PROSPECTUS BELIEVE. BELONG. BECOME.
“The headteacher and governing body, well supported by senior and middle leaders, are taking decisive action to improve the school. The impact of their leadership is evident in better teaching and pupils’ progress.” Ofsted, May 2019
Mr Alan Streeter - Headteacher
WELCOME Welcome to the Beacon High prospectus. At Beacon High we are proud to reflect the population of our local community, with a good mix of boys and girls from all backgrounds in our borough. Our diversity is one of our strengths.
We place great emphasis on the highest standards for all our students. We promote self-esteem and community values for everyone in the school and pastoral care and inclusion are excellent. Staff know and support students extremely well and provide extra care and assistance where necessary. We also have a house system that encourages a strong sense of community and competition.
Our academic curriculum is at the heart of school life and ensures that all students get the opportunity to study academic disciplines. Whilst we want all our students to leave Beacon High with the currency they need to access the next stage of their education and to have an unrelenting focus on hard work and discipline, we know that getting great exam results is only half of a good education. We are determined to deliver as many opportunities as we can for every child to flourish outside the classroom. We have excellent facilities and outdoor space, including a swimming pool, and all of our Year 7 & 8 students learn to play the violin.
At Beacon High, we assume that our learners will achieve their best. We know that our learners will respond to clear boundaries and a clear vision. If we show our students that we believe in them and encourage them to have belief in themselves, their confidence grows and there is no limit to what they can achieve. Our students will leave school not only academically qualified, but also confident, mature and ready to prove themselves.
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LEARNING JOURNEY Our Learning Journey provides an outline for all of our stakeholders, of the unique and diverse range of quality enrichment and learning activities that students can enjoy during their secondary school years at Beacon High.
We developed this journey to make explicit the range of opportunities on offer for our students to grow, develop and learn. We want our young people to develop the skills and experiences to lead successful and fulfilling adult lives, as well as realise their dreams and ambitions. We believe, wholeheartedly, in the holistic education and developing the whole child.
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On this page you will find our Learning Journey. This of course, is not an exhaustive outline of all the fantastic learning opportunities that go on in our school every day, rather an overview of the highlights that we think makes the experiences we provide genuinely distinctive and transformative and a fulfilment of our motto in practice: Believe. Belong. Become.
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THE WIDER CURRICULUM Whilst we want all our students to leave Beacon High with the currency they need to access the next stage of their education and to have an unrelenting focus on hard work and discipline, we know that getting great exam results is only half of a good education. We are determined to deliver as many opportunities as we can for every child to flourish. Students work hard to develop leadership, organisation, resilience, initiative and communication skills through our LORIC programme that runs through tutor time, assemblies, trips, home learning and other activities in which students take part. Student leadership is valued throughout the school and students have many opportunities to help shape the future of Beacon High and lead others as they do so. We are determined to deliver as many opportunities as we can for every child to flourish outside the classroom. We have excellent facilities and outdoor space, including a swimming pool, and have many extra-curricular
sports clubs and teams. All of our Year 7 & 8 students learn to play the violin and we have an orchestra and a choir students from all years are invited to join. Each year, a number of drama and music performances, and our art exhibition, celebrate the creativity and passion shown by our students in their study and practice of the arts. Trips are an important part of extending our students’ learning and life experiences and a number of trips take place for each year group throughout the year. Beacon High has achieved ‘Beacon School’ status 2019/2020 for Holocaust Education and students have had the privilege of hearing from Holocaust survivors as well as going on trips to support their learning.
“Pupils gain self-confidence and a sense of community responsibility from a range of leadership opportunities.” Ofsted, May 2019
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“I enjoy going to concerts and also performing in them with a diverse range of people! MISST has helped me to feel part of a community and I loved going on the residential trip.� Vincent
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SUPPORTING OUR STUDENTS Supporting our students and equipping them to make positive choices throughout their lives is an essential part of the work of Beacon High. We have three school rules: be ready, be safe and be respectful. By treating students with respect and calmly and politely ensuring student keep to our expectations of them they flourish personally and academically. When mistakes happen, students are supported to have restorative meetings with other students or staff members.
All students are allocated to one of our four houses and are well supported by their Head of House and an Assistant Head of House. Year 7 students have an extra level of support throughout their transition and in Year 7 though our ‘Year 7 Base’. Year 7 students have their own dedicated area of the school and specially trained staff to support their learning and wellbeing as they start at secondary school. All students follow our comprehensive PSHE programme through discrete lessons and cover topics to help them make healthy and safe choices. A range of speakers and workshops also take place to support the PSHE curriculum. Further workshops are delivered through our Wellbeing Centre, which also offers students an additional space to support students’ social and emotional wellbeing.
“Leaders work closely with a range of external agencies to help pupils stay safe and to support their welfare.” Ofsted, May 2019
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“At our conference “The school provides pupils with this year I made pastoral care to support their a pledgegood “to work welfare and harder and harder tosafety.” Ofsted, 2019 succeed”. The May help I get in class and from my teachers outside of lessons helps my hard work to pay off.”
Sila
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COMMITMENT TO INCLUSION All students at Beacon High are given encouragement and support to help them to make progress, grow in confidence and realise their aspirations regardless of whether they have additional needs. Students with SEND are very well supported both in class and in withdrawal groups when this is helpful. Our excellent relationships with colleagues from external services, such as Speech and Language therapists, CAMHS professionals, ensure that students have their individual needs met to allow them to thrive academically and socially.
For students who arrive at Beacon High with English as an Additional Language support is provided on either a one-toone or group basis as needed. Home languages are celebrated and students have the opportunity to sit a GCSE in their community language, with tutoring in-school for the exams.
“Small-group, one-to-one and in-class support for pupils with SEND and those who speak English as an additional language are effective. This helps them to make strong progress.” Ofsted, May 2019
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“I feel happy that I have learned much more English and made many friends. I felt scared before I started at Beacon High but now I feel confident and positive.� Nagham
Beacon High Hilldrop Road, Islington N7 0JG 020 7607 5885 postbox@beaconhigh.org www.beaconhigh.org @Beacon_High