In preparation for their trip to Japan, students in Year 12 enjoyed a theatrical meal at Shogun Sushi Bar and Teppanyak in Birmingham. They gained a taste of some of the flavours ahead, practised their chop stick skills and even had a go at cooking Shogun style, learning some impressive tricks. It was a great opportunity to meet the other students across the Matrix Trust who will also be travelling to Japan, and to get excited about the adventures ahead.
On behalf of Mrs Cornwall, Mrs Hibbs and Great Barr Food Bank we would like to say a MASSIVE thank you to all the pupils and staff who brought in donations as part of our Reversed Advent Calendar Christmas Charity Appeal.
Tony from Great Barr Food Bank said “this was one of the largest collections from a school he has ever seen and that it will do tremendous good for local families this Christmas. Barr Beacon should be extremely proud of themselves.” In total Barr Beacon collected 302 kgs of donations which is nearly a third of a ton! These donations will be shared with local families over Christmas and into the New Year.
Barr Beacon School have been celebrating the achievements of a number of our staff. Whatever role they have to play in the smooth operation of the school all of our staff do a fantastic job to make the Barr Beacon vision of ‘Proud to Succeed’ a reality. From the amazing work of the site team, catering staff and admin department to the teachers in the classroom delivering on that promise for high quality education. We really couldn’t do it without the diligence, support and determination from all of our team who work tirelessly, continuingly looking for ways to adapt and develop to ensure they deliver the very best in whatever job they do.
To mark this the Matrix Academy Trust have recognised the achievements of a number of our staff across the year. Whilst it would be true to say all of our team deserve awards of some description and we are immensely proud of all, these individuals have stood out particularly as helping to make Barr Beacon what it is today. Barr Beacon wouldn’t be Barr Beacon without each and every one of these members and the rest of the staff body. We thank you for all of your support as Barr Beacon stakeholders throughout this year and invite you to wish our staff a huge Well Done for an extremely successful 2022!
Following our ‘How to Support your Most Able child workshop’ many parents asked for the resources from the session to be shared. These resources can be found below.
Donations for our Christmas Charity appeal for our local food bank have started to flood in. Pupils in 8C1 have already collected a large variety of food and sanitary products to help local families at this special time of year. We are extremely grateful for all contributions made to this very worthy cause. The last day for donations is Thursday 15th December.
Dance students from across the Matrix Academy Trust came together on Monday 21st November at Turves Green Boys School to perform in a collaborative project. Each school was assigned a section of ‘Celebrate’ by Pitbull to choreograph and perform, before all coming together as one to learn and perform the final section. The event saw over 100 students come together and share their passion for dance. Students thoroughly enjoyed the experience of performing in front of others and making new friends. The overall performance shows the motivation and commitment that these students have for the subject.
Year 13 students all took part in a workshop delivered by KPMG. Students were able to experience what it is like to work for a huge global business, taking on the role of consultant for the day. In teams, students made a pitch to solve a real life problem faced by KPMG, using cutting-edge technology within their solution. In the process, students had the chance to develop a range of transferable skills ready to take with them to the workplace or university.
Our visiting KPMG representative said: “It was a pleasure meeting your students. I was incredibly impressed with their enthusiasm approaching the challenge. Every team showcased an array of skills and worked together extremely well to find a solution. Their creativity also stood out as a clear strength.”
We are delighted to award four of our Year 13 students with an iPad each to celebrate a milestone that they have reached – 100% attendance for 6 consecutive years! This is a remarkable achievement and reflects their resilience and strength of character. We applaud and congratulate them all.
As has become tradition, a small team of our Sixth Form students took part in the Lord Mayor’s Sixth Form Mega Quiz again this year. They battled through 10 rounds of questions, with topics ranging from high level mathematics, through to popular music. There were over 40 other local schools in attendance and the Lord Mayor of Birmingham herself. Students had an enjoyable time and represented the school admirably. Funds raised from the quiz will go to help worthy causes within the Lord Mayor’s Charity Appeal.
Pupils with an interest in pursuing STEM careers attended an engaging workshop from Collins Aerospace. They gained an insight into the many different types of engineering careers by speaking to 6 different apprentices, learning about roles from Mechanical Design Engineering to Business.
Pupils were also set a challenge to create a parachute to protect an egg and were able to launch and test their designs. In the process, pupils gained skills of team work, communication and problem solving. The event was a huge success, with all pupils saying they had enjoyed the workshop and several pupils intending to make an application for an apprenticeship with Collins.
What made the event extra special was that it was run by our Alumnus, Harry Pickard, who is now working as a Manufacturing Engineer after securing a Degree Apprenticeship when he left Barr Beacon School.
Our pupils said: “I’ve really enjoyed it. This definitely sounds like a great job to have.” (Kellen, Year 11); “Overall the work shop was very helpful. It summed up what could be achieved in the engineering field and delved into the specifics and niches of the industry. Collins Aerospace also did a very good job explaining how you can enter the company from either the university route or straight from school by joining their apprenticeship scheme. I left the talk with a much better understanding of engineering and a desire to learn more.” (Corey, Year 13)
Barr Beacon School
Old Hall Lane
Aldridge, Walsall
West Midlands
WS9 0RF
T: 0121 366 6600
postbox@barrbeaconschool.co.uk
Monday - Thursday: 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Friday: 8:00 am - 3:30 pm
