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It's been wonderful to welcome all our students back this term, after a restful Easter break. With just 15 working days left before written examinations begin (and GCSE French speaking exams next week), there is a purposeful buzz among Year 11 and 13 students. We're really proud of everyone who is attending interventions and studying hard at home. To support Year 11 in particular, we have mixed up the Tutor Groups so that daily tutor time can be used for purposeful revision in these last few weeks. Students will revert to their usual Tutor Groups during the exam season itself. Active Listener AwardContinuing our positive behaviour curriculum, this fortnight's focus is for students to earn the Active Listener award. Students can show their respectful attention by sitting up straight, visually tracking the speaker, nodding in agreement, and actively participating in discussions with questions and answers. These behaviours communicate support and encouragement, and keep students actively engaged. 
Shaping the Future: Computing Skills from Year 7 to Year 13Computing is an ever-increasing presence in all our lives, with new technology appearing in some format on an almost weekly basis. The exciting rise of artificial intelligence is just one example of the groundbreaking technologies our students will shape in the years to come. It's important to recognise that our students are the next generation who will develop future evolution in the computer industry. 
With that in mind, students in Year 7 start with the process of 'decomposing' problems into steps that can be solved. Surprisingly this all starts on paper with the design process before getting anywhere near a computer. Above, they are learning how to break a problem down into solvable steps using flowcharts. This can then be coded on the computer using a programming language, which they will start to learn after Easter. 
By the time students reach Year 13, they are ready to tackle complex computational problems, running a project from analysis through to a working programmed solution. Here students are coding their own programs to solve a problem they have investigated in depth and devised a solution for. Some of these students are heading to university, and who knows, your favourite future game or business package could end up being created by one of them! – Mrs Y Smith 
UKMT Senior Maths ChallengeSome of our Year 10 students took part in the UKMT Senior Maths Challenge, competing against students across the country. It is very challenging and everyone that took part received a participation certificate. The top 25% of students across the country receive a Bronze Award and the top 16-17% receive a Silver Award. However, particular mention should go to Beckham who managed to achieve a Gold Award, putting him in the top 8-9%! Well done to all of our participating students. – Mr Machin 
Year 10 Drama Students Experience Powerful Musical at Coventry Belgrade TheatreOn Wednesday 29th March, Year 10 GCSE Drama students travelled to Coventry to see the highly acclaimed musical 'Blood Brothers'. As part of their GCSE course, students are studying the production, and witnessing the live and professional performance has undoubtedly deepened their understanding and appreciation of the script. 
The final tragic scene evoked tears and shocked gasps from students, showcasing the immense power of live theatre. – Mrs Karim 
Warhammer Club Gets Students Painting and Thinking Tactics!We began the year building and painting Eldar Rangers in a contest, where Tyler took home the fabled Golden Goblin trophy. Students then faced off in a grand battle between the forces of good and evil. Tyler and Oliver's careful strategy meant Rebecca and Sam needed to think tactically about how best to survive, but some lucky dice rolls from Rebecca's cannon destroyed Oliver's steam tank! Starting after Easter, the club is running a competitive league of the smaller skirmish game Warcry. – Mr Moore 
Spotlight on our Careers ChampionsWe are proud to celebrate the outstanding accomplishments of our Careers Champions this half term, who have been impressing employers during the Careers Speed Networking Event and Channel 4's Have A Go Workshop! Well done to Dayaan in Year 9, who spoke to a massive 31 companies at the Careers Speed Networking Event. 
Congratulations to Danny who was nominated by not one company but two for asking the best question at our Careers Speed Networking Event. Questions were: "What is the biggest project you've ever worked on?" and "Do you have an office in the BT Tower or any equipment?" 
Year 8 students Arjan, Dylan, Charlie, and Yves proposed a new and entertaining show that Channel 4 said they could really see happening. "Dogs go Dating" coming to a kennel near you! – Mrs Meredith 
Impressive Science Revision from Year 11Over the next few weeks, we are continuing to showcase some of the amazing revision that is taking place in the Academy. The students in 11b/Sc2 have been diligently creating weekly science revision resources since Christmas, and we're excited to showcase some of their outstanding independent work. Examples below are from Mai, Maddie, Sophie, Tommy, Ilarna, and Reece. It is great to see revision in lots of different formats. – Miss Tromans 
GoApe Treetop Adventure!On Thursday 23rd March, we took a group to GoApe in Cannock Chase – this was the first time for a lot of students. They were pushed way out of their comfort zone: tackling tree to tree crossings with two different loops, climbing high ropes, and going down zip lines! 
Students enjoyed the physical challenge and developed their physical coordination; they did exceptionally well at supporting and cheering each other on whilst tackling the treetop adventure. Students developed communication and teamwork skills and we were extremely proud of everyone who took part! 
Students engaged with a range of team games aimed to develop their communication and teamwork skills. 
The zip line was definitely a favourite amongst both the staff and students! All students really enjoyed this trip and want to go back. The staff at GoApe stated that our students at Q3 Academy Great Barr were the best they have had and would happily welcome us back. – Mrs Leadbeater 
Year 7 Students Unite for Dodgeball Fundraiser!Our Year 7 students participated in a dodgeball tournament to raise money and awareness for Birmingham Mind. This was to support Mr Richardson's fundraising in memory of his dad. Lots of students got involved and played some very competitive games, with the winning team celebrating a very clear victory at the end! 
Lots of money was raised which will go towards Birmingham Mind, a charity which aims to provide high-quality mental health support. We will also be holding another competition in the Summer Term to raise even more money. 
Well done to all of the Year 7 students who took part. Mr Richardson really appreciates all of your hard work and we look forward to another event soon. – Mrs Schwald-Samuel 
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