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GCSE Success!

Barr Beacon School pupils are celebrating an impressive set of GCSE results where there has been a fivefold increase in the number of pupils achieving a grade 9, the government’s new gold standard. 

Some of the high achievers who collected a string of 8 and 9 grades included 

R. Ghag with three grade 8s and five grade 9s. 

D. Kaler with four grade 8s and one grade 9

The results are a culmination of the hard work and focused revision of pupils during their careers at Barr Beacon School. We can’t wait to welcome back our hard-working pupils as sixth form students in September. It’s immensely satisfying to celebrate not only the pupils with the top grades but also those who have made the most progress in their time with us, and for many this success will only continue into the sixth form.

General - 08/23/2019
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A Level Results 2019

Barr Beacon School students are celebrating a host of impressive A level results, with almost one-fifth of grades at A*/A or equivalent. 

We are very proud of our students. They are progressing to a wide range of exciting courses and destinations: medicine, nursing, criminology and law. 

Our students’ choices reflect their individuality and we are delighted for them.

Individual successes include: 

L. Baldwyn-Jolly: achieved A*AB in Maths, Chemistry and Biology and he will be reading Bio-Medical Sciences at the University of Birmingham. 

F. Dunn: achieved A*AB in Philosophy, Sociology and History and she will be reading Sport, Physical Education and Coaching Science at the University of Birmingham. 

P. Balu: achieved AAB in Maths, Biology and Chemistry and she will be reading Medicine at University of Birmingham. 

S. Nelson: ABB in Sociology, English Literature and History. She will be reading Criminology with Social Policy at the University of Nottingham. 

F. Simkiss: achieved BBB in English Literature, History and Sociology and will be reading American Studies with Film (including a year abroad) at the University of Essex. 

M. Guy-Hickson: BBB in English Literature, History, Psychology and an A* in her EPQ. Mia will be reading Ancient History at the University of Nottingham.

Events / General - 08/15/2019
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60 Years Celebration Event

Friday 12th July saw Barr Beacon School celebrating its 60th anniversary year, with more than 700 former pupils and teachers returning for a special celebration evening. This included pupils who started Beacon in its first year, 1958, right through to those who only left recently. Current pupils led tours of the school buildings, many of which brought back memories. Early in the evening, entertainment was provided by a troupe of dancers from Key Stage 3 and there was a parade from our RAF Cadet force.

Later, a 20-piece big band, managed by a former Beacon pupil, played an hour of favourites in the Main Hall. This was followed by a two hour set of music from across the decades, curated by our talented resident ‘DJ Mellow’, a pupil in our current Year 10. The evening was a tremendous success and we would like to thank everyone who attended for making it such a special celebration.

Events - 07/17/2019
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Peru - Camps International

Six of our pupils and Miss Smith carried out an expedition to Peru. They began by staying in the city of Cusco before building a community centre from scratch! And that was just in their first week. Here are some fantastic photos they sent us during their trip.

Events - 07/15/2019
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Prom 2019

Friday 28th June saw the sunshine on the beautiful grounds of Nailcote Hall where staff eagerly awaited the arrival of our Year 11 Prom guests. This year brought a range of fast cars and jam-packed limos filled with excited and accomplished young people. Students spent the evening snapping photos in the photo booth, testing their balance on the bucking bronco, pleasing their sweet teeth at the chocolate fountain and even getting a self-portrait drawn by our very talented caricaturist.

Once the sun had gone down, our Prom King and Queen had the duty of starting off the firework display that then led into a party to end all parties with our DJ. A great night was had by all and it will certainly be one to remember. Photos from throughout the evening can be found below.

Events - 07/05/2019
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Students Dig Up School History

We are excited to announce that we have discovered a time capsule, which was buried on the school site in 1996.  

The contents of the capsule reveal what the curriculum was like in 1996. Items inside the treasure trove include photographs, textbooks and a floppy disk, which today’s students could barely recognise.

Our Senior Team was chosen to open the capsule. You can watch this, live as it happened, on this video:

We knew there was a time capsule buried on our site, but it was not until we received a photograph from a former teacher that we had any idea where it was located.  This could not come at a better time, with our anniversary celebrations right around the corner: Our school is sixty years old this year and we are having a special evening to commemorate this on Friday 12th July. 

We are looking forward to having former pupils and teachers back on site.  Our initial allocation of five hundred tickets sold out rapidly but we have released some more because we know demand is still high.

Stay tuned to our website: Barr Beacon’s Senior Team will shortly be launching a competition to decide what to put in a new time capsule to represent 2019.

And if you recognise any of the students in the original photo (from 1996) – or maybe you are one of them yourself! – please get in touch so you can help us learn more about the time capsule.

General - 06/19/2019
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Cadets Go Rifle Shooting

On Saturday the 18th May, a selection of Year 9 and 10 Cadets came back to school to learn how to use a rifle. Places for this tremendous opportunity were soon filled as people were keen to get stuck into what they would never be able to achieve if it wasn’t for the RAF CCF, or at least not for free.

