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Staffordshire University Visit

Year 7 pupils visited Staffordshire University for a taster day to learn more about the benefits of higher education. The day started with pupils meeting university students studying a range of  interesting courses, from psychology and photography to E-sports and gaming. 

Pupils then had a tour of the whole university. We visited libraries, learning hubs, accommodation, sports centres and lecture theatres. In the afternoon, pupils were tasked with designing their own Superhero Student. Ideas included supersonic ears to hear lectures clearly, cloaks to help them fly across the vast campus and even an LGBTQ+ hero, spreading happiness and awareness of Pride Month with rainbow lasers. 

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Anthea Bell Translation Prize

Two of our keen Key Stage 3 linguists entered Oxford University’s Anthea Bell Translation competition, which this year focusses on translation of poetry. Translators are encouraged to be creative with their English to maintain the rhyme and rhythm of the original piece. Congratulations to Alexandra (Year 7 German) and Lillith (Year 8 French) who sent off as our school entries to the regional competition. 

Congratulations to Alexandra of 7C1 who was the Midlands runner up in a German translation competition run by Oxford University! 

Alexandra’s prize winning translation can be seen below.


Wind and weather – Rhymed

It rains, it showered,

A fish, I encountered,

It writhes, it is dodging,

Who can’t find his way back to its lodging


It snows, it snows,

The Christmas tree stands ready to go,

It is glaciating,

Someone should be busy decorating.


It gets dark, it is dimmed,

A small aeroplane glistened,

It flies, it flies,

And knows where Oslo lies.


It thaws, it is proud,

The weather today is loud,

It roars, it roars,

I too am perplexed.


It airs, it airs,

The meadow humms and smells,

It sprouts, it sprouts,

Who has a cold, sneezes.


There is lightning, it flashes,

A sparrow reflects and sits,

It drips, it trickles,

Its heart and mine beats.

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Good Luck Year 13

Year 13 marked the start of their Study Leave with a farewell assembly that took place on Friday 20th May.

A montage of photographs took the students on a trip down Memory Lane, reminding them of the journey they have been on with us.

We wish them all the very best of luck for their examinations and we are looking forward to celebrating with them on Results Day.

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Meet The New Senior Team

Congratulations to the new Student Leadership Team on their successful appointments.  We are very much looking forward to working with you over the next twelve months.  Interviews for the other lead roles are underway – it is always exciting to see the new ideas that are brought to the table.

A message from our Senior Five

We are both truly honoured to have the opportunity to represent Barr Beacon School as your new Head Students. There have been high standards set in previous years for this role and we are looking to build upon these with creative ideas and unique initiative.

Our efforts will be directed to the students of Barr Beacon School, to motivate and mentor all individuals so that they can say they are proud to succeed. We strive to be open minded, approachable and adaptable to every situation that presents itself to us.

Throughout the next year, we look forward to working closely with our Deputies and teachers to implement a plethora of ideas that will enhance the Barr Beacon journey so that every pupil can look back on their time here with a sense of pride and joy.

Makara and Daniel

We are truly honoured to be given this incredible opportunity to be representing Barr Beacon School as Deputy Head Students. We will do our best to guide and be of support to both students and teachers throughout the school. We have a responsibility to encourage, motivate and care for students and we will support Makara and Daniel in trying our best to ensure everybody reaches their full potential.

As a team we will ensure to pursue the legacy of the previous senior teams, and plan to spark change, innovation and adaptive thinking at Barr Beacon School. With ideas of originality already in mind, we strive to make Barr Beacon a place every student is supported to reach their goals and ambitions.

Hannah, Mazin and Dilraaj



In 2016, when I first stepped foot into Barr Beacon School, I had no idea how much the school would support me and help me to progress into the young adult that I am today.

Throughout my years here, I have been encouraged, motivated and guided into achieving the best that I can in my studies, as well as being given countless opportunities ranging from taster days at universities to taking the lead on charity events run by the school.  These experiences have helped me to develop personally and to continually strive to better myself. 

I am delighted to have been selected to take on the role of Head Student.  The role will further encourage me to work harder and motivate not only myself, but others too, whilst we all strive to succeed. I want to ensure that all pupils are presented with equal opportunities and are pushed to ultimately be the very best that they can be.

I am ready to embark on the final part of my journey at Barr Beacon School by taking on this honourable role with pride and passion, allowing me to give my all back to the school that has created so many great memories and experiences for me.

Daniel P – Head Student


Throughout my 6 years at Barr Beacon School, I have been provided with opportunities to develop skills needed not only for my academic studies, but also for life after Sixth Form. From attending university taster days in Year 7, to taking part in the Lord Mayor’s Quiz in Year 12, I have been supported so that I can develop the confidence and ability to excel in everything I have set my mind to so far.

Taking on the role of Head Student will be a new and interesting challenge which I am excited to succeed in with the continued support of Barr Beacon School. I could never have imagined when I first joined in 2016 that I would reach where I am now. I sincerely look forward to working with the staff and students of the school that I hold so much respect for, to help all students feel able to say that they are determined and proud to be a part of Barr Beacon School.

Makara M – Head Student


Since joining the school in 2016, I have flourished from a young student into a young adult who has grown in confidence, knowledge and compassion. Barr Beacon School has supported me through every step of my journey here, both personally and academically.

Barr Beacon has given me the support and encouragement to try new things and achieve the unimaginable. It has allowed me to aim high and reach my full potential. I thank the school for the many opportunities I have been provided with, from testing my endurance during the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award, to receiving the honour of being a Prefect in Year 11. By having such opportunities, I have grown as an individual and I believe I have a responsibility to be a role model to younger students.

