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)

Introducing the winners of our Autumn Photography Competition: vongratulations to our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prize winners, as well as our talented runners-up. The challenge was to capture the essence of our 'Beacon values' and our pupils did an amazing job showcasing their creativity with such a diverse and beautiful portfolio. Well done to all participants for their hard work and impressive edits! #ProudToSucceed

Our Head Student, T.Hunt, was the driving force behind this unique and powerful fundraiser.

Sixth Form Ambassadors joined forces with him and they have spent the last two weeks promoting Movember, to staff and pupils, by taking orders for moustaches.

On Thursday, we held our ‘Wear a moustache for an hour!’ PSHE session.  Staff, pupils and students wore fake moustaches to raise awareness of men’s mental health.

Discussions were based around how men can sometimes find it hard to speak openly about their issues and the message we wanted to get across and shouted loud about was ‘MEN’S MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS!’

Our younger pupils enjoyed spending time with our Sixth Form students.  It was heart-warming to watch the interactions between them as they came together for this event. 

We raised a total of £130.56.  Thank you to everyone who supported this event to help make a difference to the lives of others.

As a part of our effort in encouraging reading and celebrating academic excellence, Barr Beacon School has introduced a book vending machine as new element of its rewards programme. The innovative machine, which dispenses books instead of snacks or drinks, provides students with the unique opportunity to earn a free book each week as a reward for their hard work, good behaviour and academic achievements.

Pupils who achieve our “Pupil of the Week” award and those who are a part of the Millionaire’s Club will get a gold token that can be used to purchase a book from the book vending machine which is located in the iCentre.

Our Year 13 students enjoyed taking part in the annual Lord Mayor’s Mega Quiz. Each year, Sixth Form teams from across the region compete to win the Mega Quiz, with rounds on the likes of geography, mathematics, physics, music and social media.

Each team donated to the Lord Mayor’s Charity Appeal. Barr Beacon School has been a long term supporter of the event, which has raised over £200,000 for good causes since it was first launched.

Our team this year enjoyed the variety of topics and even had fun when the tricky questions sometimes got the better of them. They represented the school very well.

Once again, we welcomed an array of outside guest speakers including NHS, Aquarius, Umbrella and Walsall Street Teams, alongside our staff to deliver our first Year 11 PSHE Day of the year. Pupils learned about the vital skill of cancer self-checking, about personal finance and decisions around money that they would have to make as they got older, more detail about the UK voting systems and politics and beliefs around the world. Alongside of this was real-life practical advice about the effect of drugs and alcohol, STIs and contraception.

Our aim is to ensure that our young people are equipped to make informed decisions as they become young adults. As ever, Year 11 impressed with their maturity and thoughtful contributions throughout the day.

Our thanks to the staff and providers who were involved to provide another high quality day!

Our newly-formed Anti-Bullying committee met for the first time this week to discuss how we can raise awareness within school. Pupils split off into small groups to design an updated 2024/2025 poster, outlining how to recognise the signs of bullying and how pupils can reach out in school to be able to report it.

#NeverDiscriminate #EqualToEveryone

Media students had a very rare opportunity today to meet employees from the BBC, learn about their careers and have a go at some of the different roles in TV. Students discovered the array of careers available, from script supervisor, through to production, locations, accounts, props and many more.

Students examined seemingly dangerous props that were actually made of soft materials, with intricate details making them seem very realistic. They also tried their hands at scriptwriting, continuity checks and making their own costumes, using makeup to distress socks.

There was also a backstage insight into the many different roles and responsibilities that are involved in making a special effects explosion scene in a recent episode of EastEnders.

Our students said:

“I really enjoyed looking at the props and seeing behind the scenes of EastEnders, but my favourite part was getting involved and designing the sock.”

“Learning about all of the different job roles was particularly interesting as it gave me a detailed perspective of the industry.”

“I’m thinking about applying for a BBC Apprenticeship and it was useful to get some tips on how the interview process works.”