The Beacon Primary Pupil Referral Unit

The Beacon Primary Pupil Referral Unit

Address: Longdon Close, Woodrow South, Woodrow, Redditch, Worcestershire, B98 7UZ Unique reference number (URN): 130987

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Attendance is a strength of the school. Leaders take a persistent and effective approach to improving attendance for pupils who have often experienced prolonged absence. Attendance is monitored closely, and leaders act promptly when concerns arise. As a result, pupils’ attendance improves significantly over time, including for those who were previously persistently absent. Leaders work closely with families and external professionals to remove barriers, rebuild trust and support regular attendance. This helps pupils to establish positive routines and engage more consistently with learning and school life.

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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Pupils’ behaviour is calm and well managed. Staff respond consistently with care and professionalism and support pupils to manage their emotions and return to learning following difficulties. Safe spaces are used appropriately to support regulation rather than exclusion. Bullying is not a feature of the school, and any concerns are addressed swiftly. Clear routines, consistent expectations and strong relationships help to maintain a settled environment throughout the school day. As a result, pupils develop trust in adults, confidence in school and positive attitudes towards learning.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The school is highly welcoming. Staff are responsive to pupils’ additional needs, and leaders identify, assess and meet these needs effectively. There is particular strength in the support provided for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those known to social care and disadvantaged pupils.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Assessment on entry is detailed and timely, enabling staff to understand pupils’ needs quickly and to put appropriate support in place. This helps to reduce barriers to learning and well-being, particularly for pupils who arrive with significant emotional distress or a history of disrupted attendance. Support is carefully tailored, enabling pupils to re ‑ engage gradually and positively with education. Leaders work persistently with families, social care and other professionals to secure appropriate provision and timely decisions about pupils’ next steps.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Disadvantaged pupils are supported through bespoke approaches that address their individual circumstances. Staff understand which pupils receive additional funding and review their progress regularly, ensuring that support remains responsive and effective.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders ensure that all pupils are fully included in school life and develop positive relationships with adults. Pupils are supported to participate in learning and wider experiences regardless of their starting points or needs. Inclusion is not an additional feature but a core principle that shapes the school’s work and enables pupils to feel valued, supported and able to succeed.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders have established a culture of trust, care and ambition. They are reflective and have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for further improvement. Decisions are made consistently in pupils’ best interests and focus on strengthening pupils’ experiences and achievement.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Those responsible for governance understand the school’s context well and provide effective challenge and support. Governors seek assurance through regular engagement with leaders, staff and families. This enables them to test leaders’ evaluations and maintain confidence in the school’s work.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders prioritise staff well-being and recognise the emotional demands of working in a specialist setting. They take deliberate steps to manage workload and support staff sustainability. Staff feel valued and supported and speak positively about leadership. Professional development is closely aligned with pupils’ needs and supports staff to develop expertise in meeting pupils’ complex behavioural and well-being needs.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders work proactively with local authority partners and external agencies to support inclusion, transitions and appropriate decision-making for pupils with complex needs. Leaders recognise that information provided at the start of some placements is not always sufficiently detailed or timely, which can limit early planning for a small number of pupils. Leaders appropriately challenge this and continue to advocate persistently for pupils’ entitlement within the wider system.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Parents and carers are positive about the difference the school makes to their children’s lives.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Personal development and well-being are integral to life at the school. Leaders have designed an approach that supports pupils’ social, emotional and mental health, recognising the trauma and disruption many pupils have experienced. This work is embedded throughout the school day rather than delivered as a discrete programme.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Pupils are taught explicitly about emotions, relationships and well-being. They learn practical strategies to regulate their behaviour, manage strong feelings, and understand others’ emotions, such as using agreed-upon calming techniques, recognising emotional cues, and seeking appropriate adult support. These approaches are consistently reinforced through shared language, clear routines and adult modelling. As a result, pupils become increasingly reflective, resilient and able to manage themselves within learning and social situations. Staff know pupils well and build trusting relationships that help pupils feel safe, valued and understood. Through structured routines, clear expectations and graduated responsibilities, pupils develop confidence and independence.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Consistent routines and calm expectations support pupils’ well-being across the school. Predictable daily structures, supported transitions, and access to trusted adults help pupils feel secure, reduce anxiety, and sustain engagement across lessons, social times, and movement between activities. Over time, pupils demonstrate improved self-awareness. They can explain strategies that help them to feel calm, settled or ready to learn and show growing empathy and increasingly positive interactions with peers.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

The school places a clear focus on preparing pupils for their next steps. Staff work closely with families and other professionals to support transitions, ensuring that pupils are

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Expected standard

emotionally supported alongside their academic development. As a result, pupils develop confidence, life skills, and a strong sense of belonging, enabling them to leave better prepared for future education and the wider world.

