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

June is Pride Month around the world. It celebrates the advances made in LGBTQ+ equality since the Stonewall riots in New York City, USA in June 1969. The British charity Stonewall (named for the historic event) has produced these resources for home learning. They include activities for history, English. creative subjects and maths. Our top pick is the maths pack which has questions using statistics around LGBTQ+ equality.

This year's Royal Geographical Society 'Young Geographer' competition is now open!You have until 1st June to get your entries to Miss Clarke, head of geography.Produce an A3 poster about a place (or places) that mean something to you - they can be near, far, places you've already been to or places you want to travel to in future.

Have a look at this Powerpoint for ideas: HERE

If you're in Year 7, 8 or 9, you need to:

• Describe two or more geographical ideas
• Use at least two annotated images diagrams, charts or maps

If you're in Year 10 or 11:

• Describe three or more geographical ideas
• Use at least three annotated images, diagrams, charts or maps

If you're in Year 12 or 13:

• Describe and discuss multiple geographical ideas
• Demonstrate a strong use of annotated images, diagrams, charts or maps
  

Full guidelines here: www.rgs.org

The BBC and the government have put together daily lessons for children across the UK. If you have finished the work we have set or you fancy something different, take a look.

Oak National Academy

I’m very pleased to welcome Oak National Academy, a new online classroom and resource hub, which has launched to support teachers until schools re-open. The online classroom will provide free lessons and resources for pupils from reception through to year 10. All resources, lessons and more information can be accessed here. 

As part of a collective response to the crisis, 40 teachers will be producing over 180 free online lessons each week, which will cover a range of subjects from English and maths to arts and languages.

BBC Bitesize 

This week the BBC is launching its own education package as part of their Charter across TV and online – helping to keep children learning and supporting parents. You can find more information about this here. 

The key difference between the BBC offer and the Oak National Academy is that the Academy is a planned and sequenced series of lessons for schools and trusts to use as part of their planned curriculum offer. Whereas the BBC offer is aimed more at parents and pupils.

Please note that we are not responsible for any of this content. If there are any technical issues, please contact the BBC or Oak Academy directly. We have found that the Oak Academy videos work best on Internet Explorer (the sound doesn't always work on Chrome, but we are sure they will be ironing out these teething issues moving forward).

Starting Monday 23rd March Joe Wicks The Body Coach is going to be hosting a free workout aimed at kids LIVE on his YouTube channel.

With the schools closed and with us all spending more time at home, it's more important than ever that we keep moving and stay healthy and positive. Exercise is an amazing tool to help us feel happier, more energised, and more optimistic.

The workouts will be fun and suitable for all ages and even adults can get involved.  You don't need any equipment, just tune in on YouTube at 9am each morning for a 30-minute, fun workout. 

We were delighted to support the FSCI Christmas Box Appeal last term. Thank you to all those families who made the commitment of time and money to contribute a box. Thousands of children and families in institutions, kindergartens and schools in poor rural and urban areas, senior citizens homes, Roma communities, protected homes and refugee centres throughout Bulgaria received Christmas presents as a result of the generosity of those taking part in the appeal last year, with a total 9,985 boxes distributed.

This included 70 from Barr Beacon.

Teodora Koleva, Director of FSCI Bulgaria, is in no doubt about the importance of the project. “With the Christmas boxes, we show people who live on the periphery of society, often forgotten and overlooked, that we think of them and believe in them. At Christmas it is important to be good – with our loved ones and acquaintances, and even with people we do not know, with people who need support”.

In the UK hundreds of people gave their time to help sort and pack the boxes. Rich Parsons, the project leader, was amazed by the number of people who gave their time. “Our volunteers are amazing; we simply couldn’t have delivered a successful appeal without them. We’re so thankful to everyone who donated a box or gave their time to help out. We’ve had a fantastic response again from our supporters and their efforts have made a lot of children and families very happy.”

Thank you again for your donations which brought joy to those who didn’t have much to celebrate at all last Christmas time.

Five pupils are celebrating achieving ‘genius level’ results in MENSA’s world-renowned IQ test.

Two of these pupils exceeded the 160 IQ that Albert Einstein and Professor Stephen Hawking were said to have possessed. Arjan Singh Basra and Aarti Bhupla achieved an incredible ‘perfect score’ of 162. Kuran Marwaha, Katie Ord and Kaylisia Tobias each possess IQs of 152 putting them in the top 2% of the population.

Each pupil was delighted by their result.

Aarti Bhupla “My parents were very proud and I received video messages from family across the country.”

Arjan Singh Basra “I was speechless. My parents kept saying ‘wow’ and treated me to a family meal.”

Katie Ord “My Mum has shared the news far and wide. It has inspired my family to try the test too.”

Kaylisia Tobias “I’m so proud of myself for concentrating hard and focusing. I was treated to a lovely meal out with my family.”

Kuran Marwaha “My parents always advise me that you can do anything that you put your mind to if you work hard.”

We use the MENSA test because we are passionate about uncovering potential and nurturing it. We are delighted that these pupils have been recognised by MENSA as being in the top 2% of the whole country. Statistically, of course, not everyone can be a ‘genius’. But knowing they have a high IQ will encourage these pupils to push themselves further.

This year’s Awards Evening was a fantastic celebration of what Barr Beacon is all about. As Head Boy Harjodh made clear in his closing speech: “inspiration is nothing without perspiration”. Every single award winner of the evening embodied this idea, whether they worked hard and achieved in their subjects or in extracurricular pursuits.

The guest speaker for the evening was Barr Beacon alumnus Chris Lane, who left school in 1998 to study Law at the University of Oxford, became a barrister and is now a vicar.

Presenting the sports awards was another alumnus: Jack Birch, currently playing for Aston Villa Football Club.

Chair of Governors Dr Deborah Park handed out many of the awards and we welcomed back Clive Mills, Beacon teacher of 43 years, to present the award named in his honour.