This year we will not be inviting parents/carers onto school site for progress evenings. This is in line with government Covid-19 guidance. Progress evenings for each year group will therefore take place via video appointments.

The school’s online appointment booking system allows you to choose your own appointment times with teachers and you will receive an email confirming your appointments. At the time of your appointment, you can join a video meeting with your child’s teacher by logging into your appointments and clicking the ‘join video meetings’ link.  

Tips for a successful appointment:  

• Please visit www.barrbeacon.parentseveningsystem.co.uk to book your appointments. Your login details can be found in a letter that will be sent home prior to your child’s Virtual Progress Evening. Should this letter have been mislaid you can contact your child’s House Office who will be happy to provide you with login details.
• Guidance on how to join the video meetings with your child’s teachers can be found at https://support.parentseveningsystem.co.uk/article/801-video-parents-how-to-attend-appointments-over-video-call.
• Please note that video appointments are strictly limited to 5 minutes. A timer at the top of your screen indicates the length of time remaining in the meeting and, after 5 minutes, the video link will close.  Your child’s teacher has no control over this. If you have any remaining questions following your appointment please contact House Office. 
• If you do not have access to the internet, please contact your child’s House Office who will be happy to arrange a telephone consultation to give you information about your child’s progress. 
• If you have a slow internet connection at home, please ask other users of tablets, gaming consoles or television applications to refrain from using these for the duration of your meetings. If your video appointment is unsuccessful, a follow-up telephone conversation can be arranged with the House Office at a later date. 
• If you are experiencing problems with your virtual appointment, moving closer to your wireless router can often improve the quality and clarity of your video appointment. 

Tuesday 14 July from 10am to 4pm

Big Bang Digital 2020 – science, engineering and Covid-19 is a free online event for young people 11+ to attend short, inspiring sessions looking at all aspects of STEM in a pandemic.

It’s the perfect opportunity for students to see STEM careers in action, hear inspiring stories from incredible people (including a Nobel Prize winner), ask questions in live Q&A sessions, add their voice to online polls and complete activities throughout the day. 

Big Bang Digital can be included as part of home learning or streamed in school and is a secure environment with safeguarding measures in place. 

Line-up at a glance:

• TV & Radio Science Presenter, Podcaster & YouTuber Greg Foot will be hosting live
• Meet NHS frontline staff, join the race to find a vaccine and ask the experts your coronavirus questions.
• Hear from people designing PPE, ventilators and a social distancing lanyard
• Find out how the NHS Nightingale hospitals were built so quickly
• Meet the teams keeping things moving, water in the taps and food in the shops
• Explore lockdown cybersecurity and staying safe online
• Pay tribute to key workers with a rainbow science show with Gastronaut Stefan Gates

To check out the full programme visit: www.digitalbigbang.co.uk

Every year, Barr Beacon School hosts the annual ‘Dance Spectacular’ to celebrate the hard work and success of our students from Years 7 – 11. Due to the current circumstances, our students have been working extremely hard at home to ensure our show can still go ahead virtually. Thank you for watching and we hope you enjoy it.

Year 9, 10 and 11 girls: FREE 3 day online STEM event by Loughborough University

Girls in Years 9, 10 and 11 are being offered a wonderful opportunity to sign up to Loughborough University’s online virtual STEM residential event. This is sponsored by Ford Motor company.

The event will feature STEM Taster sessions delivered by university staff, which including robotics, renewable technology and much more. There will be talks from successful women in varied STEM careers and guidance on researching your future options. Also, you can explore what university life would be like at a top Russell Group university with virtual campus tours and related videos. You will have the chance to talk to Loughborough students live on the web chats.

This is an opportunity not to be missed, and an experience that will help to enrich your personal statements and career profiles. Places can be booked HERE

Introducing our 2020-2021 Senior Five.

Since starting at this school in 2014, saying that I have changed from that shy and timid boy to who I am today is a bit of an understatement! This change I can only attribute to this school. Over the years, Barr Beacon School has given me countless amounts of opportunities, such as the Erasmus trip to Sweden and a residential at the University of Exeter. Experiences like this have aided in my character development and if you had asked Year 7 Ibrahim whether he’d see himself as Head Boy, he would’ve told you it was never going to happen! I know now that nothing is impossible, and my story can show you that anyone can dream BIG and achieve. With the staff support, you can excel in not only academic areas but with your skills and character development too. Barr Beacon School will prepare you for life beyond Year 11 or Year 13. So whatever route you may take, it will be perfect for you.

