To celebrate its 125th anniversary, the University of Birmingham hosted a special event. The Year 12 Christmas Lectures showcased six different areas of study through bite-sized lectures, allowing students to experience what university learning is really like, with some sessions featuring a festive twist. Students engaged with a wide range of subjects, from Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences to STEM disciplines.

The day began with a psychology professor examining mental health support on TikTok, followed by a lecture on the ethics of the pop song “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” and another exploring horror in Christmas films, delivered by a Film Studies lecturer. In the afternoon, a physics professor spoke about his research in Antarctica, where his team’s exoplanetary exploration is searching for life on new planets. Students then learned about the role of “superhero” platelets in the blood and the cutting-edge research aiming to prevent heart attacks. The day concluded with a palaeontology professor discussing the discovery of unusual spiky fossils in Morocco, which led his research team to identify the so-called “punk rock dinosaur”.

The event not only gave students a taste of university learning but also highlighted the exciting research that takes place at Russell Group universities.

Our Sixth Form students with a keen interest in politics had a rare and exciting opportunity to visit the Houses of Parliament. Students walked in the footsteps of hundreds of historical figures, influential politicians, and royalty as they explored the House of Commons and even had the chance to watch the House of Lords debate the Assisted Dying Bill, witnessing history in the making.

Later, students took part in a Snap Election, devising their own policies for newly created political parties. They focused on issues important to them, such as university tuition fees, free school meals, and travel costs to school.

This was a special trip with a highly engaged group of students who are excited to begin exercising their right to vote.

Three years ago, we started a new tradition at Barr Beacon School. One of our Year 13 students was observing the Careers Adviser conduct a mock interview with a Year 11 pupil when the student asked if he could have a go himself. Drawing on his recent experience of interviews for university, apprenticeships, and leadership roles within school, his involvement had such a positive impact that we decided to trial this approach on a larger scale.

Now, every year, our Year 13 students who have successfully completed multiple interviews support our Year 11 pupils by offering advice and tips from their own experiences. This is something that the Year 13 students have really enjoyed, as it allows them to give back to the school, and the Year 11 pupils have found it very beneficial.

We were delighted to welcome Aberystwyth University back into the school to share important advice and guidance with our Year 12 students. University preparation starts early, as the more research students can do, the better prepared they will be. We spread this advice out across Year 12 to help our students gradually manage their career journey. This year we have started with an assembly focusing on how to choose a course and university, and another focusing on how to make the most of Open Days, one of the most crucial parts of choosing the right higher education provider.

Year 13 students who wish to pursue apprenticeships attended the National School and College Leaver Festival. This large careers fair was filled with employers from some of the biggest companies in the country, such as AstraZeneca, BBC, Bupa, Kier Group, KPMG, Mercedes-Benz, Ministry of Justice, NHS, Rolls Royce and TUI. The event allowed students to explore a wider range of next steps options, with the vast majority of students saying they found it very helpful and would recommend others attending in future.

Apprenticeships are a fantastic option for our pupils when they leave us, offering them hands-on learning, with the support of industry leading experts, earning a real wage in the process. They can therefore be very competitive and hard to secure, but ambitious pupils signed up to attend a workshop from BMW with advice on how to succeed. As well as receiving lots of top tips for their applications in January, pupils asked questions about how the apprenticeships work to really get a feel for their possible future career.

At Barr Beacon School we are very proud of our Alumni and the wonderful destinations they progress onto. We are also extremely lucky that so many agree to keep in touch after they leave. Many volunteer their time to visit the school to make a difference. In the past year our students have benefitted greatly from focused mentoring that has not only given them valuable advice, but also inspired them to pursue their dreams.

This has included Oxbridge admissions advice from a former student who succeeded in their application to read Mathematics at Oxford, personal statement support and mock interview guidance for our aspiring vets from a veterinary surgeon, and specialist creative pathway advice from a student who is making his own films and pursing a career in Film and TV.

If you are a former Barr Beacon student and would like to support us, please sign up to our Alumni Network where our latest events will be advertised, or contact postbox@barrbeaconschool.co.uk if you have your own ideas for how you would like to support us.  

Our Annual Careers Fair was a busy and successful event, offering every year group the opportunity to explore a wide range of future career options. Pupils were able to meet directly with education providers, employers, and training organisations to discover the many routes available to them after school.

Responding to pupil feedback, this year’s event featured more employers and apprenticeship providers than ever before. Visitors included representatives from the Department for Business and Trade, Midlands Air Ambulance, RAF, Transport for West Midlands, Wolverhampton Foundation, WPS Home Maintenance, and West Midlands Police.

