The Beacon Church of England (VA) Primary School

The Beacon Church of England (VA) Primary School has been judged to require special measures following its January 2026 inspection. Inspectors found that safeguarding is effective and pupils are generally safe, well cared for and positive about school. Attendance and behaviour are at the expected standard, and personal development and wellbeing are clear strengths: pupils benefit from nurturing relationships, a wide range of enriching experiences, strong pastoral support and a strong sense of community. However, pupils' achievement is not good enough. Many do not learn essential knowledge in reading, writing and mathematics consistently well, and too many are not ready for the next stage of education. Phonics provision is uneven, early reading support is not precise, and published phonics outcomes are low. Disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND often have significant gaps. Early years requires urgent improvement: the curriculum is not sufficiently ambitious, coherent or well sequenced, assessment is not used sharply enough, and some children enter key stage 1 without foundational knowledge, including early reading and fine motor skills. Inclusion also needs attention because SEND needs are not always identified quickly or accurately, and support is not consistently well matched. Curriculum and teaching need attention; recent improvements are at an early stage, and checks on learning do not routinely lead to effective adaptations. Leadership and governance require urgent improvement: leaders have faced staff absence, ill health and a changing pupil profile, but have not acted with enough urgency or precision; governors do not have a precise enough view of school effectiveness to secure rapid improvement. The school is small, has a high proportion of pupils with SEN support, and is in an area with above-average deprivation, with disadvantaged pupils' outcomes well below national averages.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met and pupils feel safe.
• Pupils generally behave well and follow school routines.
• Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and enjoy coming to school.
• Staff-pupil relationships are positive and nurturing.
• Pupils show kindness, respect and inclusion towards one another.
• Attendance is broadly in line with national averages, including for disadvantaged pupils.
• The school provides a wide range of enrichment, trips, clubs, choir and orchestra.
• Personal development and wellbeing are prioritised and well supported.
• Pastoral support for pupils and families is valued.
• Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe, including online, and are prepared for life in modern Britain.
• Leaders promote a sense of belonging and have reduced suspensions over time.
• Disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND are included in all aspects of school life.

Areas for Improvement

• The school requires special measures because it is failing to provide an acceptable standard of education.
• Leaders and governors are not demonstrating the capacity to secure necessary improvement.
• Many pupils are not ready for their next stage of education.
• Pupils do not consistently learn essential knowledge in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Phonics teaching is inconsistent and some pupils cannot decode unfamiliar words fluently.
• Support for pupils who fall behind in reading is not precise or effective enough.
• Published phonics screening check outcomes are low.
• Gaps in phonics, spelling, handwriting and sentence construction are not addressed consistently.
• Achievement is improving unevenly and too many pupils have gaps in foundational knowledge.
• The early years curriculum is not sufficiently ambitious, coherent or well sequenced.
• Early years assessment is not precise enough to identify gaps or adapt provision.
• Some children enter key stage 1 without foundational knowledge and early reading skills.
• Many children entering key stage 1 need extra support with fine motor skills for writing.
• Curriculum implementation is inconsistent, particularly in reading and writing.
• Checks on what pupils know do not routinely lead to precise adaptations or support.
• Pupils with SEND are not always identified quickly or accurately.
• Support for pupils with SEND is not consistently precise or well matched.
• Leaders do not have sufficient oversight of support for pupils with SEND.
• Training for staff has had limited impact on classroom practice.
• Leaders have not acted with enough urgency or precision to secure improvement.
• Governors do not have a precise enough understanding of school effectiveness or improvement pace.
• Leaders do not review the impact of staff training or evaluate consistency of implementation.
• A significant minority of parents have less positive views.
• Disadvantaged pupils' outcomes are well below national averages, with large gaps.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at The Beacon Church of England (VA) Primary School attended 94.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.3% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 3.0% of pupils at The Beacon Church of England (VA) Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 The Beacon Church of England (VA) Primary School had 16.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 33.8% of pupils at The Beacon Church of England (VA) Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.7% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 The Beacon Church of England (VA) Primary School received £7,999 and spent £9,094 for each of its 151 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £257,000 (-£1,704 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

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What is The Beacon Church of England (VA) Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Beacon Church of England (VA) Primary School is Urgent improvement, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was The Beacon Church of England (VA) Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

The Beacon Church of England (VA) Primary School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does The Beacon Church of England (VA) Primary School have?

The Beacon Church of England (VA) Primary School has 151 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Beacon Church of England (VA) Primary School cover?

The Beacon Church of England (VA) Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are The Beacon Church of England (VA) Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 57% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is The Beacon Church of England (VA) Primary School?

The Beacon Church of England (VA) Primary School is at 1 Beacon Place, Exmouth, Devon, EX8 2SR.