Beal High School

Beal High School is a very large and diverse secondary school within Beacon Multi-Academy Trust. Inspectors found it performing well overall: pupils achieve strongly, attendance is consistently high, and behaviour is excellent. Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture and pupils who feel safe and trust adults. GCSE outcomes in the main school are well above national averages in many subjects, including for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, and inclusion is a notable strength, especially through the Beacon Communication Department for autistic pupils and those with communication difficulties. Curriculum and teaching, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing are all judged at the expected standard. Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum and are taking sensible steps to improve teaching and assessment, but assessment practice is not yet consistently helping pupils understand how to improve. Some aspects of personal development around respect, difference and life in modern Britain are less consistently developed, and the wider enrichment offer is not as broad or as closely tracked as it could be. The clearest area for improvement is the sixth form, which needs attention. Teaching and assessment are more variable than in Years 7 to 11, and A-level and applied general outcomes are below national averages, although GCSE English and mathematics re-sit results and students' wider experience are positive. Leaders know this and have begun work to strengthen provision, but the changes are not yet fully embedded.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve well across the curriculum, with GCSE outcomes well above national averages in many subjects.
• Outcomes in English, mathematics and science are particularly high.
• Disadvantaged pupils achieve strongly, well above disadvantaged pupils nationally.
• Pupils with SEND make strong progress from their starting points.
• Attendance is consistently above national average, and persistent absence is very low.
• Behaviour in lessons and around school is excellent, and suspensions are rare.
• Safeguarding standards are met, and pupils feel safe and trust adults.
• The Beacon Communication Department meets the needs of autistic pupils and those with communication difficulties very well.
• Leaders provide effective support for reading, mathematics and writing.
• The curriculum is ambitious and sets high expectations for all pupils.
• Staff receive effective professional learning, including support for early career teachers.
• Leaders understand the school's strengths and areas for development and act swiftly.
• Trustees and the local governing body provide effective strategic oversight.
• Personal development covers online safety, mental health, equality and healthy relationships.
• Pastoral support is highly effective, including counselling and mental health services.
• Careers guidance is high-quality, and destinations after 16 are above national averages.
• Sixth form students on the three-year pathway achieve well in GCSE English and mathematics re-sits.
• Sixth form students feel safe, welcome and well supported, with strong careers guidance.

Areas for Improvement

• Post-16 provision needs attention because teaching and assessment are more variable than in the rest of the school.
• A-level and applied general outcomes in the sixth form are below national averages.
• Planned improvements to sixth-form teaching and assessment are not yet fully embedded.
• Assessment is not used consistently across subjects to help pupils understand how to improve.
• Some aspects of personal development around respect, difference and life in modern Britain are less consistently developed.
• Some pupils are not as well prepared for life in modern Britain as they could be.
• The wider enrichment offer is not as broad as it could be, and participation is not tracked systematically.
• Leaders do not yet evaluate enrichment participation and impact systematically enough to meet all pupils' interests and aspirations.

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 Beal High School attended 94.8% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 10.1% 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, 3.8% of pupils at Beal High School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). One pupil was 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 Beal High School had 18.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.3% 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, 6.6% of pupils at Beal High School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.8% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has resourced provision with 26 pupils.

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 Beal High School received £7,548 and spent £7,677 for each of its 2,612 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £3,297,000 (£1,262 per pupil).

Across all 2 schools of Beacon Multi-Academy Trust Limited, income was £8,451 and spending £8,324 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.

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

Beal High School is part of Beacon Multi-Academy Trust Limited, which runs 2 schools. The nearest others:

• Forest Academy Ilford

What is Beal High School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Beal High School is Needs attention, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Beal High School last inspected by Ofsted?

Beal High School was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Beal High School have?

Beal High School has 2,615 pupils on roll.

What age range does Beal High School cover?

Beal High School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Beal High School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 54.8, and 62% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Beal High School?

Beal High School is at Woodford Bridge Road, Ilford, Essex, IG4 5LP.