145 Year 7 pupils travelled to Whitemoor Lakes for a residential on 27th-29th January accompanied by a staff team of 13. This was the largest residential trip that Barr Beacon School has taken and we hope it will continue to grow with our incoming pupils in the future!

Pupils embraced the opportunity to learn about themselves, get stuck in with teamwork and problem-solving activities and overcome personal challenges. Abseiling, zip line and Leap of Faith were popular with many but there was also the chance to take part in orienteering, buggy building  and team games too. Many pupils found ‘Night Line’ highly amusing as they donned black-out masks to work as a team to make their way around an assault course!

At breaks and lunch times, pupils restocked and refreshed and generally ate very well throughout! With cooked breakfasts, lasagna, sausage and mash and chilli amongst the choices available.

Pupils acquitted themselves excellently throughout, drawing compliments from the site staff for how they conducted themselves. We look forward to celebrating with the pupils in our Whitemoor Lakes Assembly later this term when pupils will win awards such as Consideration for others, Acting responsibly, Team Player and being the biggest Dare Devil.

We would also like to thank the staff who gave up their evenings to make this wonderful event possible for the pupils.

A group of Year 9 pupils had the opportunity to visit a music studio as a taster for BTEC music and to learn from professionals within the music industry. The studio team delivered a ‘question and answer’ session and a studio tour before splitting the pupils into bands to rehearse and perform to one another.

All pupils represented the music department and school superbly. Pupils commented on how happy they were with the trip, which was evident as they were all humming the Seven Nation Army riff (the song they performed in the studio) on the journey back! 

This week we celebrate the success of our Key Stage 3 pupils with our annual ‘Key Stage 3 Awards Assemblies.’

It is wonderful to see the resilience of our pupils and how they demonstrate our Beacon values daily - both in their subjects and in their personal activities. #ProudToSucceed

Year 12 and 13 historians and Year 12 sociologists took part in a webchat with Holocaust survivor Mala Tribich to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz Birkenau.

Mala spoke about her experiences of Nazi persecution following the occupation of Poland in 1939. Her message, 80 years after the Holocaust, is to be vigilant and to call out injustice, linking to the Beacon Values of ‘Act Responsibly’ and ‘Equal to Everyone’. She urged students to learn from the past to ensure that there is a different future.

This week we hosted our first ever trust wide football competition between all our schools. The competition was hosted at Etone College and utilised the outstanding facilities and Football Academy provision to implement a very competitive and fun filled event. The day consisted of high quality and competitive football from Year 8 pupils from each of our schools. Our pupils showcased sportsmanship of the highest quality and their passion for football shone through as pupils enjoyed playing and meeting people from across the trust.

It was evident as soon as the group stages started, the games were going to be decided with a bit of magic, an error, or the dreaded penalties. The group stages ended Bloxwich Academy, Dame Elizabeth Cadbury, Etone College and Turves Green Boys’ School progressed to the semi-final stage.

The 7th and 8th placed playoff was a competitive affair which saw the Etone B team victorious over Wednesfield Academy on penalties. The 5th and 6th placed game saw Barr Beacon win the game 1-0. In the semi-finals there was very little difference between the four schools in what was a very competitive high-quality game and again the dreaded penalty shoot-out came into force, Etone College and Bloxwich Academy progressed to the final and Turves Green and Dame Elizabeth went into the third and fourth playoff game

The 3rd and 4th playoff game was a very exciting game that saw both teams miss chances and played some free-flowing exciting football, unfortunately both keepers were to remain unbeaten, and Dame Elizabeth took the third place on penalties. The final consisted of Bloxwich Academy and Etone College in which was anyone’s to win after the two teams had played out a 0-0 draw earlier in the day. Etone started quickly and scored an absolute thunderbolt into the top corner to make it 1-0, Bloxwich to their credit competed fiercely and played some fantastic football and deserved their equaliser to make it 1-1. With both teams going for the win Etone caught Bloxwich on the break to open them up and scored 3 late goals to take the game and the title 4-1.

A huge well done to all pupils and staff involved and a big thankyou to all those that contributed to the event. We are looking forward to getting the next event booked into the calendar to see where the shield will end up next year.

In a remarkable achievement, 14 pupils have been invited to the prestigious "Millionaire's Club" after reaching an extraordinary milestone — reading half a million words in one term. This accomplishment highlights their dedication, passion for reading, and commitment to self-improvement. The "Millionaire's Club" is a recognition reserved for pupils who demonstrate exceptional reading habits, and to mark their success, the pupils were invited to a special celebration — the "Millionaire's Breakfast." Held in the school’s iCentre, the breakfast’s menu was simple yet indulgent: a comforting hot chocolate paired with a flaky pastry. In addition to this tasty treat, pupils also received a Millionaire’s certificate and a token for the book vending machine. Congratulations to all the Millionaires and we hope that this programme will motivate other pupils to read more.