We are proud of our pupils’ resilience to commit to excellent attendance because we know it can make such a difference to pupils’ achievement. At Barr Beacon School, we recognise this resilience with awards for 100% attendance for the Autumn Term and the opportunity to enter our prize draw to win vouchers.

Congratulations to all pupils who received their certificate and also entered our prize draw - and ‘well done’ to those pupils who were lucky enough to win vouchers. We look forward to our pupils showing their resilience again in Spring to once again have excellent attendance together at Barr Beacon School.

On Wednesday 8th January, Lincoln University came to Barr Beacon to deliver a Dance workshop to a selection of our Year 9 pupils. The session began with pupils learning some contemporary dance techniques, before learning a contemporary dance phrase. Pupils then worked together in groups to complete choreography challenges. Lincoln Uni staff had primarily planned to give each group 3 challenges each. However, our students showed a high level of skill and ambition, resulting in them completing even more challenges!

Our exceptional staff put on a Pantomime performance for each House today. Oh yes they did! A huge ‘thank you’ to the staff who made today so memorable for our pupils with a pantomime performance of ‘Robin Hood’. All the planning and rehearsing paid off as  all pupils enjoyed the performance on the last day of term before Christmas.

A group of Year 7 pupils enjoyed a visit to the annual Christmas Lectures at University of Birmingham. Pupils attended two engaging sessions. The first was themed around Christmas, where pupils learnt about the evolution of Christmas and how cracker jokes are created, before having a go at making their own. We then moved on to a lecture about space travel, where lecturers discussed if we should live on the moon. Finally, pupils enjoyed a tour of the university and were surprised by its scale and the amount of extra services on offer, such as societies, sports pitches and event their own train station.

A massive ‘thank you’ to everyone who generously donated items for our Food Bank collection. All donations were collected today and Great Barr Food Bank were so grateful for everything we have supplied as a school community. Around 150 people are currently using Great Barr Food Bank each week so we will be making a huge difference to our community around Christmas time.

Our Year 13 students have once again shown what brilliant role models they are, giving mock interviews to our Year 11 pupils.  

In preparation for their upcoming Sixth Form, College and Apprenticeship applications, Year 11 pupils needed some practise preparing for the interview stage. We didn’t want their first interview to be the real thing. Who better to prepare our pupils for this than our Year 13 students. Each of them has been through at least two recent interviews, whether for their own entry to Sixth Form, or the more challenging interviews that helped secure their leading roles in school. Some of our students have even faced very tricky interviews for competitive university courses and degree level apprenticeships, so they could share their experiences and offer lots of helpful hints and advice.

We are extremely proud of both our Year 13 students, for giving up their time to help others, and our Year 11 pupils, for stepping out of their comfort zone and making the most of this opportunity.

We are excited to announce that a talented group of young girls recently took part in the CyberFirst competition, a prestigious event designed to nurture the next generation of cybersecurity experts.

CyberFirst, a program initiated by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), encourages young minds to explore the ever-growing field of cybersecurity, providing them with essential skills for a future in tech.

The competition challenged participants with various cyber-related problems, testing their abilities in areas such as cryptography, network security, and ethical hacking. The girls demonstrated impressive problem-solving skills, teamwork, and determination, proving that they are more than ready to take on the challenges of the digital age.

This competition not only highlighted the potential of these future tech leaders but also served as a reminder of the importance of encouraging diversity in STEM fields, particularly in cybersecurity. We are proud of their achievements and look forward to seeing how these bright young minds continue to excel in the world of tech.

Congratulations to the girls that took part in the challenge: S.Bhupla (8C1), J.Johnson (8C1), P.Kaur (8B1), J. Mather (8B1), A.Osbourne (8C1), O.Robert (8C1), E.Spencer (8B1) and P.Weston (8C1)