Barr Beacon School has lots of exciting and fun acitivities to help raise money for Children in Need. 

From Monday 31^st October our year 13 House Captains will be visiting all forms with ‘guess the name of the teddy bear’ and ‘how many sweets are in the jar?’ competitions. Both activities cost 50p per entry and winners will be announced on the big day – Friday 18^th November 2022. 

On Thursday 17^th November 2022 pupils will have the opportunity to take part in a penalty shootout against a member of staff. This will take place during both break times in the sports hall and will cost 50p for 3 shots.  

All money raised will go directly to Children in Need.  

We are delighted to hear that one of our former students has very recently been invited to Buckingham Palace to receive an MBE. 

Robert Cashmore MBE completed his Sixth Form studies at Barr Beacon School in 2002.  He studied AS level Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Business & Economics, Geography and History.  He pursued Mathematics, Business & Economics and Geography into year 2 and finished his school years with a fantastic set of A level results – grades AAB.  He continued with his academic learning and has many achievements under his belt.  He is currently working for London based Octopus Investments as their Global Institutional Distribution Director for the Middle East.

Here is Robert’s story:

“Since finishing Barr Beacon I have completed two undergraduate degrees, one from the London School of Economics and the other from the University of Cambridge.  Following that I completed a Masters Degree at the University of Oxford. I have lived in a number of different countries.

I spent five years in the City of London working for a number of investment banks, including UBS and Bank of America Merrill Lynch.  Prior to Octopus, I was a senior British diplomat specialising in Gulf investment into the UK.  I spent four years as the UK Government’s Head of Investment for Saudi Arabia and two years as the Director for Investment Middle East, based in the United Arab Emirates.  During my time here, I played a leading role in securing the £10bn UAE-UK Sovereign Investment Partnership.  I received an MBE in the 2020 Queen’s Honours list for services to UK Trade and Investment.

Last week I was invited to Buckingham Palace to receive my MBE from HRH Princess Anne.”

We offer our congratulations to Robert for all his successes following on from his hard work and dedication.  We are thrilled to be in contact with him and look forward to inviting him into school to work with our current students.

On Friday 30^th September staff at Barr Beacon School joined in the national coffee morning to raise important funds for Macmillan cancer support. Staff were extremely generous in providing both delicious cakes and treats to be purchased and in turn their donations. This successful event raised £178.50 to help with this worthy cause. Many thanks to all the staff who came along or made a donation.

Her Majesty the Queen was with no doubt the mother of Britain. Her devotion, dedication and love throughout her 70-year reign were a constant. I never had the opportunity to meet the Queen in person. However, she was a woman I held close to my heart. Her Majesty kept us all connected and proud to be British. The passing away of Her Majesty has brought great sadness to the whole nation but also a sense of togetherness as we reflect on her great service to our country and indeed the Commonwealth.

As a way of honouring Her Majesty I, on behalf of Barr Beacon School, went to pay my respects to the late Queen lying in state. Despite the 14-hour queue and the cold evening, I can proudly say I am now a part of history. I will be able to say to generations to come that I was part of this Elizabethan era. This was an experience which I will forever hold close to my heart. The sense of community and togetherness throughout the 6-mile journey proved how the Queen had the capability to bring everyone together. This was an experience which I will never forget.

‘Thank you, Ma’am, for your endless service and selflessness to us all.’

Dilraaj

Deputy Head Boy

We will be holding both open evenings and open mornings this year to give all prospective Year 7 parents and pupils the chance to come and visit us. These events will give you a little insight into what is means to be a pupil at Barr Beacon School and give you the chance to ask any questions you may have.

Open Evening will take place on Thursday 15th September 2022 - 5pm - 8pm

Open Mornings will take place on both Friday 16^th September 2022 - 9.10-10.00am and Friday 7^th October 2022 - 9.10 - 10.00am

We are celebrating some super results for our pupils this year with 71% achieving grades 9-5 including English and maths and 85% securing grades 9-4 including English and maths.  Despite the interruptions and challenges that all of this cohort has met during their Key Stage 4, they have worked tirelessly to show what they can do.  All of our staff have been committed to supporting the pupils to achieve today's outcomes. 

There are so many stories of success for this year group and here are some examples: 

• Isobel C secured eight grade 9s and 1 grade 8.
• Jessica M secured two grade 9s, 6 grade 8s and one grade 7.
• Alex H secured six grade 9s, 2 grade 8s and one grade 7.
• Nikita M secured three grade 9s, five grade 8s and a Distinction*
• Mohammad M secured four grade 9s, three grade 8s and 2 grade 7s.
• Heleana secured seven grade 9s, one grade 8 and one grade 7.
• Maisie secured six grade 9s, 1 grade 8 and a Distinction*.

Other stories of success include pupils who exceeded their baselines in all subjects: Shantelle E, Ishaq A, Callum F, Jai H and Dadiso G. 

Well done to everyone for their hard work and effort. 

Our students are celebrating a host of impressive Key Stage 5 results including A Level and BTEC, with over 40% of grades at A*/A or equivalent. We are delighted with our students who have achieved a 97% pass rate at A Level and 100% pass rate for BTEC.

We are so very proud of our students.  They have faced two turbulent years in their education which removed the opportunity for formal exams in year 11.  Given the challenges encountered, our students have worked hard and it has paid off.

Many are progressing to a wide range of exciting courses and destinations including: medicine, nursing, criminology and law.  to name a few. Our students’ choices reflect their individuality and we are delighted for them.

Individual successes include: 

Theo Michael achieved A*, A & A who is going to Exeter to read Law

Sam Wilson is celebrating A*, A & A is going to read Maths

Jack Tranter achieved D*, D* & D and is going to study Digital Film Production

Jack Mander achieved A, A & A and is going to read Medicine

Holly Payton has secured an Apprenticeship with Collins Aerospace Engineering

Simran Ghuman achieved A*, A & D*.  Simran is going to Aston to read Law.

Sophia Ali is going to read Psychology at Cardiff after securing A*, A* & D*