We were also joined by a variety of local colleges and training providers to support our Year 11 pupils as they make their next steps decisions. In addition, a wide range of universities took part, from popular local choices such as Aston University, the University of Birmingham, and Keele University, to those based further afield including the University of Sheffield, Manchester Metropolitan University, and Cardiff University.

This year, we were especially pleased to welcome parents and carers of Year 11 and Year 13 students, strengthening the partnership between home and school in supporting students’ future ambitions.

We are incredibly proud of the maturity, initiative and dedication shown by our Year 12 students who embarked on their work experience placements last week.  Once again, our students organised experience in a wide range of industries to either get a taste of working in a field they were interesting in pursing, or to build up their transferable skills in any industry so they are ready for work in the future. It was very rewarding for our tutors and the Sixth Form team to visit as many students as we could on placement and see them impressing their employers, working hard and representing the school admirably.

VETERINARY SCIENCE

Our two aspiring vets have been taking part in multiple placements. Emilia has stressed the importance of a range of experience and has committed herself to long term voluntary experiences to broaden her skillset, including working at veterinary practices, farms, stables, pony clubs and dog hydrotherapy centres.

Emily has worked in two veterinary clinics recently saying how much she as loved treating a variety of animals and observing professionals in theatre. She has also seen some of the more heart-breaking realities of the job, comforting patients who are losing animals they love. 

SCIENCE

A number of our students have a great love of science and have been enjoying placements with practical hands on work. Chloe D. has been working with the Chemistry Department at University of Warwick as she prepares for a career in biomedical science. She is also planning further experience in the research department of a hospital.

Lewis W. has explained that his time working with electrical engineers at Rolls Royce has helped him to advance his skills of analysis and that he is seeing the real life application of what he has learnt in his science A levels in school.

Sami W. has enjoyed his placement at a robotics company so much that he is hoping to go back for more experience soon. He has valued his hands-on experience with CAD and PLC programming as this is preparing him for the units he plans to study at university. His employer said “Sami is one of the best work experience students we have had. He is super keen and enthusiastic, asking lots of questions and he has a strong work ethic.”

CONSTRUCTION

Rory D. is pictured at Atlassian Williams F1 in Oxford where he is working with a construction company. He explained: “They are deconstructing the old wind tunnel. On Monday I was in Northampton where they deconstructed a shopping centre. I have learned so much this week about the work environment as I was in the office on Tuesday and Wednesday which was a great experience and has given me great skills. Overall I could not have asked for a better, more enjoyable work experience than the one that I had at Colemans and Co”.

We also spoke with students and their employers on placements within the healthcare industry. Gurleen K. enjoyed what was an “intense but very rewarding” week at Birmingham Children’s Hospital where she was able to experience the Surgery, Cardiology and Paediatric Intensive Care units.

Amrin H. had excellent feedback from her placement at a dental surgery, where she “has been observing surgery and asking lots of questions to make the most of her time with us. She has seen a range of treatments from extractions through to implants.”

At a pharmacy, Neha R. was surprised by how much she enjoyed her placement. Although it was difficult being on her feet all day, she found the job very interesting and has learnt a lot about common ailments and their treatments.

At another pharmacy, Jessica L. gained wonderful feedback form her employer, who said: “Jessica is a very bright student. She always arrives early and ready to work so we have tried to give her as much insight as possible.”

Ibrahim R. managed to secure a placement at a GP practice where he initially worked on reception, building up his communication skills with patients, an important part of his future medical aspirations. However he impressed with his enthusiasm so much that he was able to negotiate shadowing some GP appointments too.

Chenai M. gained experience in a radiography department, seeing the valued work of allied healthcare professionals, observing x rays, viewing fluoroscopy images and seeing the process of how CT and MRI scans are organised and scheduled.

Further impressive work was clear from Adil U. who has been offered a Saturday job following his successful placement at an opticians.

FINANCE

Accounting and Finance is a popular choice for many of our students. Nihal R. has been getting an insight into auditing at Azets Accounting in Birmingham city centre, which has confirmed he definitely wishes to pursue a career in finance. He has further placements in the school holidays at different firms and within new areas to accounting to help him narrow down which area of finance to pursue.

Emily S. has also enjoyed her work with nationwide on the shop floor greeting customers and getting some practical experiences working on transactions.

