Ben also led two exclusive writing workshops for selected Year 7 students and pupil librarians. These interactive sessions were designed to nurture their creativity and help them find their unique voices as writers. Students were encouraged to think outside the box, brainstorm ideas, and experiment with storytelling techniques. Ben shared tips on developing characters and using real-life experiences to inspire writing.

We asked pupils for feedback and this is what they said: “I rate my experience a 5/5! Ben Davis coming into our school was a really amazing experience. It is such a privileged opportunity that not many people have.” – R.Sidhu (7C1), “The assembly was useful because it helped us understand that we don't need big ideas to create stories/books.” – Z.Umer (8M3), “It was very informative and he told us a lot about how he writes books” – I.Khandakar (8C2), “I enjoyed the part where I got to ask Ben Davis questions about his books.” – G.Nyathi (7W2).

A huge thank you to everyone who donated and showed their support at the Charity Bake Sale and Competition last Friday. The Wellbeing Ambassadors are excited to announce that we raised a total of £239.36 for YoungMinds, a charity dedicated to supporting mental health for teenagers!

Here are the winners:

First Place: 

E Clarke 8C1, A Goring 8C1, & J Mather 8B1

Second Place:
L Beasey 7B1 & L Llewellyn 7C1

Third Place:
L Wacogne 7C1