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Achievement Expected standard

From low starting points, most pupils make meaningful progress, particularly in attendance, engagement and emotional regulation. These gains are significant and support pupils’ readiness to re ‑ engage with academic learning. Pupils’ achievement is understood in the context of their highly disrupted educational histories and complex needs.

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Achievement Expected standard

Achievement is strongest where staff use assessment information precisely to inform learning. In these cases, pupils build knowledge and skills securely over time from their individual starting points. This is particularly evident in mathematics and in early reading and phonics, where pupils with significant communication and literacy needs make notable progress and develop greater confidence as learners.

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Achievement Expected standard

However, where assessment information is not used consistently well to shape learning, pupils do not build knowledge as securely as they could. For some pupils, this results in less consistent progress over time.

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Achievement Expected standard

Overall, pupils achieve well given their starting points, particularly in re ‑ engaging with learning and developing positive attitudes towards their education.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The curriculum is responsive to pupils’ needs, experiences and stages of development. Staff create calm and supportive learning environments that prioritise pupils’ emotional regulation and readiness to learn. This enables many pupils to re ‑ engage positively with learning following previous disruption.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Teaching is typically effective, particularly where staff use their understanding of pupils’ starting points to plan bespoke learning pathways. In these instances, pupils build knowledge and skills securely over time. In early reading and phonics, pupils with the most complex needs benefit from carefully structured and individualised approaches that support the development of communication and early literacy.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

However, there is some variability in how well the curriculum is sequenced in a small number of subjects and in how consistently staff use pupils’ starting points to shape learning. For some pupils, learning activities are not precisely matched to their needs. As a result, teachers do not always build systematically on what pupils already know and can do, and some gaps in learning are not addressed as promptly or consistently as they could be.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils who attend the school have often experienced disruption to their education. Staff understand pupils’ individual circumstances and provide consistent care and support that enable pupils to re ‑ engage with learning and rebuild confidence. This approach underpins the school’s work.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils attend regularly and start the day in a calm and purposeful way. Staff place a strong emphasis on pupils feeling settled and ready to learn. Routines are flexible and responsive, allowing pupils time to regulate and feel safe. Pupils’ individuality is recognised and valued. Learning environments are adapted to meet pupils’ needs, including access to quiet spaces, opportunities for movement and familiar indoor and outdoor areas that support pupils to engage positively.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Staff know pupils extremely well and understand their histories, vulnerabilities and strengths. Expectations remain appropriately high, and pupils are supported to make progress from their individual starting points. Progress is reflected in pupils’ increasing willingness to engage, sustain attention and participate in learning, alongside developing confidence in interacting with adults and peers.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils behave well. When pupils experience difficulties, staff respond calmly and consistently. Behaviour is understood as a form of communication, and staff support pupils effectively to regulate their emotions and behaviour. Pupils learn that mistakes are accepted and that they remain valued members of the school community. As a result, pupils develop trusting relationships with staff and feel secure.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils’ growing confidence supports successful learning. Small steps in reading and mathematics are recognised and celebrated, helping pupils to see themselves as learners. Pupils also benefit from wider experiences that support their social development and well ‑ being.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that teachers build precisely on what pupils already know and understand, and that they systematically address any gaps in pupils' learning across all subjects. Leaders should continue to work with local authority partners and other stakeholders to develop the quality and timeliness of commissioning information at the start of placements, ensuring that it is sufficiently detailed, accurate and aligned with statutory guidance.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The data was used by the inspector(s) during the inspection. More recent data may have been published since the inspection took place.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England. Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty's Inspectors (HMI) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMI.

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What does this mean?

Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, school leaders, staff and pupils. They also spoke with representatives of the management committee.

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What does this mean?

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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What does this mean?

At the time of the inspection, there were 10 pupils on roll. Of these 10 pupils nine have an education, health and care plan.

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What does this mean?

The school provides education for pupils who have experienced disruption in education, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to regular attendance.

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What does this mean?

Most places are commissioned by the local authority. Some pupils are dual registered with a mainstream school. Pupils typically join the school at different points during the academic year and for varying lengths of time.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational support needs at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English Indices of Deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care. services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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