At an insurance brokers, Haleema K. was set a challenging task by her employer, who said they were “surprised by how she approached it in a really effective way. This has made us consider how we do things in future.”

Manjeevan S. enjoyed experiencing the 9 to 5 of an office environment and gained a varied experience processing invoices and tax returns, supporting with personal and company statutory accounts. 

A number of our students also attended a day at HSBC Headquarters in Birmingham where they discovered more about the apprenticeship opportunities available and gained vital advice on applications, CVs and Linked’In. The day was put together by current apprentices, including Nikita Marwaha, alumna of Barr Beacon School, who started her Finance Degree Apprenticeship with HSBC in 2024. We are very proud of what Nikita has achieved so far and grateful to her for giving back to the next generation. 

BUSINESS

Business is another popular choice for our students. Harry P. has been getting a full overview of a business, looking into VAT returns, working on Sage, examining statements and matching remittances. 

Samsher H. and Raghav B. have been working in the food industry with Raghav getting a full overview from working on a farm with the crops, examining the impact of the weather on the crop yields, all the way through to production, identifying the nutritional values of the products and preparing for deliveries.

Milan G. has been working for an electronics business where he has made a good impression on staff with his keen and enthusiastic work ethic, and he has enjoyed supporting customers.

Over in the hospitality industry, Abi S. has been helping create a rota for workers at Marston’s and seeing all of the administrative work that goes on behind the scenes to run a successful pub. Her employer said: “Abi is keen to learn, asks lots of questions and is the best work experience student I have had”.

LEGAL

Many of our students have high aspirations and hope to enter the legal profession, but with such a vast range of specialisms, work experience is essential to help make the right decision. Kareena P. has said: “I’m getting a proper insight of what being a solicitor is really like and I’ve met so many nice people giving me advice. They are trusting me to do actual work so I feel like I’m having a really good experience.”

At a local solicitors, Logan G. has enjoyed the variety of his experience working with different staff to learn their responsibilities and dealing with customers. His employer said: “Logan is a pleasure to work with. We would like to keep him longer!”

Jessica R. has appreciated being able to sit in on appointments with clients and seeing first hand the kind of work she could be involved in as a future solicitor.

Working at a housing association has also given Kaylisia T. legal experience, as she worked with the legal teams on matters with their tenants.

TEACHING

A number of our students have been getting a taste of teaching with placements at local schools. Diella I. has impressed staff with her reliability, punctuality and the way she adapts her communication well to staff and students.

Her placement at a primary school has confirmed that this is the profession for Amelia L. After helping Year 1 with their Maths, English and RE lessons, and supporting the transition day for reception into Year 1, Amelia received exceptional feedback from her employer: “She is amazing. We have had no TAs this week so it has been excellent having Amelia with us. She uses her initiative and does not need to ask where to help. We will be lost without her next week!”

Victor O. has used his placement at a secondary school within their Wellbeing Centre to gain experience that will support his ambition to enter the healthcare industry, within mental wellbeing. It is safe to say he was a hit with the staff and students alike: “Victor is a delightful, positive and polite young man. He has worked one to one with students, helping to re-integrate them back into lessons. He has supported staff in triage and confidently worked closely with senior leaders with ‘on call’ duty. He is a calm presence and the pupils have responded well to him. Victor is an absolute pleasure to work with and we have enjoyed having him.”

AND MANY MORE

Annabelle S. has working with the Music and Creative Arts department of the Salvation Army, putting on a wonderful showcase.

With his work experience at a legal firm taking place in the summer holidays, Royce E. used his time in work experience week to volunteer at a local charity shop.

Joshua S. has been set on pursuing a career with the police for a long time, and has really enjoyed his placement with them. He had the chance to meet the Deputy Commissioner and was even invited out for lunch with the team he ahs been working alongside.

Further to all of this, we have also had students working at a theatre, in gaming and entertainment, as a football coach, within communications and at engineering companies. 

We wish to extend a heartfelt thank you to every employer who offered our students a work placement. It is very generous to take the time to support young people with their first steps into the world of work and give them the invaluable opportunity to build their skillset and experience ready for the future.

Year 12 students are completing a two-day workshop in Finance, with Mrs Shokar run by MyBnk covering all things: sources of income, budgeting, saving accounts, borrowing, credit scores.

Students are having a great time this morning during the interactive session, they have learnt so much already and are keen to learn and prepare themselves financially for their futures. Students will also attain a qualification for completing this interactive workshop which is a Level 1 Award in Personal Money Management.