Barr Beacon School

Barr Beacon School is performing well overall, achieving a 'Good' rating in its recent Ofsted inspection. Students demonstrate exceptional behaviour and attitudes, evidenced by their strong relationships with staff and a commitment to learning. The school excels in providing a supportive and engaging environment, and leaders have emphasized a broad curriculum that includes a variety of extracurricular activities, ensuring all students, including those with special educational needs, are included and benefited. This is the school's first inspection in eight years, following a period of exemption from routine scrutiny, and it reflects a comprehensive evaluation of the school's current performance under the new inspection framework.

Strengths

• Outstanding behaviour and attitudes among students.
• Exceptional personal development support for all pupils.
• Strong relationships between students and staff.
• Ambitious and broad curriculum with a focus on the English Baccalaureate.
• High-quality extra-curricular activities that engage nearly all pupils.
• Effective career advice and support for students preparing for their future.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistency in teachers adapting lessons based on pupil understanding.

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 Barr Beacon School attended 93.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 19.5% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

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, 8.1% of pupils at Barr Beacon School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 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 Barr Beacon School had 13.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 7.9% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

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, 12.3% of pupils at Barr Beacon School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 1.9% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

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 secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Barr Beacon School received £8,109 and spent £8,634 for each of its 1,504 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,448,000 (£963 per pupil).

Across all 7 schools of Matrix Academy Trust, income was £8,375 and spending £9,033 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Walsall · Walsall local authority: places and applications

Barr Beacon School is part of Matrix Academy Trust, which runs 9 schools. The nearest others:

• Elmwood School Walsall
• Bloxwich Academy Walsall
• Pool Hayes Primary School Willenhall
• Wednesfield Academy Wolverhampton
• Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School Birmingham
• Smestow Academy Wolverhampton
• Turves Green Boys' School Birmingham
• Etone College Nuneaton

What is Barr Beacon School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Barr Beacon School is Good, from an inspection in January 2023.

When was Barr Beacon School last inspected by Ofsted?

Barr Beacon School was last inspected in January 2023.

How many pupils does Barr Beacon School have?

Barr Beacon School has 1,469 pupils on roll.

What age range does Barr Beacon School cover?

Barr Beacon School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Barr Beacon School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 50.4, and 57% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Barr Beacon School?

Barr Beacon School is at Old Hall Lane, Aldridge, Walsall, West Midlands, WS9 0RF.