We are delighted to report that Barr Beacon School have successfully secured a place in the next round of the European Youth Parliament after our student’s success at the Midlands Regional Event.

The European Youth Parliament brings students together to debate the issues of our time. It is an apolitical, youth-led organisation active in over 33 countries across Europe. This debate competition aims to inspire and empower young people. 14 very brave students in Year 12, with aspirations to enter legal or political careers, entered the competition. They have been preparing their positions over several weeks and today faced spirited debate with schools from across the Midlands region.

Students were actively involved in all debates, but were particularly well prepared, and made impressive points around the motion for the Resolution of Childhood Hunger, tackling the challenges proposed by offering Free School Meals for all children. There was also a lively debate around the Committee on Transport for Tourism, with our teams defending the motion for stricter controls on short-term rentals and digital nomadism. Our students even stepped up and made last minute speeches to oppose open debates, pushing themselves out of their comfort zones. 

Both teams represented the school extremely well, putting a huge amount of effort into both their preparation before the event and their enthusiastic engagement on the day.

Huge congratulations to the winning team: Nathan, Millie, Jake, Vibha, Halima and Syed.

We are extremely proud of all of our participants and their conduct at the event and would also like to offer our congratulations to our wonderful participants:  Chanel, Sienna, Rabiya, Reandeep, Destiny, Tori, Saverah and Layla.

Year 10 pupils with an interest in automotive careers attended a workshop at Arnold Clark, giving them a taste of the different apprenticeships available, such as mechanic, parts and customer service. 

A series of interactive tasks taught pupils how to change a tyre, identify the parts of an engine and repair bodywork. They also had a tour of the facilities. 

As we celebrate National Apprenticeship Week, Year 10 pupils with a keen interest in finding out more about this pathways visited Walsall College. As well as discovering the benefits of learning on the job, directly from the experts, and earning while you learn, pupils now have a better understanding of the roles colleges play in training them for the workplace. 

Following an information session, pupils then had the chance to meet lots of current apprenticeship students to learn about their experiences. They also had the opportunity to talk to T Level students and learn about other technical pathways that can be a great alternative to traditional A levels for some pupils. 

What is a T Level?:

https://www.tlevels.gov.uk/students

Learn more about apprenticeships:

https://www.ucas.com/apprenticeships

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.