This started at 9am in the training room where we were briefed on safety, the power of the rifle, when to carry out an NSP (Normal Safety Precaution) and how to operate this weapon by Flight Lieutenant Vahter, a highly qualified instructor for this opportunity. 

After this, groups took it in turns with the weapons, remembering the sequences and parts of the weapon you should operate at certain points of the task. Some found this less easy than others, mainly because some of us were left-handed and we were using right-handed guns, but we all agreed that the challenge made us even more determined to pass the weapons handling test we had to carry out before being able to shoot with a target. Once passed, you have this Cadet qualification for 6 months. 

Those who were struggling came together to help each other which was lovely to see the cadet solidarity and togetherness of the contingent. Many cadets passed the Weapons Handling Test first time, and we helped the few that needed a slight recap before doing it again. Soon enough we were out on the school field putting everything we had learned into practice, only this time using targets. 

This was also another opportunity to see where Cadets’ individual talents lay, as those who struggled with the weapon previously were hitting the targets rather successfully for first time attempts. We all loved this experience and those who were deemed talented enough will be picked for our next Air Squadron Trophy team. We cannot wait until our whole contingent has the opportunity to shoot as this was an extremely rewarding experience!

By Corporal Payne (Year 10)

CCF - 05/24/2019
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Year 13 Graduation Celebration

Year 13 marked the start of their Study Leave with a Celebration Assembly.

Students wore their Leavers’ Hoodies as they enjoyed a look back over their time in Sixth Form. Funny stories were shared and Form Tutors shared kind words about their tutees. We even had a live link to Finland!

We wish all of our Year 13 students the very best of luck for their forthcoming exams and we look forward to celebrating their success with them in August.

Events / General - 05/17/2019
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Helsinki, Finland

First days in Finland: After a long day’s travelling, we arrived in Finland to be greeted by our host teacher Anni. Staying in Helsinki for the two nights enabled us to get to know this beautiful city and its rich history.

Tomorrow, we move towards the home town of our hosts – Nivala.  Students will then move in with their host families for the next four nights, working closely with other students on one of the key project skills: ‘Communication’.

Our students asked questions at every opportunity, leading from the front in keenness and interest! Our first stop was the Parliamentary building, with the ministers meeting at a different location, hoping to form a new government after recent general elections.

Following our visit we then made our way to Helsinki University’s Faculty of Agriculture, where we learnt about how they prepare their students to cope with the demands of life in a farming-dominated industry.

Day 2. After a 5 1/2 hour journey through central Finland, our pupils finally arrived in the small town of Nivala. The pupils and staff were greeted by host families who were very pleased to see our students.

Day 4 – Today, our students went to the local agricultural college to discover how they are training their next generation of workers. They found out about how they develop biogas, look after cattle and what machinery is required on a modern farm.

Later, we drove (in a coach, not a tractor) to the forest where we investigated how trees are cut down and replanted so the forest is sustainable. Two students from Beacon and two from Finland rode in the specialist machinery designed to cut down and strip trees.

On Friday, the students from all countries participated in the Erasmus Olympics. Students took part in very traditional Finnish games like Finnish baseball, floorball, tug of war and the welly throw!

In the afternoon, students learnt more about traditional Finnish life in 1800s, being taken back in time to the way they use to live. The last stop on the tour was the beautiful local Nivala church which has stood for over 150 years.

I’m unsure of where to start when it comes to talking about Finland. I genuinely had one of the most fun experiences of my life thus far. Not only was I able to meet new people who were absolutely lovely, I also re-connected with some of the friends that I made in Denmark last year. These people made leaving Finland incredibly hard, but I’m excited to see them again as soon as possible; we’re already planning on meeting up with some of the Danes this summer! In addition to this, I had some really fun experiences that I doubt I would have had otherwise, such as visiting the Finnish parliament building and playing Finnish baseball. Overall, Erasmus has been a fantastic way for me to view the culture and lives of other countries, and explore what is important to them. I can’t wait for them to arrive in England and I am grateful to have had the experience. Thank you Erasmus!

Past International Trip - 05/06/2019
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Back to the '70s

Former Barr Beacon teacher Andrew Neenan has sent us these photographs from the late 1970s. The shots feature the school production of ‘Oh What a Lovely War!”, technology lessons, and several form tutor groups. If you were here in the ‘70s, do you recognise anyone?

Andrew Neenan shared his experiences of being a maths teacher at Barr Beacon for 27 years:

“I taught maths at the Beacon from 1973 to 2000 and worked alongside Mr Mills for most of that time, and also Ms Clayton. My particular interest and responsibility were applied maths (mechanics) at A level but I taught the whole age and ability range. I did a six-month maternity leave cover just after I left which took me to 2001 and followed with some supply sessions until 2004.

“From 2001 my main employment was at another school on a 0.7 timetable which I supplemented with some private tuition and exam marking. I retired in 2010 and continued exam marking A level mechanics for a few more years. Since then have been a man of leisure.

“I still meet up with a variety of ex-Barr Beacon staff for a meal. There was a remarkable sense of comradeship amongst the staff which continues when we meet up.”

General - 04/05/2019

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Old Hall Lane
Aldridge, Walsall
West Midlands
WS9 0RF

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