Having been successful in my appointment for the prestigious role of Deputy Head Student, I am determined to pursue the legacy which has been left behind by previous Student Leadership Teams, as well as commemorate achievements and successes throughout the school.  As Deputy Head Student I am passionate about encouraging other students to be determined in all that they do so that, like me, they too can say “I am proud to succeed!”

Dilraaj K – Deputy Head Student


I can still recall the moment in Year 6 when I found out that I would be attending Barr Beacon School from September 2016 and the more recent memory of applying for a place at Barr Beacon Sixth Form. When I compare how I was in both these instances, although the same person – determined and ambitious (innate characteristics engraved within my personality) – I think it is fair to say that I have grown incredibly in confidence during my time at Barr Beacon School.

Barr Beacon has given me a plethora of opportunities over the years to encourage me to grow, not only academically but also as an individual. Involvement in extra-curricular clubs available within school, selected to be a Prefect during Year 11 and more recently starting my Extended Project Qualification are just a few examples of how Barr Beacon has helped me to challenge myself to become a better person, whilst maintaining my own character.

I have grown a lot over the last six years and I hope that as Deputy Head Student I can use my final year at school to help promote change, intuition and forward thinking at Barr Beacon School, helping students to become the best possible versions of themselves and to give back to help others to reach their fullest potential.

Hannah N – Deputy Head Student


Since joining the school in Year 7, I have been inspired by the work and the characters of the previous Senior Teams.  I am grateful to all the teachers and fellow students who have helped me become the person I am today and I am pleased to have been given the opportunity to be part of the Senior Five this year. What does being part of the Head Student Team mean to me?  I believe that we cannot make our days longer but we can strive to make them better and therefore as part of the Senior Team, we should be the bridge between students and staff.  Leadership, teamwork, organisation, time management, effective communication and maturity are all qualities we as a team will try to instil throughout the school.

During my time at Barr Beacon School, I have had countless opportunities, and this has shaped my character. One of the great experiences was the Duke of Edinburgh expedition, which helped me build my strength of character and achieve greater team working skills. I am very grateful for being selected as Deputy Head Student and I hope that as the Senior Five, we achieve much more together.

Mazin E – Deputy Head Student  

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Oxford University Taster Day

A group of Year 10 pupils experienced a taster day of Oxford University. This included tours of both Oriel and Keble college, a chance to meet Oxford students and a session on everything the university has to offer. Following this, pupils had a tour of city and visited some of its most famous landmarks, including The Bodleian Library, The Radcliffe Camera and The Bridge of Sighs.

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Successfully Re-Accredited as a SCITT!

Barr Beacon SCITT is incredibly proud to announce that it is one of the eighty Initial Teacher Training (ITT) providers to have been successfully re-accredited by the Department for Education (DfE) to continue to deliver ITT leading to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) from September 2024 onwards. 

This achievement allows us to continue our commitment to develop the very best classroom practitioners who will go on to inspire, influence and shape the lives of future generations for years to come. The accreditation process was designed to ensure that providers are able to deliver high quality teacher training against a set of new Quality Requirements and we are delighted that our provision has met this benchmark. 

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Thank You and Goodbye

After up to 7 years for a lot of us, we are saying goodbye to Barr Beacon School. It has been our home from 8:30am until past 3:00pm every Monday to Friday and has become a building that will hold many memories and be the centre of the stories we tell as we get older.  

Years 11 to 13 have been a rollercoaster with highs and lows for each and every student in Sixth Form but we have nearly made it! It is a bittersweet goodbye as we leave teachers, classrooms and friends behind. Nevertheless, it is exciting to look forward to all that awaits us, whether that is university, an apprenticeship or a gap year. Whatever our next steps are, we would not have got to this point without all of the support we have received from the staff here at Barr Beacon School and for that we will forever be grateful. For the unseen work of our teaching staff, at home and staying late or arriving early, we thank you all. Individually and collectively you have, once again, impacted on the lives of another cohort of students.  

Whilst some of us may want to go back and change some things – like the student who wishes they had taken more BTECs; another who wishes they had taken more photographs to savour the memories of a fleeting two years; another who wishes revision was taken more seriously much earlier on – there are others who are looking back and are grateful for their conversations and even baking experiences with Mrs Osborne! Although part of our time was spent online (the sound of Teams notifications will probably stay with us forever), within it all there are memories we will carry forward and cherish.  

In years to come we will want to come back and relive it all. Unless time travel becomes a possibility, it will be through our wonderful memories that we continue to live our sixth form years. So again, we say thank you and goodbye to the school that has helped us to grow into the people we are today and set a foundation for the people we will be in the future. 

A Bromwich Head Girl 

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The Great Big University Tour

Year 7 pupils have been out visiting local universities and getting a taste of university life. Pupils have visited University of Birmingham and Aston University, getting to tour the universities, meet their students and take part in activities to learn all about the benefits of higher education. Pupils on the recent visit to Aston university were able to get an exclusive sneak peek into the university accommodation on their tour. In the coming months, more pupils will venture out to Staffordshire University, Birmingham City University and Newman University. 

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Wisepay Notice

We are aware that some parents are experiencing difficulty adding money to their Wisepay Accounts.  This matter is being investigated.  For parents wishing to pay for the Year 11 hoodies, please place the order via the paper form and submit to reception.  The deadline for payment has been extended to Thursday 19th May 5pm.

 

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Beacon’s Got Talent 2022

Our annual show – Beacon’s Got Talent is back this year. On Wednesday 25th May our successful performers will take to the stage and battle it out to be crowned winner of BGT22.

You can grab your tickets on Wisepay. Doors open from 6pm and the show will begin at 6:30pm.

Tickets will not be available on the door so please ensure they are purchased via Wisepay.

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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