Welcome
Virtual Open Evening
September 2020
Welcome to our Virtual Open Evening. Although we would love to be showing you around our school in person, this is the best possible alternative.
You can take your tour in whatever order you like but we recommend starting with the video to the left, in which our Headteacher, Ms Draycott, welcomes you and explains what makes Barr Beacon special and whether it is the right school for your child. The video finishes with an overview of the website from Mr Lowbridge-Ellis, Deputy Headteacher, and our Year 13 Senior Team sharing aspects of their Barr Beacon journey.
Then you can scroll down to find our prospectus and watch our welcome video. Continue scrolling to hear from each subject leader about Barr Beacon's curriculum. Below these subject sections you can hear from our Heads of House and our Assistant Heads of House, who explain our rigorous approach to attendance and punctuality. Assistant Headteacher Mrs Hill explores how we promote reading and the tour ends with answers to some frequently asked questions.
If you still have questions when you have finished your tour, please do not hesitate to contact us.
September 2021 Admissions
The admission number for Year 7 in September 2021 is 252 pupils. Closing date for the submission of applications is 31st October 2020. Notification date – 1st March 2021
Core Information
Click below to read all about our core subjects and a little information from our Heads of Departments.
English
Maths
Science
Humanities
Languages
Technologies
Physical Education & Creative Arts
Heads of Houses
Attendance Matters
The Importance of Reading
Further Support
Barr Beacon School has a SENDCo. Her name is Miss Beards and you can contact her by emailing the school email address postbox@barrbeaconschool.co.uk or calling the school number 0121 366 6600.
If your child has an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) that states that they need one to one support in lessons, they will have a learning support assistant with them.
Your child may be allocated some coach support from a literacy or numeracy coach for a short period of time, but the expectation is that your child will be supported with quality first teaching by their teacher within the classroom.
Unfortunately, this will not be possible. You can contact the SENDCo via the postbox email address or by calling the school and Miss Beards will call you and answer any questions you have about the school site.
Barr Beacon School is built on a hill. This means there are a lot of steps that children need to navigate and it is not possible to put ramps into the school in all places in the six buildings that Barr Beacon School consists of. In some of the buildings there are lifts. However, there are three buildings where it is not possible to add a lift due to the age of the building. Please consider carefully if Barr Beacon School is the right school for your child if they have a physical disability.
Beacon Values
What are Beacon Values?
Barr Beacon Values were created by our pupils for our pupils. These are the values that underpin what it means not just to be a successful pupil but also a successful citizen in modern Britain.
These values represent characteristics which enable our pupils to be compassionate, community-minded individuals who contribute positively to our society, now and in the future.
Transition to Barr Beacon School From Primary School
Once your child has been allocated Barr Beacon School as their secondary school, your journey with us begins. We start to learn about your child by liaising with their Primary School about their academic ability; their learning needs and any special skills or talents that they may have.
Our Transition work includes welcoming pupils for a day in the Summer Term to learn more about the layout of our site, meet their Form Tutor, taste the menu and to gain experience some of the subjects that they will learn when they start in year 7.
Learning continues beyond the classroom and so pupils are invited to participate in activities over the summer to earn House Points for the House that they will belong to for their time with us right up until year 11.
In 2020, we hosted virtual meetings with pupils and their primary school teachers so the children joining us could ask any questions about the many things that they wanted to know about before they joined us in September.
In the Summer Term, before your child starts year 7, we also hold a welcome meeting for parents so we can set our expectations and for you to become familiar with our ways of working and routines.
All material is communicated to you via a designated page on the school website which holds an abundance of information from the Induction Booklet; Induction Tasks and Frequently Asked Questions and Answers.
