Beacon Academy

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Beacon Academy 38 Robartes Road, Bodmin, Cornwall PL31 1JQ

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Outcome

Evidence gathered during this ungraded (section 8) inspection suggests that the school’s work may have improved significantly across all areas since the previous inspection. The school’s next inspection will be a graded inspection.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Kaye Haywood. This school is part of Kernow Learning Multi Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Clare Crowle, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by David Parker.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school values ‘be brave, be brilliant, believe’ radiate through this thriving and inclusive school. Staff are relentless in their drive to ensure that pupils excel in everything that they do, especially those pupils who are disadvantaged. Every second is made to count, and this is lived through the ‘Shine Brightly’ curriculum. As a result, pupils achieve exceptionally well at Beacon Academy. They have a deep understanding of the curriculum and so they are very well prepared for their next stage of learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils demonstrate highly positive attitudes in all that they do. They behave consistently well and take great pride in their work. Pupils across the school are polite, well-mannered and show high levels of respect for one another. Staff build incredibly strong relationships with pupils to ensure that they feel safe and well looked after.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ wider development is exemplary. The school has meticulously planned opportunities that go way beyond the academic. Through ‘Ignite and Wonder’ weeks, pupils are provided with a wealth of experiences. For example, ‘Beacon Fest’ supports pupils’ transition to their next class, promoting a sense of belonging. This helps pupils to feel secure and excited about their next stage. 18 and 19 March 2025

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school, the trust and those responsible for governance strive for excellence for every pupil who attends. Governors rightly say that, at Beacon Academy, ‘nothing is left to chance’. The school is aspirational for pupils from the start. Through an ambitious curriculum, pupils build their knowledge across subjects sequentially, alongside developing their language. Published outcomes, which are well above the national average, demonstrate how well pupils learn the curriculum.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Reading is central to the curriculum. The early stages of reading are interwoven across early years and the specially resourced provision, ‘Cosmonauts’. This ensures that pupils develop secure communication and language before moving on to the more formal stages of learning to read. The school teaches phonics expertly to enable pupils to learn to read well. The school is uncompromising in the checks it makes to identify and support any pupils who need extra help to keep up. A love of reading threads through the curriculum. Pupils talk enthusiastically about the rewards they gain for reading, such as wearing the ‘golden hoodie’ that recognises their reading achievements.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school has a clear understanding of how well the curriculum is taught and uses this understanding to develop and refine subjects further. For example, staff benefit from regular training, including from trust experts. They are overwhelmingly positive about the support they receive to teach the curriculum to a high standard. Throughout lessons, staff demonstrate their secure subject knowledge. They use questions carefully to help pupils to deepen their understanding and to share what they know. Through the development of oracy, staff support pupils to become confident speakers making links with what they have learned before. Staff prioritise the use of subject-specific vocabulary, starting in the early years, where pictures alongside vocabulary help pupils to build their conceptual understanding. Across the school, pupils have a strong recall of the curriculum. For example, pupils describe rivers using technical vocabulary and apply their understanding

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

when debating the advantages and disadvantages of national parks, such as Yellowstone.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school is ambitious for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to be included and to achieve well. It prioritises the early identification of any barriers to learning. Staff identify pupils’ needs accurately to ensure that pupils with SEND benefit from individualised bespoke support. This enables pupils to make accelerated progress across the curriculum due to the exceptional support they have in place. This includes pupils in ‘Cosmonauts’, who benefit from being taught by highly trained staff who meet their complex needs well.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school underpins the personal development curriculum with experiences that broaden pupils’ horizons. Residentials play an integral role in exposing pupils to a range of places and opportunities. During these, pupils visit museums to enhance their knowledge of the curriculum as well as different places of worship to develop their understanding of religions and cultures. They also visit sporting venues and celebrate performing arts. Pupils with SEND are given all the support they need to benefit from the school’s offer, including those pupils in ‘Cosmonauts’. Pupils understand and celebrate diversity. They appreciate the uniqueness of individuals and know the importance of treating each other 18 and 19 March 2025

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equally. Pupils demonstrate this during social times where they are inclusive of each other and treat the equipment they use with great respect. Because of this, the school is a very happy place to learn.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024, graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in May 2019.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, 'disadvantaged pupils' is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and 18 and 19 March 2025

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protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 18 and 19 March 2025

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 8 and 9 May 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of Kernow Learning Multi Academy Trust.  The school operates a fifteen-place resourced provision called the ‘Cosmonauts’ for pupils with complex needs within the local authority. These pupils spend time in the resource base, and they are integrated within the school when appropriate.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school. 18 and 19 March 2025

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 The inspector spoke with school leaders, curriculum leaders, staff, those responsible for governance and trust leaders, including the CEO.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site. Additionally, the inspector spoke to pupils to discuss their views about the school.  The inspector considered responses to Ofsted’s online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View, as well as Ofsted’s online survey for staff. There were no responses to Ofsted’s online survey for pupils.

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Inspection team

Esther Best, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 18 and 19 March 2025

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achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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