Well done to all applicants who delivered their manifesto speech in the Year 12 assembly this morning.
Students and staff enjoyed listening to what each of the 14 applicants had to offer as they shared their vision for the role of Head Boy and Head Girl.
Next stage: panel interview. We wish them all the very best of luck!
Pupils raise £849.97 for UNICEF Ukraine appeal with an image from the following and then link to an article below
Pupils called for us to take action in support of other young people facing unbelievable hardships. As a school we responded, led by the Beacon Values representatives who came up with a fantastic programme of fundraising activities, designed to ensure that as many people as possible could get involved.
Following a brilliant assembly in which Beacon Values Representatives articulated what young people in Ukraine were going through, pupils were enabled to take part in a multitude of ways.
Everyone involved: Consideration for others
All form groups created sunflowers, the national symbol of Ukraine and our hope for their brighter future. Pupils wrote messages of solidarity to the young people of Ukraine.
All form groups were tasked to collect small change in bottles! The form raising the most will receive a prize, but all of our pupils must be commended on their generosity and thoughtfulness. They have done us proud!
Pupils also had the chance to take part in a ‘Guess how many sweets in the jar’ competition. The proud winner will soon be announced, but this raised a whooping £76.45.
Participation to support UNICEF
As well as the opportunities above, some pupils elected to take part in some fundraising activities including a large scale art installation, human sized sunflowers, a swimming gala and a walk around the school field.
This also raised well over £100 to add to our grand total.
Barr Beacon is proud to announce that due to the school’s commitment to diversity we have been successful in being awarded position as ambassadors to Pearsons Lit in Colour programme!
Pearson, the world’s learning company, has joined forces with Penguin Random House UK and race equality think tank The Runnymede Trust to become part of the Lit in Colour programme.
As the UK’s largest awarding body, Pearson will work with Penguin and 100 secondary schools to offer support and resources to encourage the integration of English Literature set texts by writers of colour at both GCSE and A Level.
Year 10 pupils who took part in a workshop from Aggreko are the proud winners of a competition to design their own renewable home.
Pupils first took part in a workshop where they discovered more about Aggreko, their renewable energy solutions and their power delivery for big events like the Commonwealth Games. Following this pupils were tasked with creating their own renewable home and presenting their ideas to the group. Pupils were not only competing against other Barr Beacon teams, but also other local schools. Four pupils impressed Aggreko so much that they won the competition! They have each won tickets to Edgbaston Cricket Ground this summer to watch a Commonwealth Games match. Congratulations to Lewis, Mataeo, Kuran and Arjan!
On Wednesday 30th March, the bitter wind, downpours of rain and hail showers did not deter some of our Year 12 and Year 13 students who took part in the Colour Fun Run. They thoroughly enjoyed the event that was organised to raise money for the three charities that Sixth Form are supporting this year: Young Minds, Barnados and the RSPCA.
Here are some comments from students after the event:-
“I loved it! It was great fun for a Wednesday afternoon. I think the weather made it better! Thank you for organising it”
“Thank you so much for organising the colour run. It was so much fun even though my ears are still a little bit blue!”
“Thank you for organising the colour run this afternoon. I really enjoyed it,”
Two of our Year 9 Duke of Edinburgh pupils, shocked at how low supplies were at a local food bank, decided to organise a whole school collection.
The school community has been donating much needed items including UHT milk, teabags, sugar and tinned fruit. Lots more has also been collected.
Year 12 students have been working hard, collecting items from classrooms and packing them up ready for delivery. Well done to all volunteers for their hard work!
We would like to extend a huge thank you to pupils, students, staff and their families for all donations. The generosity shown is going to make a massive difference to people in the local community.
Year 10 art pupils visited Wolverhampton Art Gallery for the ‘British Art Show’, a landmark touring exhibition that celebrates the vitality of recent art made in Britain. Organised every five years by Hayward Gallery Touring the exhibition brings the work of artists defining new directions in contemporary art to four cities across the UK.
You can find out more about the show here: https://britishartshow9.co.uk
We have been raising money for UNICEF’s Ukraine appeal with a range of sponsored activities. In Art, pupils have been painting hundreds of plastic bottles (massive thank you to everyone for collecting them for us!) to create an Art Installation piece (coming soon!).
The Sunflower is the national symbol of Ukraine and pupils have been writing messages of solidarity with the children impacted upon by war there.
Year 10 drama pupils were starstruck after their excursion to see the premiere of a brand new play based on the inspiring life of Floella Benjamin turned into a life coaching session from Baroness Benjamin herself!
Coming To England had its world premiere at the Birmingham Rep on Thursday 31st March. It is based on the children’s book by Floella Benjamin and illustrated by Walsall-born Diane Ewen.
The book tells the story of how Floella came to England from Trinidad as a child. Floella is best known to many as the presenter of children’s programmes such as Play School, Play Away and Fast Forward and she is also an accomplished actress, singer, author, businesswoman, and politician.
After the play, our pupils met up with Baroness Benjamin and she talked with them for some time, sharing with them her advice for life. All pupils – and their teachers – were completely hooked and inspired.
By Charlie Birch – Deputy Head Boy
The Russian invasion of Ukraine strongly opposes the ideals of peace and unity. No wonder so many of our thoughts are with the Ukrainian people.
Vladimir Putin’s wrongful ambition to unite former USSR nations under Russian rule replicates the unwarranted behaviour of previous political leaders, such as Adolf Hitler, who embarked upon war and persecuted the lives of so many innocent civilians. The recent events lead us to also think about those who have suffered conflict in the likes of Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine. Our thoughts are also with the people in all countries who may not be making the headlines right at this moment.
From these conflicts, we can develop understanding and learn from them. Here at Barr Beacon, we can develop the mentality of always treating others with respect. We can also understand that certain actions and behaviours can be unnecessary and that our behaviour can have an impact upon others. This also leads to the point that your actions will have consequences, which is currently shown by the majority of the globe sanctioning Russia. This overall, enforces a new meaning behind taking responsibility in advocating humility and kindness towards other people.
Donations exceeding £1 billion have been generated in Europe to support Ukrainians in need. Furthermore, volunteers are being deployed in camps on the borders of Ukraine and neighbouring countries, providing food, drink, shelter and medical assistance. The swift response to support those in need embodies what we at Barr Beacon School want to encourage in our pupils.
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
