Beacon Academy

Beacon Academy demonstrates outstanding overall effectiveness, marked by high standards in education, behavior, personal development, leadership, and sixth-form provision. The school has successfully fostered a motivating environment that encourages pupils to excel academically while nurturing their personal growth. Notably, disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs flourish here, reflecting the school’s commitment to inclusivity and high expectations across the entire student body. Students benefit from a rich array of extracurricular activities, which further contribute to their positive engagement and well-rounded development.

Strengths

• Exceptional achievement of pupils, including disadvantaged and SEND students.
• Strong leadership and management within the school and trust.
• Highly engaging curriculum that effectively develops pupils' subject knowledge.
• Focus on mental health and personal development through various programs.
• Effective support for weaker readers and those learning English as an additional language.
• Sixth form students serve as role models and mentors, enhancing community spirit.

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 Beacon Academy attended 90.9% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 23.8% 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, 3.9% of pupils at Beacon Academy 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 Beacon Academy had 17.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 13.8% 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, 11.6% of pupils at Beacon Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.3% 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 Beacon Academy received £7,429 and spent £7,274 for each of its 1,663 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,161,000 (£698 per pupil).

Across all 2 schools of Mark Education Trust, income was £7,615 and spending £7,798 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 Crowborough · East Sussex local authority: places and applications

Beacon Academy is part of Mark Education Trust, which runs 3 schools. The nearest others:

• Uplands Academy Wadhurst
• Hailsham Academy Hailsham

What is Beacon Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Beacon Academy is Outstanding, from an inspection in May 2024.

When was Beacon Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Beacon Academy was last inspected in May 2024.

How many pupils does Beacon Academy have?

Beacon Academy has 1,642 pupils on roll.

What age range does Beacon Academy cover?

Beacon Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Beacon Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 49.4, and 57% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Beacon Academy?

Beacon Academy is at North Beeches Road, Crowborough, East Sussex, TN6 2AS.