Our first ever Matrix Netball Tournament took place on Wednesday 22nd April, bringing together schools from across the trust for a fantastic day of sport, collaboration and competition. The event showcased the strength of sport within the trust and provided pupils with the opportunity to represent their schools with pride.

Throughout the day, all participating schools demonstrated excellent teamwork, determination and sportsmanship, contributing to a positive and inclusive atmosphere both on and off the court. It was particularly encouraging to see the continued growth of netball across the trust, including increased participation in mixed and boys’ netball, reflecting the sport’s expanding inclusivity.

The standard of play was consistently high, with many closely contested matches highlighting the talent and commitment of pupils from every school involved. While Etone College went on to secure the overall victory, the tournament was very much a collective success, celebrating the effort, enthusiasm and unity of all participants.

Thank you to every school, pupil and member of staff who took part and supported the event. Your contribution made the inaugural Matrix Netball Tournament a memorable occasion and a strong foundation for future trust-wide sporting events.

Our Year 12 students represented Barr Beacon School brilliantly at Walsall’s Youth Debate at the council chambers, engaging in local democracy and contributing thoughtful ideas on key issues such as fly‑tipping and the Walsall Waste Strategy, helping councillors explore solutions that matter to young people in our borough. We’re incredibly proud of how confidently they shared their views and supported local decision‑making.

Beacon Church on Pheasey estate has recently opened up a youth and community coffee shop, called 3:16 Coffee. The delicious drinks are already much cheaper than the chains and they’re offering a 50% discount for all pupils from Barr Beacon on hot drinks, slushies and milkshakes! There are also cakes and ice creams.

Even if you don’t want to buy anything at 3:16 Cafe, you’re very welcome here. And the Wifi is free for all! 

The coffee shop forms the entrance to the church with the aim of giving our community’s young people a place to hang out in a friendly, welcoming space and, if you want to, there are games and other activities too.

It’s open on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday at 9.30am to 4.30pm and Saturdays from 10am-5pm.

This week 22 pupils have received either their Bronze or Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award.  We are incredibly proud of their achievements. 

We also have student attending the Buckingham Palace Garden Parties this year to collect their Gold Awards.

Please remember your child must complete all sections of the DofE to get their award not just the expedition.  Please check their eDofE account to see what they have left to complete.

We value your thoughts and would like to hear your views about your child’s experience at Barr Beacon School. Your feedback is important in helping us to understand what we are doing well and where we can improve. 

Please take a few minutes to complete our Parental View Survey by 27^th March 2026 . The survey is quick and easy to complete.

 All submissions will be entered in to prize draw to win a £25 Amazon voucher. 

You can access it via the following link: 
Year 7 Parent / Carer survey March 2026 – Fill in form

Year 8 Parent / Carer survey March 2026  – Fill in form

Year 9 Parent / Carer survey March 2026  – Fill in form

Year 10 Parent / Carer survey March 2026   – Fill in form

Year 11 Parent / Carer survey March 2026    – Fill in form

Year 12 Parent / Carer survey March 2026   – Fill in form

Year 13 Parent / Carer survey March 2026   – Fill in form

During the first term of this academic year, pupils from across our Trust came together for a special creative project celebrating the theme of community. Hosted at Turves Green Boys’ School, pupils from each of our schools collaborated to design and create a vibrant collection of artwork that reflected what community means to them, their classmates, and their individual school environments.

Working side by side, pupils shared ideas, stories, and artistic styles to produce individual pieces. Following the event, the artwork has now been transformed into signage and distributed to every school within the Trust. This means that each school now proudly displays a piece of the collective mural, ensuring that a small part of every school community is represented across all of our sites.

These displays are now proudly showcased in various locations around each school, celebrating creativity, collaboration, and the shared values that unite our Trust. The project not only produced beautiful artwork but also created lasting connections between pupils and schools, reinforcing the importance of belonging, respect, and community.

We are incredibly proud of all the pupils who took part and the creativity, teamwork, and thought they brought to this project. The pieces stand as a lasting symbol of the spirit of our Trust – many schools, one community.

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.

Pupils took part in a range of engaging workshops across Computer Science, Food Technology, Business and more within the Technologies Faculty giving them a taste of the exciting subjects available as they begin thinking about their Pathways options.

It was great to see so much curiosity, creativity and collaboration as they explored new skills and ideas. We look forward to seeing the choices they make for the next stage of their learning!