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What says..

Beacon is a big beast and brilliantly run. Unashamedly outdoorsy, they maximise fresh air where possible right from the start. There are pupils at top football academies and professional sporting alumni, but parents unanimously confirm they adhere to their ‘sport for all’ ethos. Parents of foodies take note: cooking and nutrition lessons here are far the most innovative and fun we’ve seen. The day we visited, year 4 were making…

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What the school says...

The Beacon is a lively boys' prep school situated in Buckinghamshire. From the moment your son arrives at The Beacon, he will be encouraged, educated and enthralled by a dedicated team of staff who have one aim: to make every day at school a memorable one. The Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) report 2022 rated The Beacon 'excellent' in all areas. ...Read more

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What The Good Schools Guide says

Headmaster

Since 2022, Nick Baker BA PGCE. Educated at Dr Challoner’s Grammar School in Amersham, UCL (geography) and Newcastle University (PGCE). Cut his teaching teeth at inner London state school before being appointed senior master in 2001 at newly founded Wetherby Prep, rising through the ranks to deputy head and then head in 2007. Launching the senior school in 2015 was ‘the biggest challenge yet – a great opportunity in so many respects’. When hiring, he looks for committed staff who want to be fully integrated in the school community and are willing to help other departments while being an expert in their own.

Headship at the Beacon meant coming full circle; he grew up in Amersham and lives in nearby Berkhamsted. He says, ‘I’m a homebody, which might seem unusual...

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Special Education Needs

The Learning Support Centre at The Beacon exists to help those boys who are experiencing difficulties with academic work by providing assistance on several levels: support to the boys, staff and parents. Most of the difficulties come into the category of mild specific learning differences, such as dyslexia. We have a qualified specialist teacher and a visiting Speech & Language Therapist. We also work closely with the School Counsellor. Our main aim is to identify boys who need help as early as possible and to put interventions in place at this stage. Research has shown that the best outcome for all is when intervention is in place early in the child's life. We keep up-to-date with current research within the field and aim to improve the boys' literacy and numeracy skills. We use multisensory methods to try and help the boys to achieve their full potential. We ensure that teachers in the school are aware of the importance of identifying, and providing for those boys who have specific learning differences. The learning needs of the individual boys are also made known to all those who teach them. All staff have had access to training in specific learning difficulties. 09-09

Condition Provision for in school
ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder
Aspergers
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders
CReSTeD registered for Dyslexia
Dyscalculia
Dysgraphia
Dyslexia Y
Dyspraxia
English as an additional language (EAL)
Genetic
Has an entry in the Autism Services Directory
Has SEN unit or class
HI - Hearing Impairment
Hospital School
Mental health
MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty
MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment
Natspec Specialist Colleges
OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability
Other SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty
PD - Physical Disability
PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty
SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health
SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication
SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty
Special facilities for Visually Impaired
SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty
VI - Visual Impairment

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