Beacon Primary Academy: "Good with Outstanding elements"

Support from the Trust:

"The trust offers very good support to the school and its leaders. Trust officers have a detailed understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development because they have been associated with the school from the bidding, design and build stages. The trust has been very effective in securing good-quality leadership for the school and identifying the potential of school leaders who share best practice within the local area and wider trust network." OFSTED 2016

Performance

"Pupils’ attendance has improved since the school opened and is now in line with the national average. Leaders monitor pupils’ attendance very closely and challenge absences promptly. The work of the school’s family support worker and close links to the education welfare officer have ensured that rates of persistent absence are very low."

"2016 achievement information for pupils leaving key stage 1 shows that the proportion of pupils meeting or exceeding the expected standard in reading and writing was higher than the national average. Pupils’ outcomes were broadly in line with the national average in mathematics and science. The most able pupils achieve well. The proportions of pupils attaining at a greater depth were above the national average in writing and mathematics and in line in reading."

"Disadvantaged pupils make good progress. The most able and least able disadvantaged pupils achieve well over time, particularly in relation to their starting points. Nevertheless, although the difference between disadvantaged pupils attending the school and non-disadvantaged pupils nationally is diminishing, it is not yet closed. However, internal school assessment information shows that pupils who have attended the school since it opened achieve particularly well."

Governance

"The trust board and chief executive officer take responsibility for the governance of the school. Through meetings with officers and regular updates sent to the trust, school leaders are held rigorously to account for pupils’ progress and attainment. As a result, challenging targets are in place for each child, with a particular focus on those pupils who are disadvantaged or who have special educational needs and/or disabilities."

"Trust officers hold the principal to account during their regular meetings. Officers check the accuracy of the principal’s judgements on the school by observing lessons and scrutinising pupils’ work. As a result, pupils make progress that is at least good from their starting points."