I am humbled to hold the prestigious role of Head Boy at Barr Beacon School, and, as your Head Boy, I want you to know you can always approach me with any questions or ideas you may have or to just have a chat! I’m here to listen, and I am here to represent YOU!

I.Sohail | Head Boy

Being able to say ‘yes’ to taking up of all the opportunities that have been given to me by Barr Beacon School is a privilege that I have never taken for granted. Joining the school in 2014, not only have I seen myself grow academically, I have seen growth within myself as I have developed numerous invaluable personal skills from the many opportunities that I said ‘yes’ to. Being part of a school that has provided me with a plethora of exciting opportunities, which have helped mould me into the young woman I am today, is something for which I am truly grateful. Due to the school, I have been able to take part in my Bronze, Silver and Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award, partake in a student exchange project in Sicily, gain valuable volunteering experience within the school and in the community, obtain three different healthcare-related work experience weeks and, gain interview skills with the University of Birmingham, providing me with support for my future after sixth form. These are only a few of the opportunities that the school provides to unleash the true potential of its students and, as Head Girl, I hope to introduce many more.

I hold the utmost pride at being part of a school which values its students and their self-growth. Thus, I am beyond humbled to be the Head Girl for a school that helps to pave the path for a journey of academia but a journey that will ignite the start of the rest of our futures.

H.Kumar-Mehay | Head Girl

I feel extremely privileged to be Barr Beacon’s Deputy Head Boy. After being in the school since Year 7, I have always sought after responsibility and now I will do my best to represent everyone in the school and the wider community. I am looking forward to working with other members of the Senior 5 to create a sense of togetherness between staff, pupils and parents. I was selected to be a Prefect in Year 11 and in this role I looked after numerous new Year 7 pupils and helped them settle into their Barr Beacon journey. Since joining Sixth Form in September, I have been given once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that will help me succeed in my future, both in and outside of school. For example, I went to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in February where I witnessed first-hand the horrors of the Nazi regime. I am extremely humbled to be representing a prestigious school like Barr Beacon and I hope that with everyone working together we can continue the great work the previous Senior Team did whilst adding some of our new ideas and maintaining the outstanding reputation Barr Beacon school has.     

J.Anderson | Deputy Head Boy

Since 2014, when I first started at Barr Beacon, I have been provided with a welcoming, happy, safe and supportive environment where everybody’s achievements are celebrated and where everyone is treated equally. Throughout my journey at Barr Beacon, I have been gifted with endless opportunities and experiences which have allowed me to blossom into the individual I am today. Throughout, thanks to the consistent help and support that has been provided to me, I have been able to accomplish more than I ever hoped I would. The incredible Sixth Form team is always there to provide an amazing support system and all staff go above and beyond in order to create the best environment for all pupils. Some of the experiences I have had include travelling to foreign destinations such as Iceland and Germany, representing the school in sporting events, and being selected to be Head Prefect and now Deputy Head Girl. This would not have been achievable without the incredible encouragement from all staff at Barr Beacon and therefore I am extremely proud to be a member of this school. 

E.Allen | Deputy Head Girl

Barr Beacon School has presented me with a plethora of opportunities that have not only helped to shape my individuality, but they have also allowed me to build resilience and discover my true academic potential. With encouragement from teachers and a strive to ensure we are all ‘Proud to Succeed’, the school has persistently proffered various challenges to all pupils, allowing them to question their preconceptions and develop their abilities to adapt to new situations. Throughout my journey at Barr Beacon, I have been able to find myself as a person with the rigorous support and encouragement provided by the versatile teachers, career advisers and all other staff members. For this, I am more than grateful to have been a member of this school, and I am proud go represent the Barr Beacon as Deputy Head Boy. I will be forever grateful for my experiences at Barr Beacon as they have inevitably shaped me into the young adult I am today, and will hopefully have shaped me into the successful adult I strive to be in the future.

M.Hill | Deputy Head Boy